Adopting a healthy lifestyle is key to overall good health, including a diet rich in beneficial nutrients such as apples, which have proven effective in protecting the heart.
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How can eating an apple a day protect us from the world's biggest killer? Apples, along with berries, grapes, and tea, promote heart health, and researchers recommend eating them daily. They suggest consuming the equivalent of one apple, some berries, and two cups of tea a day to reap the desired benefits.
This combination contains approximately 500 mg of flavanols, a bioactive compound known to be beneficial for the heart.
Heart disease is the world's biggest killer, claiming an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, according to the World Health Organization. It is usually caused by a blockage of blood supply to the heart due to the buildup of fatty deposits in the arteries. Risk factors for heart disease include a poor diet, smoking, and lack of exercise.
A review of more than 150 studies concluded that this chemical, also found in red wine and dark chocolate, can improve blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar.
Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutrition expert at the University of Reading, said the data shows that Flavan-3-ols may boost health.
Dozens of studies have highlighted the health benefits of flavan-3-ols in maintaining health and preventing disease.
An international team of researchers, funded by the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, examined data from 157 controlled trials and 15 cohort studies.
The results showed that the bioactive compound is associated with lower blood pressure, which in turn reduces the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
It also improves cholesterol levels, including LDL cholesterol, which can damage the heart if levels are too high.
The findings also linked flavan-3-ols to lower blood sugar levels, reducing the risk of nerve and eye damage.
Dr. Connell noted, "To reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, we recommend consuming 400 mg to 600 mg of flavan-3-ols daily. This is equivalent to two cups of tea, some raspberries, and an apple." Consuming the recommended daily amount through food or beverages is more effective than taking a supplement.
Green tea has the highest flavan-3-ols content per cup (320 mg), followed by black tea (280 mg), blackberries (65 mg per 160 g), and dried cranberries (35 mg per 80 g).
Dark chocolate is also rich in bioactive compounds (20 mg per 18 g), as are red wine (15 mg per 150 ml), apples (15 mg per small apple), and raspberries (10 mg per 150 g).
The team noted that the health risks associated with alcohol and high-fat, high-sugar foods, such as dark chocolate, "are likely to outweigh the benefits of flavan-3-ols."
They cautioned that their findings apply to flavan-3-ols found in food, not supplements. According to the researchers, flavan-3-ols supplements can cause liver damage and stomach problems when taken in high doses. High.