Eat Apple to Lower Cholesterol

I remember apple used to be expensive when I was young so my mom would buy some only during special occasions like Christmas and New Year. Thus, even if the saying says "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", we couldn't afford to eat everyday. But now, apple is as cheap as P5 in the market. It doesn't matter whether it's delicious, gala or washington type of apple. It's still an apple and tastes good anyway.

At my age, being healthy is important because I am now prone to diseases including having a high cholesterol level. I am health conscious so I always read news and articles about being healthy and I've read that eating apple a day reduces LDL cholesterol level. Here's more about the article from a health blog:

According to Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi and colleagues, apples are truly a "miracle fruit" that convey benefits beyond fiber content. Animal studies have shown that apple pectin and polyphenols in apple improve lipid metabolism and lower the production of pro-inflammatory molecules. Arjmandi's most recent research is the first to evaluate the long-term cardioprotective effects of daily consumption of apple in postmenopausal women.

This study randomly assigned 160 women ages 45-65 to one of two dietary intervention groups: one received dried apples daily (75g/day for 1 year) and the other group ate dried prunes every day for a year. Blood samples were taken at 3, 6 and 12-months. The results surprised Dr. Arjmandi, who stated that "incredible changes in the apple-eating women happened by 6 months- they experienced a 23% decrease in LDL cholesterol," which is known as the "bad cholesterol." The daily apple consumption also led to a lowering of lipid hydroperoxide levels and C-reactive protein in those women.

"I never expected apple consumption to reduce bad cholesterol to this extent while increasing HDL cholesterol or good cholesterol by about 4%," Arjmandi said. Yet another advantage is that the extra 240 calories per day consumed from the dried apple did not lead to weight gain in the women; in fact, they lost on average 3.3 lbs. "Reducing body weight is an added benefit to daily apple intake" he said. Part of the reason for the weight loss could be the fruit's pectin, which is known to have a satiety effect. The next step in confirming the results of this study is a multi-investigator nationwide study.

Apple indeed is a miracle fruit, isn't it?