EATING two apples a day can boost the health of your heart, a study suggests.
It found adults who regularly scoffed the fruit saw their cholesterol levels fall by four per cent compared to those who drank juice.
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Apples are rich in fibre and healthy micro-nutrients called polyphenols.
Experts think they play a key role in reducing high cholesterol, which is known to contribute to the stiffening and narrowing of arteries, raising heart attack and stroke risk.
Researcher Professor Julie Lovegrove, of Reading University, said: “It seems the old adage of an apple a day was nearly right.”
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, followed 40 middle-aged people.Half ate two apples a day and half got the equivalent in juice for two months. Then the groups switched.
Cholesterol readings were 5.89 when they ate the whole fruit and 6.11 in the weeks when they drank the juice.
Researcher Dr Thanasis Koutsos said: “One of the clear findings from this study is that simple small changes in our diet such as the daily introduction of two apples may have an important impact on markers of heart health.
“We don’t yet know whether the fibre that is found in the apple or the polyphenol which is in significantly greater concentration in the apples we used is responsible for the results. Either way, the clear winner here is the whole food.”
Millions of Brits take daily statins to help control their cholesterol levels.
But one in five patients complains of muscle pain on the treatment, with many ditching them.
Experts said apples had a much smaller impact than statins and could not be considered an alternative.
Tim Chico, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine from Sheffield University, said: “So, can people who need to take statins swap them for apples? No, not on the evidence of this study.”
