There may be some truth to the old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," after all.
A new study suggests that eating apples on a regular basis can help reduce bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol and even aid weight loss.

There may be some truth to the old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," after all.
A new study suggests that eating apples on a regular basis can help reduce bad cholesterol, increase good cholesterol and even aid weight loss.
"This is a pleasant surprise," said the senior author of the paper, Bahram Arjmandi of Florida State University in Tallahassee.
At the outset of the study, the researchers recruited 160 women between the ages of 45 to 65. The volunteers were divided into two groups.
One group snacked on 75 grams of dried apples slices every day for a year. (The fruit was dried to ensure everyone received a standardized amount.) The other group consumed 100 grams of prunes. The food given to both groups amounted to 240 calories a day.
The original purpose of the study was to determine the effects of eating prunes on bone density. Apples were used simply for comparison purposes. But when the data started rolling in, the researchers realized apples were also worthy of their attention.
Within six months, the women munching on apples experienced an average drop of 23 per cent in LDL, commonly known as "bad" cholesterol, which can contribute to heart disease. At the same time, HDL, or "good" cholesterol, which helps remove fatty deposits from blood vessels, rose by 4 per cent.
Prunes also altered cholesterol levels but the changes were not large enough to be considered statistically significant.
Previous animal research had already indicated that certain apple compounds - such as pectin and polyphenols - bestow cardiovascular benefits. The study by Dr. Arjmand