Heart Healthy Eating Apples With Once a Day

Heart Healthy Eating Apples With Once a Day

Apples became a favorite food for people on a diet program because the content of water and fiber in apples can suppress appetite. Not only that, eating an apple every day can also keep you from heart disease.

Recent research conducted in Tallahassee Florida State University found that eating an apple every day either to vascular or cardiovascular health.

Researchers noted that women who eat apples every day for a year can lower total cholesterol by 14 percent and levels of bad cholesterol (LDL or Low Density Lipoprotein) by 23 percent.

"I never thought that eating apples can reduce bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) about 4 percent," said Bahram Arjmandi, Chairman, Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at Florida State University in Tallahassee, as reported by HealthDay.

In this latest study, researchers wanted to assess the long-term effects of apple consumption on cardiovascular health.

Researchers recruited 160 women between the ages of 45 to 65 years. The women were randomly assigned into one of two dietary intervention groups. One group was given 75 grams of dried apple every day for a year, while the other group were given dried plums each day for a year.

According to this study, the daily dry apple contains about 240 calories and an apple contains about 5 grams of fiber, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Researchers found that women who ate dried apples can lower total cholesterol by 14 percent. LDL cholesterol dropped 23 percent. Daily apple consumption was also significantly lower levels of C-reactive protein and lipid hydroperoxide, two materials that may indicate an increased risk of heart disease. But whether plum effect on cholesterol levels is not mentioned in the study abstract.

"Apples are the fruit is really remarkable for many reasons. The biggest reason is the fiber apple, apples have soluble and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber found in skin, while the flesh contains soluble fiber," said Jessica Shapiro, a clinical nutritionist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

According to Shapiro, the flesh of apples will be a substance such as a highly viscous gel that can pick up cholesterol and pull it out of the body.

"One good thing is the pectin in apples. It is a substance used to make jelly or jam, and pectin contributes to the viscosity of what happens through the body, and help him out. Apples also have a lot of antioxidants and other natural components," he said.

Shapiro said he would recommend a fresh apple instead of dried apples, because some nutrients may be lost in the drying process.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food can have an effect on cholesterol levels. Foods that contain saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol can raise levels of cholesterol, while foods with healthy fats like olive oil can lower your cholesterol.

Foods with fiber, like fruits, vegetables and grains, can lower cholesterol levels, while carbohydrates are low in fiber tend to increase levels of triglycerides and lower HDL cholesterol as well.