Like the saying goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. A popular fruit choice, with over 7,000 different species and many varieties from sweet red varieties like Red Delicious, Fuji, Gala to tangy green ones.
Loaded with many nutrients and antioxidants, apples hold tremendous health benefits, from improving gut health to preventing chronic diseases.
Here are 8 incredible benefits of apples in healthcare:
- Improves Gut Health: The human gut contains good bacteria that help with digestion and keep digestive issues like bloating at bay. Apples contain pectin, a type of soluble fiber that is prebiotic. Pectin feeds the good gut bacteria in your colon microbe. By feeding the good bacteria with pectin, apples keep the gut healthy and provide the body with other benefits, including regular bowel movements and increased immunity.
- Helps Regulate Bowel Movement: Apple skins are excellent sources of soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber absorbs water, turning it into a gel-like substance that slows down digestion, preventing diarrhea. On the other hand, insoluble fiber bulks up stool and allows food to pass through the intestines, quickly preventing constipation.
- Helps Lower Blood Pressure: Apples are not a full source of potassium, but when consumed alongside a healthy diet, the potassium in apples may allow for healthy blood pressure. This is because potassium relaxes the blood vessels, easing tension thus lowering blood pressure. The soluble fiber in apples doesn’t only aid digestion but also helps lower cholesterol levels. Lower cholesterol also helps in reducing the risk of critical relations like heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
- Helps Lower Cholesterol:A study by NCBI in 2015 proved a correlation between the regular consumption of apples fewer cardiovascular disease risk factors, including cholesterol.
- Lower Risks of Diabetes:Consuming apples may also reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. Apples have a low glycemic index which means they are less likely to cause blood sugar spikes providing a healthy option for people with diabetes.Asides from proving to be a healthy option for anyone with diabetes, apples reduce the risk of developing this condition. Fruits are always a welcomed addition to any meal. Whoever coined the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” must have known all the wonderful benefits this fruit brings to the human body.