Apples Lower Heart Disease Risk!

The research team was led by Dr. Mark Pereira from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and included Harvard School of Public Health’s Dr. Walt Willett. The study was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. (Source: Arch Int Med, Vol. 164, No. 4, Feb. 23, 2004; pp 370-376.)

Researchers did not identify a specific protective mechanism in this study, although fiber has been shown to reduce heart disease risk many ways, such as improving blood lipid profiles, lowering blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity, the study noted. Soluble fiber appeared to be slightly more protective than insoluble fiber, although the researchers cautioned those findings should be interpreted cautiously because not all studies estimated soluble vs. insoluble fiber intake. Apples are one of the richest sources of fruit fiber. One medium, tennis ball-sized apple contains 5 grams of fiber, of both soluble and insoluble types, and one slice of whole-wheat bread contains 2 grams of fiber, according to Nutrition Facts for both products.

These findings make the case for increasing consumption of high-fiber apples and other foods for better health, joining previous research findings about high-fiber foods, the authors noted – and challenging the long-term wisdom of diets that discourage consumption of high-fiber carbohydrates in the process.

"The recommendations to consume a diet that includes an abundance of fiber-rich foods to prevent coronary heart disease are based on a wealth of consistent scientific evidence," Pereira and his colleagues wrote in the journal.

"Quality of carbohydrates is important," said Dr. Dianne Hyson, R.D., a professor at Sacramento State University who is considered the nation’s leading authority on apple health benefits research. "These findings indicate that consumers should embrace, not avoid, fiber- and phytonutrient-rich fruits like apples for their better health."

Click here to read the University of California at Davis study and find out how apples and apple juice benefit the heart.