(AJCN) : Eating 2 apples a day lower cholesterol and helping ward off heart attacks and strokes

British university Researchers, found that eating two apples per day may reduce the risk of people experiencing a heart attack or fatal stroke, caused by high harmful cholesterol in the blood.

According to the "Daily Mail", that the two apples contain a quarter of the recommended fiber per person, and a type of fiber that nourishes intestinal bacteria important for the production of short chain fatty acids, which may reduce the production of harmful cholesterol.

This study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) , is important because high cholesterol in the blood can block the arteries, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

The study, prepared by the University of Reading, after testing the participation of 40 people between 20 and 69 years of age with high cholesterol, indicated that eating two large apples per day for 8 weeks reduced their harmful cholesterol levels by almost 4 percent.

The research team found that their blood vessels were healthier and more relaxed after eating apples daily, which is similar to the effect found in other foods, which contain natural compounds called polyphenols such as tea.

Conclusions

These data support beneficial hypocholesterolemic and vascular effects of the daily consumption of PA-rich apples by mildly hypercholesterolemic individuals.

"People who daily eat two large apples with high polyphenols, have a low cholesterol level (LDL) also known as harmful cholesterol," said study author Professor Julie Lovegrove.