An Apple a Day to Keep the Diseases Away?

A wealth of research suggests that eating apples may impact your health in a number of beneficial ways:

• Brain Health: Apples have been found to protect neuron cells against oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity and may play an important role in reducing the risk of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.
• Stroke: Eating apples is linked to a decreased risk of stroke.
• Diabetes: Three servings of apples (and other fruits, such as blueberries and grapes) are linked to a 7 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes. This may be due to their beneficial role in blood sugar regulation, as apples contain compounds that may:
• Lessen absorption of glucose from your digestive tract
• Stimulate beta cells in your pancreas to secrete insulin
• Increase uptake of glucose from your blood by stimulating insulin receptors
• Cancer: Apples have a number of properties that may help reduce the risk of cancer, including antimutagenic activity, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory mechanisms, antiproliferative and apoptosis-inducing activity, as well as "novel mechanisms on epigenetic events and innate immunity." According to the journal Planta Medica: “Apple products have been shown to prevent skin, mammary and colon carcinogenesis in animal models. Epidemiological observations indicate that regular consumption of one or more apples a day may reduce the risk for lung and colon cancer.”
• Heart Disease: Eating apples are associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease, an association that’s thought to be related to their content of antioxidant flavonoids.