Here at Simple Natural Weight Loss I have often recommended  eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Apples are one of my personal favorite fruits.  Recent research has shown that natural weight loss and apples go together like apples and cinnamon. The research was done at Florida State University, and used dried apples, instead of fresh. I am not sure if results would be similar with fresh apples, but I personally prefer eating fresh apples to dried apples.

“According to Dr. Bahram H. Arjmandi, PhD, RD, Margaret A. Sitton Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at The Florida State University, apples are truly a “miracle fruit” that convey benefits beyond fiber content. Animal studies have shown that apple pectin and polyphenols in apple improve lipid metabolism and lower the production of pro-inflammatory molecules. Arjmandi’s most recent research is the first to evaluate the long-term cardioprotective effects of daily consumption of apple in postmenopausal women…

…The results surprised Dr. Arjmandi, who stated that “incredible changes in the apple-eating women happened by 6 months- they experienced a 23% decrease in LDL cholesterol,” which is known as the “bad cholesterol.” The daily apple consumption also led to a lowering of lipid hydroperoxide levels and C-reactive protein in those women.”

Read the full article: Apples

Basically, what the above  paragraph says (in less academic language) is that apples have benefits beyond just adding fiber to your diet. Apples are a rich source of pectin, a soluble dietary fiber, and polyphenols. Polyphenols are a class of plant chemicals which show strong anti-oxidant activity. According to the research, the combination of pectin and polyphenols in the apples helped with fat (lipid) metabolism, and also reduced inflammation.

The study also showed that eating the apples every day helped lower the LDL (bad) cholesterol and also increased the HDL (good) cholesterol, and reduced fat in the blood, and lowered the levels of C-reactive protein, which is one of the markers for heart disease. The study participants also lost weight over the course of the study.

So, a new reason to add apples to your daily diet. Natural weight loss and apples should become as American as apple pie.