Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, like a heart attack or stroke, by consuming two apples every day, a new study suggests. It can also help you have more relaxed and healthy blood vessels. Two apples contain recommended daily fibre and can help fuel gut bacteria that may help to reduce cholesterol levels.
For the study, 40 participants with cholesterol consumed two apples every day for eight weeks. This tiny addition to their diet helped lower "bad" cholesterol levels by close to 4 per cent. Unhealthy levels of cholesterol could cause the arteries to harden and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
"It seems the old adage of an apple day was nearly right," Professor Julie Lovegrove, senior author of the study from the Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition at the University of Reading, told a news portal.
Adding, "People who ate daily two large apples high in polyphenols had lower LDL cholesterol, also known as 'bad' cholesterol, and no reduction in good cholesterol compared to people having an apple-based drink."
Lovegrove further explained:"We believe the fibre and polyphenols in apples are important, and apples are a popular fruit among all ages, which are easy to eat and make great snack foods."
Researchers also found women have more to gain from eating two apples to lower cholesterol than men. "This study did show that eating two apples a day led to a slight reduction in cholesterol compared with an apple drink," Tim Chico, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield, told a news portal.
Adding, "The effect on cholesterol was very small compared with drug therapy with statins, and so it is not clear whether this effect would lead to a decrease in heart disease or stroke."
More research is needed to better understand this association. The study's findings were originally published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Multiple studies claim the benefits of eating apples are immense. One study, published in the journal EBioMedicine, found this fruit contains a compound that could help slow down the ageing process.
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