The Nuance

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

I was in Stockholm earlier this year to visit one of my cousins, and he took me to his favorite American-style brunch spot. Along with the usual waffles and omelets, a good portion of the menu was devoted to acai bowls, passionfruit smoothies, and smashed-avocado toasts.

I like a good acai bowl as much as the next guy, but the popularity of acai and other exotic “superfruits” exemplifies some of the problems with the way we eat today. The environmental costs of exporting these foods around the world can be immense. And, healthwise, the hype of these fruits tends to far outpace the science.

While there are countless commercially funded lab studies linking this or that superfruit to some theoretical benefit, there’s virtually no real-world evidence that shows replacing domestic fruits with far-flung substitutes leads to health improvements. That may come as a surprise to some. There’s an enduring belief that the secret to health is tucked away, like the gold of El Dorado, in the wilds of some remote locale. But this idea defies biology. Our bodies evolved to function best on nutrients that are accessible to us. It makes much more sense that the commonest fruits, not the rare ones, would be best for us.

And that brings us to good old apples — that most American of fruits, sold cheaply and grown locally (and often organically) all over the U.S. While apples haven’t been sexy since the days of Adam and Eve, there is strong evidence that apples are one of the most healthful foods humans can eat.

‘It appears that apples may play a large role in reducing the risk of a wide variety of chronic diseases.’

One real-world study from investigators at Florida State University found that women who ate 75 grams of dried apple (that’s about two medium-sized apples) every day for one year lowered their levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol by 24%. (Elevated LDL is one of the most reliable risk factors for cardiovascular disease.) This was despite maintaining their previous diet and exercise routines. Meanwhile, their blood levels of C-reactive protein — a substance that the liver produces in response to inflammation — fell by 32%.

Another intervention study found that people who ate two apples a day for four weeks experienced a 7% drop in LDL cholesterol. That study also found improvements in gut microbiome health among the apple eaters.

“Apples are a healthy fruit, and they’re also accessible and cheap,” says Leslie Cho, MD, a preventive medicine specialist and director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Women’s Cardiovascular Center. Cho says that apples are loaded with fiber — something the average American’s diet is sorely lacking. (Gram for gram, apples are among the most fiber-rich fruits in the world.) Apples are also a low-glycemic index fruit, she says, and research has found that such foods can lower your risk for heart disease and complications of Type 2 diabetes.

People who eat an apple a day have a 35% reduction in risk for colorectal cancer.

And then there’s the cancer research.

Real-world observational studies have found that people who eat an apple a day have a 35% reduction in risk for colorectal cancer, which is the fourth-most-common cancer among Americans. There’s even stronger evidence linking apple consumption to lower rates of lung cancer, the third-most-common cancer in the U.S.

“It appears that apples may play a large role in reducing the risk of a wide variety of chronic diseases,” wrote two Cornell University investigators in a Nutrition Journal research review. “Of the papers reviewed, apples were most consistently associated with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and type II diabetes when compared to other fruits and vegetables.” They cited apple’s phytochemicals (carotenoids, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, phenolic acids) and fiber as the likeliest sources of these benefits. Meanwhile, both lab and animal studies have indicated that apples have strong anti-cancer effects.

While some companies have looked to capitalize on these study findings by formulating supplements that attempt to concentrate one or more apple phytochemicals into a pill or powder, you’re better off going to the original source.

“What people have to come to respect is that healthy nutrients travel in herds, and this synergism gives you the best bang for your buck,” says Mark Moyad, MD, the Jenkins/Pokempner Director of Preventive and Alternative Medicine at the University of Michigan. “Every time we try to reduce, we find out it doesn’t work as well — that the human body was built to receive all these at the same time from healthy whole foods.”

Apples are affordable. They’re portable and relatively durable. They can be stored in a cool place for weeks or even months without spoiling. And compared to most fruits, they don’t have to travel far to get to your local market.

Acai, avocado, and other superfruits are wonderful. But for the health of your body and the planet, you should be eating more apples.