‘An apple a day keeps doctor away’ might be old proverb but it is still relevant.Recent studies have supported the belief that apple juice is really good for your heart.
The study says ‘Eating an apple or even two reduces the risk of heart disease causing factors’.
It has been found that the fruit helps in regulating increased cholesterol levels.It also lowers other two factors that causes increased cholesterol in the body.
What actually happens when heart disease strikes
Cholesterol plaques are the main reasons for heart diseases.
Plaque begin deposit in the arteries most commonly due to two types of dietary fats that we consume: saturated fats and trans fats.They start in artery walls and grow over years.
Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body.
The deposits of fat, cellular waste, fibrin , cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood gradually becomes hard and shrinks your arteries.
Now when less blood is able to get through the arteries it causes damage to the organ it’s supposed to reach. For the heart, this means chest pain, irregular heartbeat or a heart attack.
Cholesterol and High BP
It is also to note that high blood pressure also has close links with cholesterol.So when arteries become narrow due to cholesterol a heart has to strain much harder to pump blood into plaqued arteries.This creates abnormally high blood pressure.
According to Ayurveda – 5,000-year-old system of natural healing it is possible to lower your high blood pressure by including natural supplements in your food.
Food not considered good for your heart
Two main factors have been identified for your bad heart health – saturated fats and trans fat.
Saturated fat enters our body through animal sources of food like red meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products. They trigger cardiovascular diseases by increasing blood cholesterol levels and (LDL) low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels that you see in your report.
Trans fat.enters our body through fried foods and baked goods made hydrogenated vegetable oils.Trans fat also occurs naturally in some foods , albeit , in small amounts.
In-fact , its the food processing technique called ‘partial hydrogenation’ applied in obtaining food oil identified to be the root cause of trans fat.These cardio vascular disease causing ‘hydrogenated vegetable oils’ shoot up your LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL aka high-density lipoprotein which is in-fact a good cholesterol.
Avoid these common Sources of Saturated and Trans fat food
Regular cheese, pizza, grain-based desserts, dairy desserts, chicken and mixed chicken dishes, sausage, bacon, ribs, burgers, mixed Mexican dishes, beef and mixed beef dishes, reduced-fat milk, pasta, whole milk, eggs, candy and butter.
Foods that may contain trans fats include pastries, cookies, biscuits, margarine and pizza dough.Most pre-packaged food sources can contain trans fats.
How Apple or Apple Juice is good for Heart
Apples have many nutrients which are essential for our body.Many people like to prefer apple juice over the fruit and that’s no less beneficial as well.There is no cholesterol in this fruit which is considered beneficial for the body.
Excess injuries from free radicals causes coronary artery disease. Apple peels contain polyphenols –an anti-oxidant that prevents this cellular damage from the free radicals.A group of polyphenolic chemical compound called – flavanoid found in apple has been found to have cardiovascular anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-viral Benefits.
In the findings of Florida State University in Tallahassee the apples were found to effectively lowered LDL aka bad cholesterol.Dianne A. Hyson , a researcher at University of California at Davis , has reviewed 80 studies on the health benefits of apples published since 2005 to 2011.‘Apples and apple juice definitely have cardiovascular benefits’, quotes the researcher.
Evidences on how apples aid the heart also suggests that pectin (cholesterol absorption) – a component found in apples , regulates blood sugar level that triggers appetite
.This naturally occurring starch substance blocks stomach’s cholesterol absorption and intensifies use of stored cholesterol deposited in the body.Apple was also known to have positive effects in protection against cancer and lung diseases.
Medical Study revelation about Apple Benefits on Heart
As a part of experiment a group of 160 volunteers , people were asked to eat apples on a daily basis.A review on their health was conducted through blood samples collected every 3, 6, and 12 months.
After a year it was discovered that the average drop in their cholesterol level was about 14% , LDL cholesterol dropped by 23% , Levels of lipid hydroperoxide responsible for heart clogging plaques and C-reactive protein an indicator of inflammation were reduced by about one-third.
How much apple or Juice ?
According to studies , It does not matter whether the apple is green, red, or golden as all carry the same advantages.It is always better to stick to the proverb ‘an apple a day’ replied a researcher when asked about the quantity.
However , eating two apples a day or drinking 350 ml of apple juice has been shown to dramatically slow the oxidation process low-density lipoproteins (LDL), or bad cholesterol.
This is because longer it takes for to break down in the blood, the less likely it is to contribute to narrowing of your artery.
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