Eating Well Magazine had an article a few year ago (by Joyce Hendley), on the power of the everyday apple. She reported that researchers say regular apple eating can help protect us from a cluster of symptoms related to an increased risk of heart disease.

In their survey, these researchers said people who reported consuming any form of apples within the past day were 27% less likely to have symptoms of metabolic syndrome–like high blood pressure or a waist measurement of over 40 inches (for men) or 35 inches (for women)–compared to those who didn’t. The apple eaters also had lower levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation whose presence in the blood suggests an increased risk for heart disease and diabetes.

While a one-day snapshot doesn’t represent a long-term dietary pattern, numerous studies show that eating apples “is associated with broad metabolic advantages.” And fast forward to today—the evidence continues to grow, all of it indicating apples benefit the heart.

Why the hearty benefits? Apples have a strong antioxidant/flavonoid profile. It’s all about their quercetin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, kaempferol and other polysyllabic wonders. They play a key role by preventing LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and triggering a series of events that result in the buildup of plaque in arteries, as well as inhibiting inflammation.

“But antioxidants are just one piece of the whole puzzle,” notes Cornell University food scientist and apple expert Rui Hai Liu, Ph.D. Apples are also rich in pectin, a form of soluble fiber known to help lower cholesterol, and they provide a decent amount of vitamin C, another antioxidant.

Liu believes we’re only beginning to understand how the various components of apples “work together additively and synergistically to provide health benefits.” Nutritionists believe there are probably thousands of compounds in apples that we haven’t yet identified and maybe won’t identify for a long time, but we really don’t need to know all that, because we can eat whole apples!

Bottom line: Enjoy apples in all their forms, including applesauce and juice (look for brands labeled “made with whole apples,” recommends Liu) and especially apples in their simplest, whole form. Be sure to leave the peel on–and not just because that’s where much of the healthy phytochemicals are concentrated, but for apples’ full flavor complexity.

Pretty amazing stuff, right? And to top it all off, apples are so versatile and easy to work with. As an example, here’s a delicious recipe I found on www.thecleaneatingcouple.com for a yummy and health-promoting dessert. The best apples for this would be Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Empire. But whatever apple you have on hand will be terrific. Give it a try.

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