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Friday, April 22, 2011

An apple a day keeps cholesterol away

An apple a day can really keep the doctor away by reducing bad cholesterol levels in women.

Apples are truly a miracle fruit that convey benefits beyond fiber content.

Animal studies have shown that apple pectin and polyphenols in apple improve lipid metabolism and lower the production of pro-inflammatory molecules.

According to a study randomly assigned 160 women ages 45-65 to one of  two dietary intervention groups:
            -one received dried apples daily (75g/day for 1 year)
            -and the othergroup ate dried prunes every day for a year.
Blood samples were taken at 3, 6 and 12-months.

The results were surprising which stated that incredible changes in the apple-eating women happened by 6 months - they experienced a 23 per cent decrease in LDL cholesterol.
The daily apple consumption also led to a lowering of lipid hydroperoxide levels and C-reactive protein in those women.
Unexpectedly the apple consumption reduced bad cholesterol while increasing HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol by about 4 per cent.
Yet another advantage is that the extra 240 calories per day consumed from the dried apple did not lead to weight gain in the women; in fact, they lost on average 3.3 lbs.
Reducing body weight is an added benefit to daily apple intake.
Part of the reason for the weight loss could be the fruit's pectin, which is known to have a satiety effect.