10 Reasons Why An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away!

Childhood for all of us was quite fun an easy! We had great time learning and exploring new things and as we grew up, we stumbled upon countless mistakes which shaped us into better humans today. But, one question that never left my mind was Why an apple a day keeps the doctor away?

Ever wondered why the proverb became the most commonly uttered one!? Thought provoking, isn’t it? Well, as the proverb itself intends, it mainstreams the benefits of eating apples!

But, an interesting fact no one knows is that the original proverb was “Eat an apple on going to bed and you will keep the doctor from earning his bread” which was first recorded in the 1860s.

But, the saying is not actually an exaggeration and to prove this, I have gathered all the wonderful apple health benefits along with an interesting and an easy to understand profile of apple nutrition facts.

Apple Nutrition Facts

Well, before getting to know what vitamins, minerals and other healthy components an apple can give, you must know that the skin of the apple is as important as the flesh!

Do not peel the skin, else you may lose most of these nutritional aspects!

One medium sized apple which weighs around 182 grams gives you the following nutrients!

Vitamins	Grams	%DV (Percentage of daily requirement that it meets)
Vitamin A	98.3 IU	2%
Vitamin C	8.4 mg	14%
Vitamin E	0.3 mg	2%
Vitamin K	4.0 mcg	5%
Vitamin B6	0.1 mg	4%
Niacin	0.2 mg	1%
Folate	5.5 mcg	1%
Pantothenic acid	0.1 mg	1%
Choline	6.2 mg
Betaine	0.2 mg
Minerals	Grams	%DV (Percentage of daily requirement that it meets)
Calcium	10.9 mg	1%
Iron	0.2 mg	1%
Magnesium	9.1 mg	2%
Phosphorus	20 mg	2%
Potassium	195 mg	6%
Sodium	1.8 mg	0
Zinc	0.1 mg	0
Manganese	0.1 mg	3%
Flouride	6.0 mcg
Other elements	Grams	%DV (Percentage of daily requirement that it meets)
Carbohydrates	25.1 grams	8%
Proteins	0.5 grams	1%
Fats	0.3 grams	0

In addition to the composition of all these vitamins and minerals, what makes these lovely fruits highly beneficial is its antioxidant property.

Quercetin, chlorogenic acid, catechin, phloridzin are the major antioxidants present in apples whose power is such, they can also prevent some dreadful diseases like cancer. (1)

Not just this, there is a lot that Apple can do that keeps you away from visiting the doctor.

Here Is Exactly Why An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away!

Right from preventing chronic disorders to benefiting our skin, apples benefit your health in ways unimaginable. Here is what exactly happens when you eat apples.

1. Apples Help In Weight Loss

Weight loss is not as difficult as it may seem if you are really aware of what you let into your body. Exercise is anyhow needed for burning calories and staying fit but some simple tips do matter a lot!

Yes! This refers to eating a lot of fruits. Apples are the ones that you have to choose most often. Apples are particularly low energy density fruits. This means that they contain fewer calories when compared to other fruits.

One medium sized apple can only give you 94 calories. Moreover, you wouldn’t feel hungry after consuming apples. This will, in turn, reduce your overall food intake throughout the day.

There was a study conducted on women regarding apples and their role in weight loss. This proved that consuming around 300 grams of apple in a day for at least 3 months could help them lose around one kilogram. (2)

The best time to eat apples for weight loss is either prior to your meals or in between your meals.

2. How Do Apples Improve Your Brain Health?

Neurons are essential for transmitting the information from one nerve cell to the other with the help of certain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

Any changes like inflammation in the neurons or change in the chemical levels may result in brain disorders.

Apples contain an important antioxidant called quercetin which helps in reducing the inflammation and prevents the death of brain cells which may otherwise result in memory-related disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. (3)

Consumption of fruits also reduces the symptoms like headaches, hypertension, stress or anxiety.  Apples also help in increasing the concentration of the chemical acetylcholine which is essential for staying alert and mindful.

3. How Apple Benefits Heart Health?

It is surprising to know that most of the deaths all over the world are occurring due to heart diseases. An improper lifestyle that involves eating a lot of processed and junk foods is one of the main reasons for a rise in bad cholesterol (LDL).

Consuming apples regularly is known to decrease bad cholesterol. This is because of the presence of pectin in the apples which prevents the cholesterol from getting stored in your body.

Apples can also lower the blood pressure levels and the credit goes to a special type of flavonoid called epicatechin present in apples.

Studies have proved it that an increased intake of flavonoids can reduce the chances of heart strokes. (4)

In addition to this, apples contain antioxidant properties that can fight the free radicals and reduce the chances of inflammation.

4. How Do Apples Benefit Diabetics?

If you are a diabetic, you should definitely keep a check on the carbohydrate consumption because they are responsible for causing a spike in the blood glucose levels.

However, apples contain a good number of carbohydrates and they still benefit diabetics because most of these carbohydrates are fibres which actually reduce the rate of carbohydrates absorption and this prevents the occurrence of any spike in the sugar levels. (5)

Also, polyphenols which are packed with a lot of antioxidants help in reducing blood sugar levels because, just like fibres, these are also known to reduce the absorption of carbohydrates by the body. (6)

Insulin resistance is a condition in which a person’s body is resistant to the production of the insulin hormone. This means that the cells do not respond to the action of the hormone properly. Apples help in reducing insulin resistance which in turn reduces the blood glucose levels. (7)

5. Apples Can Prevent Breast Cancer

It is unfortunate to know that breast cancer is the second common type of cancer to occur after skin cancer especially in the United States.

Breast cancer may occur if it runs in your family. But, certain lifestyle habits, particularly smoking and drinking are the most prevailing causes of breast cancer.

If you are aware of your lifestyle habits, it is high time you realize that Prevention is better than cure. Consuming fresh fruits like apples and other nutrient-rich vegetables regularly is known to decrease the risk of breast cancer. (8)

Most of the fruits like apples, blueberries, grapes, oranges, cherries, mangoes, plums and strawberries contain rich antioxidant properties which can reduce the chances of breast cancer.

Polyphenols are the major antioxidants present in apples.

6. Eat More Apples To Stay Away From Asthma And Allergic Reactions

Apple benefits those suffering from breathing troubles like asthma and other allergic reactions and this is because of the antioxidant properties of apples which help in reducing the inflammation.

The credit goes to quercetin which is a special type of flavonoid present in apples which exhibits anti-inflammatory properties.

Studies conducted on women proved that those who consumed apples experienced a lower risk of an asthma attack when compared to others. (9)

The major beneficiary aspect of eating apples is that it contains both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which help those suffering from allergic problems.

7. They Help In A Better Digestion

Apples contain a soluble fibre called pectin which works towards improving your stomach health by acting as a prebiotic. Prebiotics are those foods or substances which increase the number of good bacteria in your gut. (10)

Good bacteria help in keeping your overall gut system healthy and clean because it eradicates other harmful bacteria like E. coli from your intestine.

If you have been suffering from constipation and other digestive issues, a frequent consumption of apples might show a positive impact on your digestive health.

Fruits, in general, are known to improve the digestive health, but if you have to choose the best ones, apples, pineapples, bananas, raspberries, figs and avocados are the best ones to choose from!

8. Apples Can Strengthen Your Bones

Greater is the bone density, strongest are the bones! Studies have proved that eating fruits on a regular basis can improve bone strength.

It is common to lose calcium content with the onset of age. This is more common among women who are undergoing menopause which makes their bones thinner and weak. Also, they are more likely to be prone to bone diseases like osteoporosis.

Antioxidant-rich fruits can result in a higher bone mass and also decrease the activity of bone resorption which results in the increase of overall bone strength. (11)

Bone resorption is the process in which the calcium content is transferred from the bones into the blood leading to fragile bones.

Studies have also proved that a daily consumption of apples results in the reduced loss of calcium from the bones. (12)

9. Benefits Of Eating Apples For Dental Health

Quercetin present in apples is known to exhibit anti-microbial properties which can eradicate the activity of microbes present in your saliva and teeth, thereby promoting a clean and perfect dental hygiene. (13)

Apples can also prevent the most common dental disorder called periodontal disease which is more likely to occur in people who fail to maintain a proper dental hygiene. This may eventually lead to the loss of the tooth.

However, a regular consumption of apples and grapes is known to prevent periodontal disease because of the polyphenols present in them. (14)

Apart from this, apples remove plaque from the teeth and also help in generating more saliva both of which can reduce bad breath and improvise your oral health on the overall.

10. Benefits Of Apple For Skin

Fruits are best known for beautifying the skin and eliminating a lot of skin problems. No wonder fruit facials became so popular.

Apart from obtaining a lot of apple health benefits, you can also make the most out of apple for enhancing your skin texture!

Consumption of apples can heal your skin internally but an external application of face packs can also work wonders in beautifying your skin because of the amazing skin healthy properties of apples such as vitamin C, antioxidants, and little amounts of copper.

Vitamin C has great antioxidant properties which can fight free radicals and protect your skin from damage whereas copper content present in apples help in the production of melanin that imparts white colour to your skin.

Copper also increases the elasticity of the skin which helps you look younger and beautiful.

How To Prepare Apple Face Mask?

To prepare a skin healthy apple face mask, all you need is the pulp of an apple, 2-3 tablespoons of rose water, a tablespoon of honey and a few tablespoons of oatmeal.

Mix all the ingredients well and apply a fine layer of the paste over your face and massage it well deep into the layers of skin using your forefingers.

Let the mixture remain on your face until it gets completely dried and rinse it off with water. Pat dry and apply a good moisturizer.

Follow the remedy at least twice a week to get rid of blemishes, spots and scars eventually!

Bottom Line

An apple a day keeps the doctor away! The proverb has become so popular but we rarely try to comprehend what it really means.

Well, these amazing apple nutrition facts along with the fact that apples can strengthen your bones, improve your dental health, improve your digestion, benefit diabetics, help those suffering from allergic reactions and benefit skin health make these fruits the topmost healthiest fruits.

Hope there has been enough justification done to prove why an apple a day keeps the doctor away!