Apples may help fight colon cancer, other diseases (continuation)

This finding equally corroborated another study in California that found low doses of freeze-dried grape powder could inhibit the development of colorectal cancer thanks to the polyphenol resveratrol and synergistic effects between the grape compounds. That apples may help ward off colon cancer another group of experts attributed to its ability to encouraging the production of suspected chemopreventative metabolite butyrate. Butyrate is a short chain fatty acid (SCFA) that has been found to be a major factor contributing to healthy colon lining. The study, published in the April issue of Nutrition, looked at human faecal matter fermented with apple constituents and found a significantly increased yield of SCFA, most notably butyrate.
The German research team led by Dieter Schrenk said “Butyrate not only serves as a major nutrient for the colon epithelia but is also thought to play an important role in the protective effect of natural fibre against colorectal cancer.” However, the whole body can benefit from with eating apples. It is said to lower blood cholesterol, improved bowel function, reduced risk of stroke, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and asthma. Two British studies indicated that eating apples could improve lung health. A study of Welsh men indicated that people who ate at least five apples per week experience better lung function. Researchers at the University of Nottingham reported that those who ate five apples per week also had a lower risk for respiratory disease.
A Finnish study published in 1996in the British Medical Journal showed that people who eat a diet rich in flavonoids have a lower incidence of heart disease. Other studies indicate that flavonoids may help prevent strokes. Also, researchers at the University of California-Davis reported that apples and apple juice might help protect arteries from harmful plaque build-up. Adults who added two apples, or 12 ounces of 100 per cent apple juice, to their daily diet were found to have a significant slowing of the cholesterol oxidation process that leads to plaque build-up - thereby giving the body more time to rid itself of cholesterol before it can cause harm.
“An apple a day” should have a new meaning for those who want to maintain mental dexterity as they age too. Experts from the University of Massachusetts Lowell suggested that consuming apple juice might protect against cell damage that contributes to age-related memory loss, even in test animals that were not prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.