1/28/08 Heart Healthy Benefits

Heart Healthy Benefits. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. Apples continue to be heralded as a great health food and a new study just released reaffirms what the old adage said&an apple a day. Emily Butzer is an intern for U.S. Apple. BUTZER: A new study was published in the Journal of Nutrition that shows that quercetin, an antioxidant found in apples may reduce blood pressure in people with hypertension. Quercetin is found in many fruits and vegetables although apples have one of the highest concentrations of quercetin. The study suggests that this antioxidant found in apples may be just as effective at decreasing blood pressure as other lifestyle changes are. Those changes include restricting sodium, losing weight, increasing physical activity, and alcohol reduction. Sometimes studies reveal that in order to really get any benefit from these nutritional components you would have to consume massive quantities but Butzer says, not with apples. BUTZER: There was a study that for every 10 grams of fiber consumed every day heart disease risk decreases 10 to 30%. Each apple contains about 5 grams of fiber for a large apple. So apples are an excellent source. As you know, I'm a big fan of apples. I usually eat one a day as a snack but there are so many varieties to choose from. BUTZER: According to the USDA apples are among the top 20 foods with the highest antioxidant concentration and there were six apples listed along with apple juice listed on this research. The top apples are Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Golden Delicious that have the highest concentrations of antioxidants. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.