Obviously with the last name of “Apple” I have always had a special interest in any topic related to the tasty red fruit.
Growing up I quickly got used to the witticisms of my playmates who imagined that they were the first ones to come up with these creative jabs:
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“You are rotten to the core”
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“One rotten apple spoils the barrel”
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“You are the bad seed”
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“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”
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“Is Mr. Peach there? I’m sorry, I must be barking up the wrong tree” (that telephone call usually comes from teenagers at 3 in the morning … don’t try it … I will track your internet address!)
So you can imagine my interest in the positive health related axiom regarding apples:
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”
But what is the medical support for this claim? I decided I owed it to my family heritage to research this crucial topic.
I must truly be on to something … it turns out that researchers just posted some significant data on this very subject 15 minutes ago? How coincidental is that!
Apparently new research documents the benefit of apples in helping to reduce the risk of colon cancer. “Dr Francis Raul, the study’s leader, from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Strasbourg, said:
“For now, our work suggests that eating the whole apple, including the skin, might offer some anti-cancer benefits.”
Encouraged by that timely tidbit … I went back to my trusty Google tool and dug deeper.
The U.S. Apple Association offers some historical background for the phrase (tracing it back to medieval times) as well as some official health tips, references, and links to other related sites.
Other educational and research sites address the scientific aspects of the subject:
Did you know — the glycemic index of apple juice is approximately 40 — which makes it a low glycemic index food!
I know that doctors have been feeling the financial squeeze from a lot of areas – the proliferation of HMOs, the bite of rising malpractice insurance – but I hope they don’t start blaming the all American apple for further loss of income.