Health benefits of eating apples

1. Get whiter, healthier teeth

An apple won’t replace your toothbrush, but biting and chewing an apple stimulates the production of saliva in your mouth, reducing tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria.

2. Avoid Alzheimer’s

A new study performed on mice shows that drinking apple juice could keep Alzheimer’s away and fight the effects of aging on the brain. Mice in the study that were fed an apple-enhanced diet showed higher levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and did better in maze tests than those on a regular diet.

3. Protect against Parkinson’s

Research has shown that people who eat fruits and other high-fibre foods gain a certain amount of protection against Parkinson’s, a disease characterized by a breakdown of the brain’s dopamine-producing nerve cells. Scientists have linked this to the free radical-fighting power of the antioxidants contained therein.

4. Curb all sorts of cancers

Scientists from the American Association for Cancer Research, among others, agree that the consumption of flavonol-rich apples could help reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to 23 per cent. Researchers at Cornell University have identified several compounds—triterpenoids—in apple peel that have potent anti-growth activities against cancer cells in the liver, colon and breast. Their earlier research found that extracts from whole apples can reduce the number and size of mammary tumours in rats. Meanwhile, the National Cancer Institute in the U.S. has recommended a high fibre intake to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

5. Decrease your risk of diabetes

Fruits

Fruits are an important part of a healthy diet. They are naturally low in calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Fruits play an important role in keeping the body healthy and have many benefits including:

Fruits Lower Risk of Illness and Disease. Fruits contain many vitamins and nutrients that may reduce risk for many illnesses including:

• Stroke, heart disease and other heart-related illnesses
• Type 2 diabetes
• Certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer.
• Kidney stones
• Bone loss

Fruits Hydrate the Body. Fruits are made up of 90 percent 95 percent water. Water is an important nutrient. It is responsible for transporting nutrients around the body, regulating body temperature, keeping joints moist, and getting rid of waste products in the body.

Fruits Keep the Body Regular. Fruits are rich in fiber, which is essential for the smooth movement of food in the body’s digestive system. Fruits help maintain easy bowel action and eating fruits every day will prevent constipation.

Fruits Give the Body Energy. All fruits contain carbohydrates, which are the body’s main source of energy. Carbohydrates in fruits are mainly sugar, which break down easily and make a quick source of energy.

Water

Water is important to the mechanics of the human body. The body cannot work without it, just as a car cannot run without gas and oil. In fact, all the cell and organ functions that make up our entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their functioning.

• Next to air (oxygen), water is the most essential element to human life; the body usually cannot survive longer than several days without water (a maximum of 1 week).
• Water is essential to the functioning of every single cell and organ system in the human body.
• Water makes up greater than 2/3 of the weight of the human body; the brain is 75% water, blood is 83% water, bones are 22% water, muscles are 75% water, and the lungs are 90% water.
• Water is essential for the efficient elimination of waste products through the kidneys.
• Water regulates body temperature (through perspiration).
• Water serves a lubricant; water forms the fluids surrounding joints and bones, providing cushioning for the joints.
• Water prevents and alleviates constipation (by moving food through the intestines and eliminating waste products).
• Water helps the body to absorb nutrients in the intestines.
• Water plays a role in regulating metabolism.
• Water forms the base for saliva (necessary for consuming and digesting food).
• Water carries nutrients and oxygen to all cells in the body and facilitates all of the chemical processes which occur in the body.
• Water plays a role in the prevention of disease. Drinking adequate amounts of water can reduce the risk of colon and bladder cancer significantly, and some studies have suggested that water may also decrease the risk of breast cancer.