For ages, apples have been known to be healthy for our body. It is the fruit advised nearly by every doctor in the world. The great number of health benefits which it possesses makes it the original health food.

Wonder why?

Apple pectin, apple juice extracts shown to have anticarcinogenic effects in the colon

Apples and apple juice may have positive effects in one of the most unlikely places in the body - in the colon. New research by German researchers Dr. Dieter Schrenk, M.D. and his colleagues has demonstrated that components in both apple pectin and apple juice actually enhance biological mechanisms that have anticarcinogenic effects in the colon.

Using human fecal matter as the test substance hypothesized that the compound butyrate could be increased in the presence of apple pectin and apple juice extracts. Butyrate not only serves as a major nutrient for the colon epithelia but is also thought to play an important role in the protective effect of natural fibre against colorectal cancer.

There is more to it!!

• Over the past several years, apple consumption has been linked with reduced cancer risk in many studies. A 2001 Mayo Clinic study indicated that quercetin, a flavonoid abundant in apples, helps prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells.
• A Cornell University study indicated phytochemicals in the skin of an apple inhibited the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 43 percent.
• The National Cancer Institute has reported that foods containing flavonoids like those found in apples may reduce the risk of lung cancer by as much as 50 percent.

To get maximal cancer preventative benefits, eat the apple whole, without removing the peel. When you discard the skin, you're eliminating cancer fighting triterpenoids as well as the heart-healthy fibre.

The bottom line? To reduce your risk of cancer, eat more apples and enjoy the many health benefits this humble fruit has to offer.