An Apple a Day Doesn't Keep Just the Doctor Away

Apples appear to extend lifespan by 10 percent

(RxWiki News) An antioxidant in apples appears to extend the lives of test animals by some 10 percent, according to a new study.

The new study finds apples extend the lives of fruit flies and bolsters previous research with similar claims regarding different test animals.

The antioxidant found in apples known as polyphenols not only prolong life in fruit flies, it helped preserve their ability to maneuver freely. The antioxidant also reversed the levels of various biochemical substances found in older fruit flies, which serve as markers for deterioration and approaching death. (Antioxidants combat free radicals that cause disease.)

The study lends credence to another study in which women who often ate apples had a 13 percent to 22 percent decrease in heart-disease risk.

Polyphenols are most frequently found in richly colored fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, pomegranates, red grapes, cranberries, and red or purple sweet potatoes.

Review Date: 
March 2, 2011