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Flavonoid Benefits from Apple Peels

The AHA! Team — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 08:28:19 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – Peeled apples are pitted head-to-head against unpeeled apples (and spinach) in a test of artery function. Regularly eating apples may contribute to a lower risk of dying prematurely. “Moderate apple consumption,” meaning one or two apples a week, “was associated with a 20% lower risk of all-cause mortality”—that is, dying from all causes put together—“whereas those who ate an apple a day had a 35% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with women with low apple consumption.” You’ll often hear me talking about a lower or higher risk of mortality, but what does that mean? Isn’t the risk of dying 100 percent for everyone, eventually? As you can see in my graph below and at 0:40 in my video Friday Favorites: For Flavonoid Benefits, Don’t Peel Apples, I present some survival curves to help you visualize these concepts. For example, if you follow thousands of older women over time, nearly half succumb over a period of 15 years, but that half includes those who rarely, if ever, ate apples—less than 20 apples a year. Those who ate one small apple or about a quarter of a large apple a day survived even longer Instead, those averaging more like half a small apple a day lived longer; over the same time period, closer to 40 percent or so of them died. And those who ate one small apple or about a quarter of a large apple a day survived even longer. Why is that the case? It seems to be less the apple of one’s eye than the apple of one’s arteries. Even a fraction of an apple a day is associated with 24 percent lower odds of having severe major artery calcifications, a marker of vascular disease. You may think that’s an obvious benefit since apples are fruits and fruits are healthy, but the effect was not found for pears, oranges, or bananas. Both of these studies were done on women, but a similar effect (with apples and onions) was found for men. We think it’s because of the flavonoids, naturally occurring phytonutrients concentrated in apples. As you can see below and at 2:02 in my video, they’re thought to improve artery function and lower blood pressure, leading to improvements in blood flow throughout the body and brain, thereby decreasing the risk of heart disease and strokes. You don’t know, though, until you put it to the test. When I first saw a paper on testing flavonoid-rich apples, I assumed they had selectively bred or genetically engineered a special apple. But, no. The high-flavonoid apple was just an apple with its peel, compared to the low-flavonoid apple, which was the exact same apple with its peel removed. After eating the apples, flavonoid levels in the bloodstream shot up over the next three hours in the unpeeled apple group, compared to the peeled group, as you can see below, and at 2:36 in my video. This coincided with significantly improved artery function in the unpeeled apple group compared to the peeled one. The researchers concluded that “the lower risk of CVD [cardiovascular disease] with higher apple consumption is most likely due to the high concentration of ﬂavonoids in the skin which improve endothelial [arterial] function”—though, it could be anything in the peel. All we know is that apple peels are particularly good for us, improving artery function and lowering blood pressure. Even compared to spinach? As you can see in the graph below and at 3:14 in my video, if you give someone about three-quarters of a cup of cooked spinach, their blood pressure drops within two to three hours. If you instead eat an apple with some extra peel thrown in, you get a similar effect. The researchers concluded that apples and spinach almost immediately improve artery function and lower blood pressure. Researchers concluded that apples and spinach almost immediately improve artery function and lower blood pressure What’s nice about these results is that we’re talking about whole foods, not some supplement or extract. So, easily, “this could be translated into a natural and low-cost method of reducing the cardiovascular risk profile of the general population.” For more about apples, see the topic page and check out the related videos below. What about dried apples? See Dried Apples vs. Cholesterol. What about apple cider vinegar? Check out Flashback Friday: Does Apple Cider Vinegar Help with Weight Loss?. And what about apples going head-to-head with açai berries? See The Antioxidant Effects of Açai vs. Apples. Key Takeaways Women eating one apple a day had a 35 percent lower risk of dying from all causes (compared with women with low apple consumption) and a 20 percent lower risk after eating one or two apples a week. Women consuming even a fraction of a single apple a day had 24 percent lower odds of having severe major artery calcifications, a marker of vascular disease. This effect was not found for pears, oranges, or bananas. A similar effect was found for men eating apples and onions. It’s thought that the flavonoids, naturally occurring phytonutrients in apples, improve artery function and lower blood pressure, thereby decreasing heart disease and stroke risks. When testing flavonoid-rich apples, researchers compared the effects of eating apples with their peels on versus removed. Eating unpeeled apples resulted in higher flavonoid levels in the bloodstream and significantly improved artery function, compared to eating apples without their skins. Consuming spinach, like apples with their peels, almost immediately improves artery function and lowers blood pressure. To read the original article click here.

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Pro-Inflammatory Foods Dramatically Raise Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

AHA Publisher — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 08:00:53 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – For years, natural health experts and integrative physicians have sounded the alarm on the dangers of the Standard American Diet – which is aptly abbreviated as SAD. High in processed products, unhealthy fats and refined sugars, and lacking in desirable anti-inflammatory foods, SAD is believed to increase inflammation and trigger serious conditions, including heart disease and stroke. While this concept – that the foods we eat can influence inflammation and cardiovascular health – might seem to be common sense, scientific studies on the topic were scarce. Until last week, when a study published in the respected Journal of the American College of Cardiology showcased the dangers of pro-inflammatory foods and revealed the startling extent to which diet affects risk of heart attack and stroke. To learn which foods are inflammation-promoting “villains” and which are inflammation-quenching “superheroes,” keep reading. Good science REVEALS how diet affects your susceptibility to heart disease and stroke The study, which involved 32 years of research and over 210,000 participants, allowed scientists to compare the diets of people who relied heavily on pro-inflammatory foods to the diets of people who opted for healthier, anti-inflammatory foods. The team then used pooled analyses to evaluate the long-term risk of heart disease in the two groups. The results were eye-opening!! When compared to diets high in anti-inflammatory foods, diets high in pro-inflammatory foods increased heart disease risk by a stunning 46 percent and raised stroke risk by 28 percent. Lead author Jun Li, M.D., Ph.D. – a research scientist at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – summed up the study results with this definitive sentence: “Dietary patterns with higher inflammatory potential were associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular disease.” It doesn’t get any more cut-and-dried than that. The team also found that people who reported regularly eating pro-inflammatory foods had higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers- such as chemokines, interleukins and adhesion molecules – along with higher levels of triglycerides and unwanted LDL cholesterol. “Eat the rainbow” — in the form of colorful fruits and vegetables So, how can you tell the “good guys” from the “bad guys?” It’s easy – once you know what to look for. Experts recommend opting for bright orange or yellow vegetables – such as squash, carrots, pumpkin and yams – which contain a disease-fighting plant pigment known as beta carotene. Green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables – such as kale, spinach, arugula, Brussels sprouts and broccoli – are also a wise choice. In addition, cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, which is not only anti-inflammatory but anticancer. By the way, the “green leafies” also have their share of beta-carotene. However, the orange/yellow hue is hidden behind darker green pigments. Dark cherries, blackberries and blueberries are high in a group of plant pigments known as anthocyanins, while bright red tomatoes are loaded up with an antioxidant called lycopene. Of course, let’s not forget healthy fats – such as nuts – are also great inflammation fighters. In fact, recent research shows that people who enrich their normal diets with daily walnut consumption had significantly reduced inflammation and LDL cholesterol, when compared to those who didn’t. And, finally, don’t overlook olive oil and avocados as ideal sources of beneficial fats. The new “unconventional” wisdom: Coffee used to fight inflammatory disease? Although coffee contains caffeine, a stimulant that can raise blood pressure, many experts feel that coffee’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits far outweigh the downside. According to research nutritionists at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, coffee consumption may reduce internal inflammation and protect against disease. Peer-reviewed studies have shown that coffee reduces the odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia – particularly in women. In addition, coffee consumption dramatically slashes the risk of colon cancer and is linked with a lower risk of death from heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes. For maximum benefit, many experts recommend three to five cups a day (for people unbothered by caffeine). If your doctor has advised you to avoid or limit caffeine, the good news is that decaffeinated coffee can still provide health benefits. Naturally, if you’re going to drink coffee … be sure it’s organic and skip the white sugar. You can flavor it up with cinnamon, vanilla extract or cocoa powder instead. If you really want to get “fancy,” try some fresh made hemp or almond milk. Avoid or sharply limit these inflammatory foods Major pro-inflammatory culprits include processed meats like, bacon, ham, hot dogs, bologna and packaged lunch meats. Generally speaking, most health experts will tell you to avoid: refined sugar, sugar-laden drinks and refined grain products such as white bread, white rice, crackers and baked goods. In addition, stay away from … fried foods, trans fats, chemical preservatives, artificial sweeteners, fast foods and GMOs. All of these items will greatly increase the risk of chronic inflammation. Red ALERT: Pro-inflammatory foods reduce levels of a natural fat-burning substance The new study – we’re featuring above – found that people who ate a pro-inflammatory diet had lower levels of adiponectin, a fat-burning hormone that can help prevent insulin resistance, combat atherosclerosis and promote weight loss. So important is adiponectin, in fact, that low levels are linked with the development of metabolic syndrome and obesity-related illnesses. Clearly, you don’t want to run low on this important hormone. You can increase your adiponectin levels with daily intake of omega-3 fats, found in cold-water fatty fish, avocados, nuts and olive oil. These just happen to be “major players” in the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in healthy fats, fruits, nuts and vegetables. Most experts agree that the Mediterranean diet is vastly superior to the SAD when it comes to supporting heart health. So, clearly, it just might be time to give this anti-inflammatory – and flavorful – way of eating a try. Sources for this article include: ScienceDaily.com, NIH.gov, HopkinsMedicine.org To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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