A group of scientists has found out that people who include two apples in their diet every day have witnessed a fall in their cholesterol levels by four percent. Apple is a rich source of healthy micronutrients called polyphenols and fiber. Polyphenols acts as a catalyst in reducing high levels of cholesterol. A high level of cholesterol is the main reason for narrowing the arteries, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Eating raw apple can cut down the risk of high levels of cholesterol in people as compared to people who drink juices. The study has been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The new study has followed 40 middle-aged people to derive the benefits of apples for heart-related issues. Half of the participants were given two raw apples and half were given equaling nutrition amount in the form of juice for two months. Later the groups were switched. As per the researchers, the cholesterol reading of the participants who ate fruits was 5.89. At the same time participants who drank, juice has 6.11 high levels of cholesterol. Author of the study Dr. Thanasis Koutsos has said that findings of the research clearly show that daily intake of raw apples can be beneficial to the heart health of the people. Scientists have not been able to substantiate whether the fiber found in the apple or polyphenols found in high concentration is responsible for reducing the cholesterol levels.
Statistics show that millions of British consume daily statins to keep high levels of cholesterol at bay but one in five patients suffer muscle pain during the treatment, which triggers people to ditch the treatment. Experts have also warned people saying that apples are not an alternative for statin as it has a much lesser effect than a statin. The new research has not shown any evidence that people who are ditching statin treatment can switch to apples to control their high levels of cholesterol. However, eating raw apples can be a better option for millennials who want to avoid heart-related problems in the future.
