"One apple a day, the doctor stays away from me."
This is actually an advertisement used to save the Apple industry during the Great Prohibition period in the United States in the 1930s.
So, is an apple a day a business conspiracy or is it really good for humanity?
Is the apple an overrated ordinary fruit?
Follow the little chestnut to find out!
Comparison of common nutrients
Fruit is an important part of a balanced diet, and fresh fruit is an important source of nutrients such as vitamin C, β carotene, potassium, dietary fiber, and a variety of phytochemistry.
Little Chestnut has compiled a comparison chart of the nutrient composition of different common fruits in autumn and winter:
Click on my comparison of the nutrients of more fruits
Summary:
Apples perform moderately in terms of vitamin content
The mineral content is at a moderate level
The dietary fiber content is moderate
Calories and sugar content are moderate
Note:
Medium GI fruits, but the sugar content is about 13%, and it is not much. Diabetics should not eat too much at a time, eat about half a (about 100g) is enough.
People with more fructose and sucrose, high uric acid, and high triglycerides should also pay attention not to gluttonous, and not to drink apple juice in large quantities.
It belongs to FODMAP food, and people with irritable bowel syndrome need to pay attention.
Although apples are not very high in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber, their advantage is that they are rich in antioxidants.
Antioxidant capacity comparison
Studies have compared cranberries, apples, grapes, strawberries, peaches, lemons, pears, bananas, oranges, pineapples, grapefruit, these more common antioxidant fruits, and found that apples have indeed very strong antioxidant capacity.
Although it is a little worse than the first cranberry, it is much more common than fresh cranberry! [1]
The study found that cranberries had the highest total antioxidant content, followed by apples, red grapes, strawberries, peaches, lemons, pears, bananas, oranges, grapefruit and pineapple. Image from literature[1]
Studies believe that apple's super antioxidant capacity mainly comes from its rich and comprehensive phenols, such as chlorogenic acid, quercetin, catechins, proanthocyanidins and so on. [2]
These terms are hard to understand, you just need to know that they are strong antioxidants.
This strong antioxidant has many health benefits.
One study showed that apples are rich in phenolic anti-inflammatory bioactive substances, which can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. [3]
A trial comparing the effects of apples, pears and peaches on blood lipids in rats found that the dietary fiber content of the three fruits did not differ much, but apples had greater ability to lower cholesterol and enhance plasma antioxidants. This is related to the fact that apples contain more phenolic antioxidants. [4]
A study that surveyed the diet and lifestyle of nearly 600 people with asthma and 900 people who were not asthmatic showed that apple intake was strongly negatively correlated with asthma. [5]
In addition, there are also studies that have found that eating apples before meals can lose weight: drying a small apple before eating can reduce the intake of 200kcal food and help weight control. [6]
The reason is that apples are large, generous, rich in water and dietary fiber, which can bring satisfaction to the stomach and intestines.
In this way, in fact, drink more water, and eat vegetables first when eating is the same effect!
Of course there is a difference!
Different varieties
However, the difference is not too big, although there are many types of apples, the appearance is very different, but the difference is only in the content of sugar, organic acids and so on.
In the apple category, nutrition is actually similar.
For example, the sugar content of sugar heart apples will be higher, and the organic acid content of sour green apples will be higher.
The same variety of apples will also have some differences in nutrition due to different origins, growing conditions, sunshine hours, rainfall, picking timing, etc.
In a study comparing Yantai Fuji, Green Snake Fruit, Red Snake Fruit, and Jixian Fuji, Little Chestnut found that the same Fuji apple had a higher VC content in Yantai Fuji [7].
Different peels
Apples are mainly divided into red apples, yellow apples and green apples according to the color of the peel.
Some studies believe that red apples have higher content of flavonoids, yellow apples have higher carotene content, and green apples have higher fruit acid content.
One study showed that green apples have more than twice as much proanthocyanidins as red apples and yellow apples[8], and a smaller sugar content, which is often less sweet.
The color of apple peel comes from different gene expressions, but different colors and tastes may also symbolize different nutrient advantages!
Different pulps
In addition to the white meat apples we often eat, there are now new varieties of red meat apples.
Studies have found that the total antioxidant content of red meat apples is higher than that of white meat apples. Image from the literature[14].
Studies have shown that the peel and pulp of red meat apples contain chlorogenic acid, anthocyanins and organic acids higher than those of white meat apples. [9]
And these substances are good antioxidants.
Judging from the color of the pulp, the nutritional value of red meat apples may be higher.
Little chestnuts have not yet eaten this kind of apple that is red inside and out, so I want to try it! #馋了 #
Do not peel
Apple peel is a valuable source of antioxidants, and studies have found that the total phenol content in apple peel is the highest, the total amount of antioxidants in the pulp is much lower than that of the peel, and quercetin is even only stored in the peel. [10]
One study found that the antioxidant capacity of a medium-sized Idared apple peel is equivalent to 820 mg of vitamin C. [11]
So don't look at the apple vitamin C content is low, the apple peel is all to find a supplement back!
If you eat apples not only for good taste, but also for antioxidant and cosmetic purposes, then eat them with the skin!
Do not juice
Eating fruit is mainly to eat its vitamins, dietary fiber.
After the apple is squeezed into juice, the dietary fiber and various vitamins are almost destroyed, and the antioxidant substances of the apple will also be consumed by holding hands with oxygen and oxidase madly...
But the sugar is completely preserved...
The industrial processed apple juice sold in the mall is even less nutritious, not only may have additional added sugar, but also greatly destroys the antioxidant activity of apples during processing, and studies have shown that the antioxidant activity of processed apple juice is even only 3% of that of fresh fruits. [12]
So do you still drink juice?
Eat as soon as possible
If the cut apples are not eaten immediately, not only will they turn yellow quickly, but even the taste will become less sweet.
This is because the phenolic substances of the apple and the air have an oxidation reaction, and the apple naturally turns yellow.
At the same time, nutrients are also decomposed with oxidation reactions.
Therefore, when the apple is cut, eat it quickly, and you can share it when you can't finish eating!
If you don't want to eat an apple and don't want it to change color, try applying soda or lemonade to the cut side.
Don't be afraid of Wax
Some friends may worry about eating apples whole, and there will be pesticide residues and wax on the skin.
There are 2 possibilities for wax on the peel:
Apple protects itself from the edible wax produced by the merchant for freshness (chitosan, legal)
Pesticide residues and wax, rinse with hot water, wash a wash and all fall off!
I really feel uncomfortable, so I peel it and eat it! Sweet and sour, delicious on the line!
Did you eat an apple today?
Resources
[1] Jie Sun, Yi-Fang Chu, Xianzhong Wu, and Rui Hai Liu . Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Common FruitsJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2002 50 (25), 7449-7454
[2] Lee KW, Kim YJ, Kim DO, Lee HJ, Lee CY. Major phenolics in apple and their contribution to the total antioxidant capacity. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Oct 22;51(22):6516-20.
[3] Bondonno NP, Bondonno CP, Blekkenhorst LC, Considine MJ, Maghzal G, Stocker R, Woodman RJ, Ward NC, Hodgson JM, Croft KD. Flavonoid-Rich Apple Improves Endothelial Function in Individuals at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2018 Feb;62(3).
[4] Leontowicz H, Gorinstein S, Lojek A, Leontowicz M, Ci;z M, Soliva-Fortuny R, Park YS, Jung ST, Trakhtenberg S, Martin-Belloso O. Comparative content of some bioactive compounds in apples, peaches and pears and their influence on lipids and antioxidant capacity in rats. J Nutr Biochem. 2002 Oct;13(10):603-610.
[5] Shaheen SO, Sterne JA, Thompson RL, Songhurst CE, Margetts BM, Burney PG. Dietary antioxidants and asthma in adults: population-based case-control study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001 Nov 15;164(10 Pt 1):1823-8.
[6] Flood-Obbagy JE, Rolls BJ. The effect of fruit in different forms on energy intake and satiety at a meal. Appetite. 2009;52(2):416-422.
Chen Yanbin. Analysis of quality and nutritional composition of different varieties of apples. Journal of Changzhi University[J] 2012(5)72-75
[8] Liu Hong,Li Miao,Feng Jing,Zhang Jingfeng,Wu Juyou,Hou Jie,Liu Xin. Analysis and comparison of anthocyanin content in commercially available fruits in Chengdu[J].Shaanxi Agricultural Sciences,2011,57(4):35-37.
[9] Bars-Cortina D, Macià A, Iglesias I, Romero MP, Motilva MJ. Phytochemical Profiles of New Red-Fleshed Apple Varieties Compared with Traditional and New White-Fleshed Varieties. J Agric Food Chem. 2017 Mar 1;65(8):1684-1696.
[10] Wolfe K, Wu X, Liu RH. Antioxidant activity of apple peels. J Agric Food Chem. 2003 Jan 29;51(3):609-14.
[11] Wolfe, Kelly et al. “Antioxidant activity of apple peels.” Journal of agricultural and food chemistry vol. 51,3 (2003): 609-14.
[12] Van Der Sluis AA, Dekker M, Skrede G, Jongen WM. Activity and concentration of polyphenolic antioxidants in apple juice. 1. Effect of existing production methods. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Dec 4;50(25):7211-9.
ZHU Liang. Analysis of quality difference between apple varieties in Yantai and study on storage quality change[D].Yantai University,2016.
[14] Nan Wang, Wenjun Liu, Tianliang Zhang, Shenghui Jiang, Haifeng Xu, Yicheng Wang, Zongying Zhang, Chuanzeng Wang, and Xuesen Chen
Transcriptomic Analysis of Red-Fleshed Apples Reveals the Novel Role of MdWRKY11 in Flavonoid and Anthocyanin Biosynthesis.Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.2018 66 (27), 7076-7086
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