An Apple a day...
The English language has never been shy of arrogating and aggrandizing to itself whatever word/s it could lay its hand on from other (foreign) languages and also from the fruit and vegetable garden.
One of the prominent fruits that has donated its fruity flavor and richly contributed to the English idiomatic usage is the homely apple -a fruit about which a homily could be written.
The apple hasn"t only lent its name to the embellishment of the human language, but it was also -from time immemorial and without mankind knowing about it until now - proving salubrious to the cardiac welfare of human beings.
We find the apple featuring in the following g expression: APPLE of the eyes; upset the APPLE-cart; APPLE of discord; APPLE of Sodom or Dead Sea APPLE; Biblically, Eve ate the "forbidden fruit", which was APPLE; the APPLE never falls far from the tree and lastly, an APPLE a day keeps the doctor away!
It is the last-mentioned saying that is the core and pip of this article. An apple a day really WILL keep the doctor - and a whole range of nasty diseases - away, according to the latest research.
Scientists from Cambridge University, who surveyed 30,000 people about their diet, found that those who ate fruits were twice as likely to outlive those who don"t.
Cambridge professor Kay-Tee Khaw insists that one small apple a day could make all the different to your health.
SKIN: The skin of apples is especially rich in the soluble fiber pectin, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels. One medium eating apply provides up to 15% of the daily recommendation for fiber. In several studies, when levels of pectin from foods were increased in the diet, it led to a lowering of blood cholesterol. Pectin also helps to stabilize BLOOD-SUGAR levels.
VITAMIN C: Up to 84% of an apple"s composition is water, but it is also packed with a range of important nutrients. For instance, apples are good source of Vitamin C - an average-size eating apply weighing 112 gm provides 25% of the recommended daily intake of the vitamin - though levels do vary between varieties.
Vitamin C is vital for the production of a protein needed to make collagen in the skin, bones, teeth and cartilage.
VITAMIN E: Apples also contain a trace of Vitamin E, which protects the body"s tissues by fighting off free radicals, which contribute to our skin aging.
POTASSIUM: This mineral is important for the healthy functioning of all cells, nerves and muscles. It works with sodium to control a healthy balance of electrolytes or body salts, which help to regulate BLOOD PRESSURE and HEARTBEAT.
FLAVONOIDS: These are plant pigments which are an important nutritional source for the body. Studies have shown the flavonoid QUERCETIN can help to prevent cancer-forming substances damaging the body by increasing the antioxidant activity of the blood.
Antioxidants protect against free radicals, chemicals formed in the body by exposure to illness and pollutants, which can increase the risk of cancer and heart disease.
SMOKERS: Smokers are among those who get the greatest benefits from increasing apple consumption. Tobacco carcinogens are known to damage the bladder wall, causing cancerous growth. Quercetin seems to protect against this.
Research shows high consumption of Quercetin can also lower the risk of heart disease. Quercetin also helps keep collagen, the elastic component in human skin, healthy and firm, thus aiding glowing skin.
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