We tend to think of foods with antioxidant benefits as being those with vibrant colours - red, purple, orange and green - but the pale flesh and the skin of apples contain an array of powerful antioxidants, along with plenty of fibre. Some important phytochemicals (the word just means plant chemicals and these are of immense benefit to out health) are found exclusively in apples.
This study also suggests that particular apple phytochemicals help reduce the impacts of inflammation in the lining of the intestine. That's important because inflammation in the gut wall is a factor in inflammatory bowel diseases and can allow substances that really shouldn't be able to pass across the wall to do so, potentially having much wider effects in the body.
Its not vital to understand the science behind these benefits, but its certainly another reason to enjoy these beautiful fruits - especially when they are in peak season now in the Southern Hemisphere and especially in Tasmania where I am today. The image here is of apples from my own tree.
August 24, 2022
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