We’ve all heard it from our mothers, who heard it from their mothers, who heard it from …  well, you get the picture … “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”  Have you ever wondered, though, where that saying came from and if there’s any truth behind it? Do apples have healing properties?

Here are a few bits of apple trivia, core facts and nutritional info to sink your teeth into!

• “An apple a day …” was first proclaimed by JT Stinson at the St Louis World’s Fair in 1904 — adapted from an old English saying “Ate an apfel avore gwain to bed Makes the doctor beg his bread.”
• In medieval times, physicians were taught that cooked apples could relieve disturbances of the bowels, lungs and nervous system.
• In ancient Greece, Hippocrates recommended sweet apples with meals to aid digestion and sour apples for fainting and constipation.
• Archaeological findings show that humans have been eating apples as far back as 6500 BC.
• There are actually 7,500 of varieties of apples grown worldwide. They range in size from slightly larger than a cherry to the size of a grapefruit and vary widely in flavor. Apples can have an aftertaste of citrus, pears, cinnamon, strawberries, coconut, cloves, pineapple or grapes.
• A medium apple is about 80 calories and contains about five grams of fiber. Fiber promotes weight loss and aids in digestion. Apples contain almost zero fat and cholesterol and are high in vitamin C and potassium.
• A medium apple with skin provides the antioxidant activity equal to 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential for healthy tissues and bones and protects your body from toxins. Antioxidants fight free radicals which damage cells, a contributing factor in the development of cancer and also in the aging process.
• Apples are rich in phytonutrients, antioxidants that help prevent cancer, heart disease and diabetes and may also help in fighting bacterial and viral infections. Phytonutrients have been shown to offer stronger anti-cancer properties than vitamin C.
• Apples contain quercetin, a flavonoid that plays an important part in keeping blood vessels healthy, reducing inflammation throughout the body and preventing DNA damage to the cells. This could be beneficial to those suffering from fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.  Other studies have shown that quercetin may protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.  Recent research from the University of Massachusetts Lowell suggests that consuming apple juice may protect against cell damage that contributes to age-related memory loss.
• Apples are a natural source of dietary fiber, both soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber helps prevent cholesterol build up in the lining of blood vessel walls, which can lead to atherosclerosis and heart disease. Insoluble fiber aids digestion and promotes weight loss. One apple contains the same amount of dietary fiber as a bowl of bran cereal.
• Apples are good for your lungs. British researchers found that apples are effective in reducing the risk of lung cancer. Dutch scientists have found that smokers who eat an apple a day are half as likely to develop emphysema and chronic bronchitis, common diseases suffered by smokers.
• Apples contain an essential trace element called boron. Boron helps with bone density and, therefore, can help prevent or decrease the effects of osteoporosis.
• Apples are one of the richest sources of malic acid, which can help boost cellular energy and alleviate muscle pain and tenderness.
• Crunching on an apple helps prevent tooth decay by stimulate the flow of saliva.
• An apple is a natural breath freshener.

To get all the nutritional and health benefits from an apple, you do need to eat the skin.  Not only does it contain a lot of  fiber, but all the quercetin is located in the skin and almost half the vitamin C content is just under it.

So there you go.  It appears that the apple does live up to its reputation. Don’t you just love it when something that tastes so good is so good for you?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at 1:25 pm and is filed under Natural Health Remedies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.