Could an Apple a Day Keep Statins Away?
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Especially the cardiologist, as it turns out. An apple a day can be a fresh alternative to standard cholesterol-lowering statin drugs.
Apples have a good claim to promote health. They contain Vitamin C, which aids the immune system, and phenols, which reduce cholesterol. They also reduce tooth decay by cleaning one's teeth and killing off bacteria. Quercetin found in apples has shown to be beneficial for protecting brain cells, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, heart disease, and circulation problems. It has been used to treat diabetes, cataracts, hay fever, peptic ulcer, schizophrenia, asthma, gout, viral infections, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Lowering cholesterol is another benefit of quercetin.
Some doctors have proposed giving statins to everyone over 50 as a preventive measure. But a small change in diet might do as much good. Unlike statins, which can have a variety of side effects, including muscle soreness and may even up the risk of diabetes, the only side effect you may see from an apple is finding half of a worm. Apples cost more than statins, as generic statins are inexpensive next to the cost of apples, and apples aren't covered by health insurance.
Similar to other fruits, apples do benefit your health in many ways. First of all, an apple contains zero cholesterol, fat or sodium, and it is not harmful to your health in any way. It has a low calorie count of 80, and it is the perfect choice of food for you if you are trying to lose weight. Also, it provides 22 grams of carbohydrates, which make up 7% of recommended daily value, and some of these carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates that can give you a sustained energy boost. It is a good source of dietary fiber as well. An apple also has many great nutrients that perform various tasks to keep your body healthy, and these include vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
In one study, a group of healthy older adults ages 40 to 60 who ate an apple a day for four weeks ended up lowering their levels of LDL — called the "bad” cholesterol because it gums up the arteries — by a whopping 40 percent.
To see the effects apples had on women's health, researchers served one group of women dried apples every day for a year, another group ate another dried fruit for a year. Their blood samples were taken after three months, six months and then at the end of the study period.
Those women who ate 75 grams of dried apples every day for six months had a 23% decrease in bad LDL cholesterol. Their levels of good HDL cholesterol also increased by about 4 percent, according to the study.
At the end of the year-long period, the women who ate the apples had lower levels of bad cholesterol, lipid hydroperoxide (the product of toxic free radicals, which cause cell damage and death in the body) and C-reactive protein, an indicator of inflammation in the body, than when they started the study, researchers said.
They also found 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 an average of 3.3 pounds over the year, the study said. Even though the people in the study ate dried apples, the effect would likely be the same if they ate fresh apples, too.
Though it's hard to make an exact comparison, one cup of fresh apples would be about equivalent to a quarter cup of dried apples. Their cholesterol-lowering benefits likely come from their high fiber content, which past research has shown can lower bad cholesterol levels
If taken literally, the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away” probably means that you will never fall ill if you consume an apple a day. While apples bring lots of health benefits, they cannot prevent all health problems from occurring. However, they can certainly reduce your visits to the doctor in the long run.
So how do you like them apples?
The good news is that adults can take steps to improve cardiovascular health, including eating a proper diet, exercising, to help control their cholesterol issues.
Statins help many people keep healthier cholesterol levels. Many will instead choose more natural solutions.
An excellent cholesterol supplement that includes many important natural ingredients is Cholesterol Complete™ (click here to view). It’s a powerful all-natural formula that targets both types of cholesterol; LDL (low density lipoprotein) and HDL (high density lipoprotein). LDL is the cholesterol you should be most concerned with, it is the "bad” cholesterol that clogs arteries and raises blood pressure. HDL is the "good” cholesterol that helps remove LDL from the body. You’re supporting healthy cholesterol with 100% natural approach!