Apples - Keep Cancer Away

What Is an Apple?

An apple is a crunchy, bright-colored fruit, one of the most popular in the United States. You’ve probably heard the age-old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Although eating apples isn’t a cure-all, it is good for your health.

European settlers brought apples with them to the Americas. They preferred them to North America’s native crabapple, a small, tarter fruit.

Today, many types of apples are grown in the U.S., but a small percentage of the ones you can buy in grocery stores are imported. Each type of apple has a different shape, color, and texture.

An apple can be sweet or sour, and its flavor can vary depending on what type you’re eating.

There are many varieties, including:

Red Delicious

McIntosh

Crispin

Gala

Granny Smith

Fuji

Honeycrisp

Apple Health Benefits

Apples can do a lot for you, thanks to plant chemicals called flavonoids. And they have pectin, a fiber that breaks down in your gut. If you take off the apple’s skin before eating it, you won’t get as much of the fiber or flavonoids.

The fiber can slow digestion so you feel fuller after eating. This can keep you from overeating. Eating fiber-rich foods helps control symptoms and lessens the effects of acid reflux. An apple’s fiber can also help with diarrhea and constipation.

Some studies show that plant chemicals and the fiber of an apple peel protect against blood vessel and heart damage. They also can help lower your cholesterol, and they might protect your cells’ DNA from something called oxidative damage, which is one of the things that can lead to cancer.

Research shows the antioxidants in apples can slow the growth of cancer cells. And they can protect the cells in your pancreas, which can lower your chances of type 2 diabetes.

Scientists also give apples credit for helping:

• Your lung strength

• Your heart

• With asthma

• Bone health

• Weight loss

• Your brain (easing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related memory loss)

• Your immune system

• Your gut health

You don’t need to be concerned about the sugar in apples. Although they have carbs that affect your blood sugar, these carbs are different from other sugars that strip away fiber that’s good for you.

Apple Nutrition

Apples are low in sodium, fat, and cholesterol. They don’t offer protein, but apples are a good source of vitamin C and fiber.

One medium apple has about:

100 calories

25 grams of carbohydrates

4 grams of fiber

19 grams of sugar

A variety of strong antioxidants

Risks

Although apples do have health benefits, eating too many of them (like anything) can be bad for you. Too much fruit can cause you to gain weight.

There are a few others things to keep in mind:

Pesticides. Apples are one of the fruits that have high pesticide residues because bugs and disease are more likely to affect them. It’s always best to wash fruit like apples before you eat them.

Seeds. You might’ve also heard that eating apple seeds or the core is bad for you. The seeds do have chemicals that turn into cyanide in your body, but you would have to crush and eat many seeds for them to harm you. In fact, an average adult would have to eat at least 150 crushed seeds for a risk of cyanide poisoning. The seeds are actually rich in protein and fiber.

Interactions. Apple juice can interact with the allergy drug fexofenadine (Allegra). The juice makes the medicine hard for your body to absorb.

How to Buy and Prepare Apples

When you’re buying apples, make sure they feel firm and heavy. The skin shouldn’t have bruises, cuts, or soft spots.

Make sure to store apples in your refrigerator to keep them fresh longer. They can be stored at room temperature, but they’ll ripen much faster.

When you eat an apple, leave the skin on because it has more than half of the apple's fiber.

The types of apples that are best for baking are usually tart and slightly sweet varieties, including:

Granny Smith

Honeycrisp

Melrose

Braeburn

Juicy, sweet types are best if you’d rather eat your apple raw. These include:

Red Delicious

Gala

Fuji

McIntosh

You can enjoy your apple in many different ways, including:

As slices

Baked into apple chips

Part of a pie

In salads

Can an Apple a Day Help Keep Cancer Away?

It’s a saying as old as time – an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Over the years, many have questioned the validity of this well-known statement. Can one piece of fruit be the key to keeping healthy and well?

While the debate may never truly be settled, researchers from the University of Perugia (Italy) found that people who frequently eat fruit often have fewer tumors. Apples are one of the fruits that boast a large amount of dietary fiber and polyphenol compounds that partner with gut microbes to create an environment that may reduce one’s risk of cancer. This environment is predicted to reduce the risk of several specific cancers, including lung, bowel, mouth, digestive tract, and breast tumors, when compared to people who do not consume apples regularly. The vitamin C in apples also acts as an antioxidant to support immune function and fight cancer cell growth. In addition to preventing tumors, apples may also support cancer recovery. The amount of potassium found in apples can positively affect one’s fluid balance and prevent fluid retention, which is a common side effect of chemotherapy.

Though eating an apple a day may not be the key to never falling ill, the popular fruit may greatly contribute to one’s overall well-being. Luckily, including an apple into one’s diet is easier than ever. In recent years, apples have become an extremely popular tool in the kitchen. They can be used for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and of course, a snack between meals. One of the favorite recipes shared at the National Foundation for Cancer Research is a simple fall apple slaw that can be consumed as a bright and healthy side for any meal or as a light lunch. The simple fall slaw can be whipped up easily in 30 minutes or less.