A delicious, crunchy apple is a wonderful, refreshing treat. Apples are packed with nutrients such as fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants. There are several health benefits that apples may provide.
As the old adage says, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” From improved blood sugar to better digestion, eating apples can help to enhance your weight as well as support your immune and skin health.
Read on to learn about the health benefits of eating an apple a day.
Top Benefits of Eating an Apple a Day
Apples Are Nutrient-Packed
Apples are considered nutrient-dense fruits, providing substantial nutrients per serving. Based on present Dietary Guidelines, the recommendation is that individuals eat 2 cups of fruits, like whole apples, per day for a 2,000-calorie diet.
From a single, medium 7-ounce (oz) apple, you can have the following nutrients:
- Carbs: 28 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Copper: 6% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Potassium: 5% of the DV
- Vitamin C: 10% of the DV
- Vitamin K: 4% of the DV
- Vitamins E: 2–5% of the DV
- Vitamin B1: 2–5% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 2–5% of the DV
- Quercetin: 8-10 milligrams
Beneficial plant compounds that can be found in apples include polyphenols, which are a crucial group of antioxidants. Experts suspect that these polyphenols are some of the main factors that make apples beneficial to your health.
Eating the apple with the skin ensures that you get the most of the nutrients it contains. As part of a balanced diet, the recommendation is to eat between 1 to 3 apples per day.
Apples May Help You Lose Weight
Apples are known to be filling, primarily due to their high fiber and water content. A medium apple contains roughly 4.5 – 5 grams of fiber. The fiber in apples can slow digestion, allowing you to feel fuller, and can help prevent overeating.
Studies indicate that eating whole apples enhances feelings of fullness to a greater degree than consuming apple juice. This is a result of whole apples boosting gastric emptying, or the rate at which the stomach empties.
Furthermore, research indicates that eating apples helps reduce Body Mass Index (BMI). A high BMI is also a weight-related risk factor for health conditions like heart disease. Apples’ polyphenols may also have an anti-obesity impact.
Apples May Boost Heart Health
Research suggests that the consumption of apples is associated with a reduced chance of developing heart disease. Eating 100-150 g/d of whole apples has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease as well as improving risk factors like high blood pressure.
This may be due to apples containing soluble fiber, which is also associated with reducing the chance of developing heart disease. Polyphenols may be responsible for helping to lower blood pressure.
Additionally, studies have linked eating apples and the intake of flavonoids with a diminished risk of stroke.
Apples Minimize the Risk of Developing Diabetes
Eating an apple a day may help reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Studies hint that it could potentially minimize that risk by 18%.
Additionally, as little as one serving per week may help minimize your risk by 3%. High levels of the compound polyphenol quercetin are believed to be the source of this potential benefit.
Supplementation of apple peels, a source of antioxidant substances and fiber, could also potentially be a method that prevents Metabolic syndrome, a set of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes (3).
Apples May Aid in Preventing Cancer
Apples are packed with antioxidants, which may lend to their anti-cancer benefits. It may help prevent breast, lung, and digestive tract cancers.
The polyphenol compounds in apples appear to be attributed to the health benefits they provide, including lowering the risk of cancer death. According to a scientific review, apples combat cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis (1).
An Apple a Day May Help Fight Asthma
Apples, rich in antioxidants, may aid in decreasing airway inflammation associated with allergic asthma. Some apples contain the antioxidant quercetin, which can help keep your immune system balanced and help diminish inflammation.
Research suggests that apples may be effective in fighting the late stages of bronchial asthma responses. This may be possible because of quercetin, which may help allergic inflammatory diseases, including asthma.
Apples May Support Gut Health
Apples contain the fiber pectin, which behaves much like a prebiotic in your gut microbiome. This can help to keep your gut in good health.
Dietary fiber cannot be digested, so pectin travels to the colon intact. There, it supports the growth of good bacteria, particularly improving the ratio of Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes, which are the two primary types of bacteria found in the gut.
Research indicates that apples help in altering the gut microbiome, which may help protect against chronic conditions such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Apples’ phenolic compounds can help to mitigate health problems of the gastrointestinal/digestive tract (2).
Apples May Safeguard Your Brain
Oxidative stress has the potential to damage your brain. An apple a day containing quercetin may protect your brain from this kind of damage. Research indicates that quercetin could also potentially have some preventive effects against Alzheimer’s disease.
Apples Could Boost Mental Health
Eating fruit like apples may help boost your mental health. Eating at least 5 servings of fruit a day may be enough to exert mental health benefits.
May Aid in Reducing the Risk of Digestive Diseases
Eating an apple daily may help decrease your risk of getting gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Consuming apples can boost digestion, which, in turn, is beneficial in minimizing the risk of constipation.
However, research suggests that effectiveness is dependent on the type of apple consumed.
Apples May Help Support Lung Health
The benefits of eating an apple a day extend to strengthening the lungs. Research suggests that regularly eating apples may help promote lung function.
For instance, consuming five or more apples a week is associated with greater lung function and a diminished risk of developing Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Again, this may be due to the high concentration of antioxidants in apples, including flavonoids and vitamin C.
Apples May Support Bone Health Postmenopause
Apples contain a particular bone-building phytonutrient known as phlorizin that may be beneficial for postmenopausal women. Due to this compound, apples may help improve bone density and minimize bone breakdown in women after menopause.
Apples and Adrenal Fatigue
Apples can be a good food source to add to your diet in your recovery from Adrenal Fatigue, which is a condition where the body is unable to keep up with long-term stress, resulting in various nonspecific symptoms such as dehydration, heart palpitations, depression, irritability, and weight gain, among others.
Gentle detoxification is needed to support Adrenal Fatigue recovery where the Detoxification circuit of the NEM response is out of balance. Eating apples can help with this detoxification process.
These fruits contain phlorizin, a phytochemical that stimulates bile production, which enhances the detoxifying effects of the fiber and vitamins present in apples.
What Is the Best Time to Eat an Apple?
Apple is sometimes referred to as an immunity-boosting fruit, and as such, it has been suggested that the best time to eat apples is in the morning hours. It could give you a boost in energy needed to perform throughout the day when you are most active.
Being fiber and pectin-rich, one of the benefits of eating an apple a day in the morning, particularly on an empty stomach, is to allow your digestive system to rapidly break down the sugars and nutrients found in the fruit.
Furthermore, pectin helps the existing bacteria in your gut to grow more efficiently, protecting the lactic acid bacteria that operate as probiotics. This helps to maintain a healthy digestive tract and stimulates healthy bowel movements.
One of the negatives of eating apples at night is that it could potentially burden intestinal functions when you should be getting a good night’s rest.
Another possible downside at night is that apples contain organic acids that may cause a jump in stomach acid, which may disrupt normal bowel movements if eaten late in the day.
Is Eating an Apple Every Day Good for Skin?
There may be some skin benefits of eating an apple a day, from brighter skin to UV protection.
Glowing Skin
With vitamins A, B complex, and C, apples help your skin by ridding it of pathogens and excess oil. Regular consumption of apples may lead to brighter skin and help correct uneven skin tone.
The antioxidants in apples promote and accelerate skin rejuvenation, which helps to promote healthy, glowing skin. In addition, the antioxidants and vitamins in apples may help correct acne, blemishes, or dark spots as well.
Prevents Premature Ageing
Environmental stressors, such as pollution and sun exposure, can lead to skin damage related to free radicals, which break down the collagen and elastin fibers in the skin.
When this happens, fine lines and wrinkles emerge quicker and are more noticeable. Vitamin C, which is found in apples, is a potent antioxidant that can help decrease signs of premature aging.
Skin Hydration
Having soft, supple skin that glows comes down to how well you keep your skin hydrated. Eight glasses of water a day play a big part in keeping you hydrated, but apples can also help to hydrate your skin because of their high water content.
UV Protection
Don’t skip your store-bought sunscreen, but apples do contain some nutrients that can help to protect you from the harsh rays of the sun.
Are There Any Downsides to Eating an Apple Every Day?
While there are several benefits of eating apples, occasionally eating a lot of apples can have downsides, especially if you aren’t used to eating much fiber. Some potential issues may include:
Loose Stool
The majority of the fiber found in apples is soluble fiber that takes the form of pectin, while the apple skins contain a substantial amount of insoluble fiber. Apples’ high fiber content may cause gastrointestinal problems, such as loose stools and, rarely, diarrhea.
The side effects tend to occur because your body is unused to digesting high-fiber food. As such, this downside is usually temporary and will go away after your digestive system regulates.
Stomachache
After eating apples, some individuals experience a mild stomachache. This side effect may be the result of the high fiber content of the apples.
Gas can build up in the gastrointestinal system when digesting the apple’s fiber, which can cause cramps, stomachache, and flatulence. The side effect is also temporary until your body adjusts.
Pesticide Exposure
If your apples are not organic, you could be ingesting trace amounts of pesticides. If you peel the apples, you can minimize the risk of pesticide residue, but this reduces the nutritional value of the apples, robbing them of the fiber and vitamins found in the peel. As such, buy organic apples wherever possible.
The Takeaway
The benefits of eating an apple a day can have significant effects on your body. It may make digestion smooth and prevent constipation, improve the growth of good bacteria in the gut, and help you lose weight.
Additionally, if you have inflammation issues, it may minimize inflammation, reduce the risk of diabetes, improve your immunity, and enhance your skin.
As such, eating apples every day can transform your body, boost skin health, and lower the risk of conditions like heart disease and obesity. Still, apples are not likely to transform all of your health concerns.
If you’d like to take the next step in supporting your health, we invite you to visit Lam Clinic. Our team is here to listen to your story, understand your unique needs, and guide you toward personalized solutions that help you feel your best.
