Apple

Apple trees originally grown in the Central Asia where its untamed forebears are still seen on this very day. Around 7,500 known classes of apples ensuing a variety of required attributes. Every class differs in the volume of harvest and to its fundamental tree size. According to a worldwide survey in 2005, around 55 million tons of the fruits were cultivated around the globe having the cost of $10 billion. Among the countries greatly cultivated apple tree, China bears as the largest producer with a proportion of 35% of the entire world production followed by the United States, Turkey, France, Italy and Iran.

Apple is a mystical fruit which bears an appearance on various religious sectors. In religion, mythology and folktales, the phrase apple is applied as common expression for every foreign fruit with the exclusion of berries.

In the Greek mythology, hero Heracles had given a task as a part of this Twelve Labors to take a trip to the Garden of Hesperides and gather the golden apples off the Tree of Life.

In vengeance of the Greek goddess of conflict, Eris for being disqualified from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, she throw a golden apple carved “Kalliste” (which means for the most beautiful ones) in to the party. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite claimed the apple. Paris of troy was given the authority to appoint the recipient, which was Aphrodite, who tempted him with the most gorgeous woman in the world, Helen of Sparta.


APPLE NUTRITIONS
Apple on Greek and Roman mythology is a symbol of love and beauty but the fruit contains vitamins like vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron, potassium and etc. Though its vitamin C is not as high compared to oranges, it does contain minerals like pectin and malic acid which are vital in normalizing digestive flow.

Apple is superior in treating several illnesses like anemia, dysentery, heart disease, eye disorder, headache, kidney stone and also encourages vigor and vitality. In providing essential fluids to the body to overcome liverish feeling, apple is very good because it never cause any allergic responses.

Various studies showed that apple contains a numerous elements that reduces blood cholesterol which also reduces hazard of ischemic heart ailments, prostate cancer, type II diabetes, stroke, asthma and Alzheimer’s disease.

Consumption of antioxidant-rich apple and its juices in combination of the balanced diet can care the brain from the upshots oxidative stress and is also superior in curing GERD which is commonly known as Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease.


APPLE ON DIABETES
Apples have its popularity for centuries due to its healing contents like pectin which are very essential to diabetic sufferers. Pectin which can be found in the rind and pulp of the fruit produces an extreme quantity of galacturonic acid which performs as a body detoxifier. It supports in eliminating damaging waste within the bloodstream which decreases the insulin requirements at a proportion rate of 35% and normalized the condition of diabetes type II. Aside from its superior pectin content, it is as well abundant in vitamin B1 which aides averting the damaging of the brain cells resulting from diabetic acidosis.

People having diabetes are persuaded on taking a minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Consumption of fruits a day will surely avert the rapid increase in blood glucose rates. Taking additional fruit and vegetables also supports in enhancing the overall balance nutrition. However, for diabetes patients, one must be vigilant in choosing what fruit to take. It is prudent to prefer fruits which categorized as low on the glycemic index. Fruits high on the index are bananas, mango, chikoo, custard apple, dates, pineapple.


OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS OF APPLE

Prostate Cancer
Researchers at Rochester, Minn.’s Mayo Clinic report that quercetin, a plant-based nutrient found most abundantly in apples, may provide a new method for preventing or treating prostate cancer.[Source:Cancinogesis,2001,22:409-414]

Colon and Liver Cancer
Researchers at Cornell University report that phytonutrients in apples inhibit growth of colon cancer and liver cancer cells in vitro. According to the Cornell University researchers, 100 grams of unpeeled fresh apple about two-thirds of a medium sized apple- provides the total antioxidant activity of1500 milligrams of vitamin C [ Source: Nature,2000,405: 903

Lung Cancer
Researcher at the university of Hawaii found that increase consumption of quercetin was associated with a reduce risk of Lung cancer. [Source: Journal of the national Cancer Institute,2000.92:154-160]

Epidemiologists from Finland’s National Health Institute report that consumption of Flavoniod-rich diet-and particularly flavonoid –rich apple was associated with reduce risk of developing cancer. Researchers found thata Lung cancer was 46 percent lower among those whose diet contained thehighest amount of flavonoids, particularly from apples. Of the majordietary flavonoid sources ,apple showed the greatest inverse association with Lung Cancer incidence. [Source: American Journal ofEpidemiology.1997,146:1223-230]

Asthma
Researchers from London’s King College and the university of Southampton report that people who ate at least two apples per week had a 22-32 percent lower risk of developing asthma than people who ate fewer apples This conclusion was based on study of 1471 adults. [Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine , November,2001,Volume 164number 10:1823-1828]

Lung Function
Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom report that apple eaters have better Lung function and lower respiratory disease such as asthma than non eaters,[ Source American thoracic Society‘s Annual Meeting May.2001, poster 618]

British researchers report that apple eaters had better lung function than non-apple eaters, Researchers postulated the healthful effect may be due to antioxidants in apples.[e.g. flavonoids like quercetin] [ Source: Thorax,2000, 55::102-108]

COPD
Researchers from the university of Groningen in the Netherlands report that eating fruits and vegetables and in particular an apple a day may reduce smokers’ risk of developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]. [Source: American Thoracic Society, unpublished findings presented at the society’s Annual Meeting, May 2001, poster 617]

LDL Oxidation
Researchers at the university of California- Davis report that daily consumptions of apples and apple juice may help reduce the damage caused by the “bad” type of cholesterol and protect against heart disease, based on the first human study of this kind.[ Journal of Medical Food,2000, 3:159165]

Researchers at the university of California- Davis reported that phytonutrients in apples and apple juice prevent oxidation in vitro of the bad{LDL}cholesterol and thus may help protect against cardiovascular disease. They also confirmed that important phyto nutrients from apples are also found in apple juice. [Source: Life Sciences,1999,64:1913-1920]

Coronary Mortality
Finish Epidemiologists concluded that high consumption of flavonoids from apples and onions was directly associated with lowest risk for coronary mortality. [Source: British Medical Journal,1996,312:478-481]

Thrombotic stroke
Finish Researchers report that persons who ate the most apples had the lowest risk of Thrombotic stroke, possibly due to the phytonutrients found in the apples. [Source: European Journal of clinical Nutrition,2000,54:415,417]