Apple Reduce Cardiovascular Disease

Posted: January 4th, 2023

Apple Reduce Cardiovascular Disease

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Apple Reduce Cardiovascular Disease

Introduction

Studies by various scholars confirm that what a person consumes plays a vital role in determining their health. The study describes the possible impact of apples in managing and preventing cardiovascular diseases that are a major concern among some people, especially those at high risk. Individuals and manufacturers should know the parts of the apple fruit that have the highest capacity to produce components that prevent CVD, which is the current leading cause of death worldwide (Sandoval-Ramírez et al., 2020), and should also understand how the various types of apples could determine their effectiveness in addressing the health concern. Apples are a vital source of components that protect one against CVD and each person should make it their habit to consume the fruit to protect themselves against the disease that could have fatal repercussions.

Literature Review

Investigators find that consuming vegetables and fruits is appropriate in the prevention of chronic ailments. Bondonno et al. (2017); Krishnaswamy and Gayathri (2018), and Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010) concur that a diet that is rich in vegetables and fruits are associated with lower risks of particular ailments, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) and some types of cancers. These advantages are attributed to the high content of antioxidant in some plants. Various scholars find that apples that are widely consumed in North American and European diets have high levels of phenolic compounds. The findings by Wolfe, Wu, and Liu (2003) show that the peels of apples have the highest concentration of phenolics even though many manufacturing plants usually discard them. For example, New York State discarded approximately 216 million pounds of apple peels from applesauce and canning. They conduct a quantitative to determine whether a vital source of antioxidants that help to regulate some illnesses is being put into waste. The surveyors examine the antiproliferative activity, antioxidant activity, and phytochemical content of the peels of four different types of apples, including Golden Delicious, Cortland, Idared, and Rome Beauty often utilized in applesauce production in the state of New York. The researchers compare the value of the peels to those of the peel and flesh and flesh components. The investigators discovered that within each type, the entire flavonoid and phenolic were in high concentrations in the peels, followed by peels that have some flesh, and lastly the flesh.  Wolfe, Wu, and Liu (2003) find that the peels of Rome Beauty and Idared have the largest content of phenolic components (500.2 + 13.7 mg and 588.9 + 83.2 mg of gallic acid which is equal to 100 g of peels, concurrently (Weichselbaum, Wyness & Stanner, 2010). The surveyors found that the peels of Idared and Rome Beauty have the highest concentrations of flavonoids. The study found that of the four types, peels from the Idared apples had the highest concentration of anthocyanins, with 26.8 + 6.5 mg of cyanidin 3-glucoside in each 100 g of peels. Overall, the peels of each of the four varieties had substantially higher concentration of antioxidant activities than other parts, including the flesh and peel and flesh together. Nevertheless, peels of Idared showed more antioxidant activity.

One particular condition that researchers identify apple peels to be a suitable remedy is human liver cancer, which is caused by the growth of HepG₂. The peels are highly effective in suppressing the growth of these cells than any other part in the fruit. On the other hand, the study indicates that the peels of Rome Beauty depicted the highest bioactivity, slowing down proliferation of cells by almost 50% at a relatively lower concentration of 12.4 + 0.4 mg of peels per milliliter. Therefore, Wolfe, Wu, and Liu (2003) conclude that the high concentration of antiproliferative activity, antioxidant activity, and phenolic compounds of apple peels suggest that they may promote health benefits when eaten and consumers should view them as an essential origin of antioxidants.

Additional researches confirm the power of applies in regulating several health conditions. Studies find that other than food constituents such as beta-carotene and fiber, other compounds in bioactive plants such as polyphenols is identified to be contributing effectively to the protective function. Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010) concur with Wolfe, Wu, and Liu (2003) that apples are one of the popular fruits, and that the fruit and its products, such as apple purees and fruit juices, add to the total consumption of polyphenol. Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010), however, think that the data on the magnitude of their impact on health are not available. Whereas Wolfe, Wu, and Liu (2003) believe that the peels of apples have a higher capacity in terms of producing components that protect the body against ailments, Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010)think that the juice of the fruits have an equally powerful effect in protecting the body against particular diseases. Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010)measure the polyphenol content of freshly squeezed juice of several German cider apple cultivars and some dessert apple cultivars. They also examine the juices from cloudy apples and clear apples. They discover an evident variations between the overall polyphenol volume of German cider apples and dessert apples, the former having substantially higher volumes (261.2– 970.0 mg/l c) in contrast to the 154.4–178.0 mg/l (Weichselbaum, Wyness & Stanner (2010). The researchers find that juice from cloudy apples have relatively higher amounts of polyphenols compared to clear apple juice. The content in the clody juice according to the findings is 152.2–459 mg/l, while that from clear juice is 109.9–172.7 mg/l. Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010)conduct a systematic review of the available literature to identify the effects of the polyphenols located in apple fruits on CVD risk factors, including blood pressure and blood lipids. The investigators conduct randomised clinical trials on human beings utilizing either apples or its products, or other food items or supplements having a substantial volume of one or more polyphenols available in apples. Their analysis concur with the findings by Bondonno et al. (2017a) that there is very restricted proof available from human researches. The preliminary results indicate that the polyphenols available in apples may have a beneficial impact on blood pressure and blood lipid in human beings. Nonetheless, Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010) think that firms cannot still reach the final conclusion because research in this area is still limited. They propose that more studies are necessary on the subject to fully examine the capacity of polyphenols and their health benefits to humans.

Evidence suggest that consuming apples help to prevent a wide range of health problems that could cause CVD if left untreated. One of the sicknesses that may be possible to control or prevent with adequate consumption of apples is high blood pressure that Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010) identify as one of the major causes of stroke and other CVDs. The primary factors that facilitate the development of high blood pressure are; improper diet, smoking, lack of physical activities, and bodyweight. Besides, one is at considerable risk of developing high blood pressure by taking too much salt, consuming a lot of alcohol, or when they are obese. However, researches indicate that some dietary elements such as polyphenols could have significant impact in regulating blood pressure. Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010) perform a doubleblinded, randomised, placebo-controlled crossover study to examine the implications of the polyphenols located apples on blood pressure, and discovered that the components play vital functions in lowering the condition. In addition, the study shares the same view with Rees, Dodd, and Spencer (2018) that adequate consumption of apples play significant functions in regulating increased blood homocysteine, which is a major risk factor for stroke and coronary heart disease. Studies examining the impact of polyphenols on the levels of blood homocysteine showed that regular consumption of red wine made from apples maintained homocysteine levels at a rate that does not put an individual at risk. Furthermore, habitual consumption of apples could save one from developing endothelial dysfunction, which entails the damage of endothelium-dependent vascular easing, and is regarded as major risk factor for the emergence of CVD. Therefore, eating apples may help one to avoid the various health conditions that are likely to put one at a higher risk of CVD.

Serra et al. (2012) share the view of other scholars that diets rich in vegetables and fruits improve health and suspends the development of CVD. In particular, Serra et al. (2012) inform that a lower risk of CVD depend on how regularly one consumes apples, chiefly because of the capability of the polyphenols and fiber bioactive compounds that play important roles in facilitating the cholesterol-lowering effect. The authors report about a study where a diet supplemented with 20% of different types of apple cultivars from Portugal (Golden, Malapio Serra, and Bravo de Esmolf) containing different fiber concentrations and phenolic components are fed to rats (Serra et al., 2012). The investigators monitor the specimen for thirty days, and discover that the Bravo de Esmolfe has the highest capacity in lowering the serum volumes of triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. The study further reveals that the volume of low-density lipoprotein oxidation increased significantly with the eating of various types of apples, but especially Bravo de Esmolfe (Serra et al., 2012). The analysis concluded that carotene, epicatechin, catechin, and procyanidin B1 are the primary phytocompounds in charge for reducing the amount of cholesterol when a person consumes apples regularly. In addition, the effect of antioxidant may have also added to the advantageous outcome.

Possible Gaps and Recommendations

Overcoming the possible gaps and considering other relevant factors may help to improve awareness on how apples may help to prevent and manage CVD. One possible gap is that Weichselbaum, Wyness, and Stanner (2010) and Serra et al. (2012) think more research need to happen on human beings rather than animals to be sure of the possible effects of apples in controlling CVD. The researches on rats show some positive effects of apples in reducing the risks of developing CVD, but it would be easier to understand the possible health benefits by engaging more human beings in such researches. Unless investigators use more people to verify what they already know, it may be difficult to precisely know the parts of the fruit that have the highest potential in reducing CVD. Moreover, it may be difficult to know the specific types of apples that have higher potential to regulate the development of the disease (Bondonno et al., 2017a). Other than the need to engage more human beings in research, it is vital to perform more studies that identify the parts of the fruits that have more potential to improve health outcome (Serra, 2012). Scholars in the current literature seem to be unclear on the matter, and various scholars seem to give their views depending on their findings. Paying considerable attention to specific parts may guide manufacturers and consumers alike on where they need to focus on, especially when they have a motive of regulating CVD. Also, it is important to inform how pre and post-harvest factors could influence their composition and influence in regulating CVD (McClure et al., 2019). However, it is necessary to educate members of the public about the possibilities of managing or preventing CVD by consuming apples regularly. Curriculum developers should the information at various levels of learning to equip every learner with the information, while instructors should ensure that everyone understands how apples can help them to stay healthy (Koutsos et al., 2020). Educators should extend the awareness process to the community level to make sure that everyone in the society understands how they can prevent CVD by eating apples. Researchers already find that apples have significant health benefits, but performing more studies may help to eradicate existing doubts and improve people’s awareness on how the fruit may be of health benefit to them.  

Summary

The study holds that regular consumption of apples protect one against CVD. The fruit protects one from risk factors such as endothelial dysfunction, high blood pressure, and elevated blood homocysteine that are perceived to be the modest independent factors for cardiovascular disease. The study shows how some scholars consider the peels of the apple fruit to contain more valuable components that help to suppress the components that cause CVD, while other researchers think that the juice is equally important. It is necessary to watch the type of apple one consumes because the study affirms that the effectiveness the fruit in managing CVD would depend on the type. Nonetheless, more studies involving human beings should take place to acquire more convincing information, and it is essential to educate people on how they stand a chance of improving their health by eating apples as frequently as they can.

References

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Bondonno, N., et al. (2017a). The cardiovascular health benefits of apples: Whole fruit vs.

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Koutsos, A., et al. (2020). Two apples a day lower serum cholesterol and improve

            cardiometabolic biomarkers in mildly hypercholesterolemic adults: A randomized,

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Krishnaswamy, K., & Gayathri, R. (2018). Nature bountiful gift to humankind: Vegetables &

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            Indian Journal of Medical Research, 148, 569-595.

McClure, K., et al. (2019). Genome-wide association studies in apple reveal loci of large effect

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Rees, A., Dodd, G., & Spencer, J. (2018). The effects of flavonoids on cardiovascular health: A

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