Apple for more than thirst

1. In this time of more and more tropical super foods such as goji berry, pomegranate, kiwi and mango, with even more anti-oxidants, we sometimes forget the value of the common native fruits such as apple and pear. Would such an apple now be much less super than those expensive juices from distant regions?

Malus in varieties

1. Fortunately, an apple or an apple tree should no longer be represented. The apple has been cultivated by humans for thousands of years. Remains found near Swiss stilt houses prove that the apple was already a cultivated plant at that time. Malus pumila from the Caucasus, a small tree with small, green apples is possibly the stock of many cultivated varieties.

Dodoens about the apple and its Cracht ende werckinghe

1. Even in the distant past, apples were appreciated but also criticized. For example, Dodonaeus stated that 'Apples cool that hot maghe, sonderlinghe die suerachtich and the tsamen coming from smaecke sijn and the moghen ghebruyckt in hot cortsen and the other heatinghen van der maghen and the tseghen the thirst, but otherwise so his sy der maghen the quaet making winds and in den buyck. The pectin and fiber in the apple has a regulating effect on the bowel movement, to be used for both constipation (fiber) and diarrhea.

Healthy and healing

1. In the Western world, apples and berries are a source of protective antioxidant polyphenols. It is not without reason that we say or say to our children: "Sweets wisely, eat an apple." Although this saying is based on a clever advertising campaign from years ago. Apples are available almost all year round. In addition to vitamins and minerals, the juicy flesh of the apple contains various phenolic acids, including malic, ellagic, chloric and bile acids. All these acids have a protective, anti-oxidant effect against many diseases. The skin of red apples contains the important flavonol quercetin. All in all, an average apple contains about 290 mg of phenolic compounds with good anti-oxidant effect.

Prevention of stomach cancer

1. Apples also contain fiber that protects against stomach cancer. Dr. Marian Eberhardt and her colleagues at Cornell University researched stomach and liver cancer using cultures of human cancer cells. They did experiments with apple extracts in which the skin was or was not processed. The extract with peel reduced tumor growth in stomach cancer by 43 percent. This percentage was 29 percent for the extract without peel. The same trial on liver cancer cultures yielded rates of 57 percent with peel and 40 percent without.

Lung protection

1. Apples also appear to have a beneficial effect on lung diseases. At least that is the result of a five-year follow-up study of 2,512 men from Wales. At the start of the study, the researchers took measurements of the subjects' lung functions. These measurements were repeated regularly during the study. Finally, they compared the measurements to the men's eating habits and corrected them for factors such as exercise, smoking and body weight. After all the data had been processed, the researchers concluded that eating several pieces of hard fruit per week, especially apples, helped maintain lung function without relapse. Eating soft fruits such as citrus fruits was much less protective.

The conclusion in a scientific review article

1. Based on these epidemiological studies, it appears that apples may play a large role in reducing the risk of a wide variety of chronic disease and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in general. Of the papers reviewed, apples were most consistently associated with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and type II diabetes when compared to other fruits and vegetables and other sources of flavonoids. Apple consumption was also positively associated with increased lung function and increased weight loss.

Names in many languages ​​of the apple tree

1. Abilde, Almindelig Aeble, Apfel, Apfelbaum, Äppel, Äppelträd, Apple Tree, Eble, Echter Apfelbaum, Iabloko, Iablonia, Jablon Domáca, Kultur-Apfel, Maça, Maçanzeira, Maceiraira, Manzana, Manzano, Mela, Melo, Paratiisiomena, Ping Guo, Pomme, Pommier, Pomo, Pommier Commun, Ringo, Seiyou Ringo, Tarhaomenapuu, Tuffahh, Žlahtna jablana.

For further research on the apple

1. De Oliviera M, Sichieri R, Moura A: Weight loss associated with a daily intake of three apples or three pears among overweight women. Nutr 2003, 19: 253-256. Wolfe K, Wu X, Liu RH: Antioxidant activity of apple peels. J Agric Food Chem 2003, 51: 609-614. Eberhardt M, Lee C, Liu RH: Antioxidant activity of fresh apples. Nature 2000, 405: 903-904. Liu RH, Eberhardt M, Lee C: Antioxidant and antiproliferative activities of selected New York apple cultivars. New York Fruit Quarterly 2001, 9: 15-17. Lapidot T, Walker M, Kanner J: Can apple antioxidants inhibit tumor cell proliferation? generation of H2O2 during interaction of phenolic compounds with cell culture media. J Agric Food Chem 2002, 50: 3156-3160. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text Liu RH, Sun J: Antiproliferative activity of apples is not due to phenolic-induced hydrogen peroxide formation. J Agric Food Chem 2003, 51: 1718-1723. Mayer B, Schumacher M, Branstatter H, Wagner F, Hermetter A: High-throughput flourescence screening of antioxidative capacity in human serum. Analyt Biochem 2001, 297: 144-153. PubMed Abstract | Publisher Full Text Pearson D, Tan C, German B, Davis P, Gershwin M: Apple juice inhibits low density lipoprotein oxidation. Life Sci 1999, 64: 1919-1920.