Everyone is familiar with the old adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," but some interesting new research credits even stronger healing benefits from eating apples on a daily basis.
A recent study conducted at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell has concluded that the consumption of apple juice can assist in delaying, even preventing, the onset of Alzheimer's disease. How does it do this? In the study, apple juice was found to produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which is essential to healthy brain functioning and good memory. Decrease in healthy production of acetylcholine is directly linked to Alzheimer's, so its presence in apples was a promising sign to the researchers. After conducting extensive testing on lab mice, the researchers in fact concluded that apple juice may be just as effective in delaying the effect of Alzheimer's as some current drugs on the market, which seek to stimulate the production of acetylcholine in the brain.
The researchers stated that the desired consumption of apples or juice, would be 2 or 3 medium sized apples per day, or two 8-ounce glasses of apple juice per day. So instead of an apple a day, have two or three. You won?t only not need the doctor; you may well avoid the hospital, the convalescent center, and the nursing home too!
More benefits of apples are: they contain pectin, a digestive aid. I find that a small apple will help stave off a carb or sweet-tooth craving, and apples have certainly helped keep me away from indulging in less healthy snacks! In addition, apples contain vitamin C, potassium and fiber, and are an excellent laxative. My grandmother, who was from eastern Europe, always told us that the best remedy for constipation was to slice up an apple, allow it to turn brown, and then eat it. I can attest from personal experience that this remedy really works!
Apples also help remove impurities from the liver, help clear the skin, assist with circulation, relieve rheumatism and arthritis, cultivate beneficial intestinal bacteria, provide a general detox, and energize the body by providing a quick pick-me-up. With all of these benefits, it?s obvious why a couple of apples a day can keep doctors away!
The research on apples also gave me a new slant on another old tradition. When I was growing up, it was customary to leave an apple on your teacher's desk as a gift. Now I get it - the apple was to help keep the teacher mentally focused, and energized enough to teach the class! Yes, we really did those things in those days, and I will confess that sometimes the benefits carried over to getting better grades too!
More specific information on the University of Massachusetts study may be found in the August 2006 edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
