As regards natural health remedies, the key one that many/most will be aware of is the expression that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” – so how much truth is there in that and how what are apples’ health benefits? Well, of course the first thing to say is that by eating an apple a day, that would seem most unlikely to prevent illness in all regards, however, it can perhaps to some extent be of benefit. One thing that can be initially expressed is that actually apples may not have a large amount of vitamin C relative to other fruits, however, having said that they do have a large amount of other antioxidant compounds that could contribute to health. Another thing that those who eat apples may be aware of is that due to their fiber content, this can aid with bowel regulation and additionally it has been reported that this can avert the risk of colon cancer – again not a “cure-all”. Another facet of apples is that they are quite bulky in relation to the amount of calories that they can provide.
It has been reported that apple juice can increase the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine for mice which has been reported to give leverage for preventing the decline in cognitive ability with aging as well as dietary and genetic deficiencies. It has also been reported that the apple seeds are slightly toxic in that they contain amygdalin which is a cyanogenic glycoside – however, conversely, some have said that this is actually a good thing and that this is dangerous to cancer and would not be an issue in terms of regular health, so there are therefore opposing views on that topic.
Continuing with the topic of “apples’ health benefits”, if you live in countries such as England then apples will be seasonally available and instead of buying them from local supermarkets, you could also try and buy them direct from local orchards in your area. There are various different brands of apples available which will also have varying levels of nutritional capacity.
(ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple)
