Eat 2 apples a day to lower bad cholesterol, 3 major ingredients work wonders! Nutritionist Zheng Xinyi teaches you 5 ways to avoid high blood lipids

We have all heard the Western proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away". Apples have high nutritional value and are beneficial to human health. No wonder they are known as the "king of fruits". A recent small-scale human study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating two fresh green apples a day can help lower the level of bad cholesterol in the blood. But what is so magical about apples that they can help lower bad cholesterol? Is there a difference in nutritional value between green apples and red apples? Let nutritionist Joyce Cheng answer the questions for us!

Human experiment: Eating 2 apples a day can help lower bad cholesterol

Nutritionist Zheng Xinyi said that the study recruited a total of 43 healthy volunteers (25 women and 18 men) aged between 29 and 69, with a BMI (kg/m2) of 19 to 33 and TC> 5.2mmol/L (mildly high cholesterol). The final valid results were for 40 people (23 women and 17 men).

The study was divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group ate two green apples provided by the researchers every day for two months; while the control group drank two cups of apple drinks every day, also provided by the researchers, with the same calories as the two apples mentioned above, and underwent routine blood tests before and after the experiment. After two months of experiments, it was found that the "bad" cholesterol (LDL, low-density lipoprotein) of the experimental group that ate fresh apples was 3.6% lower on average than that of the control group that drank apple drinks.

However, I believe that some people will want to ask after reading this, there are only 40 subjects and the research scale is not large. Can it really be proved that eating fresh apples is really beneficial for lowering the influence of bad cholesterol on hyperlipidemia? In this regard, nutritionist Joyce Cheng pointed out that although the sample size of 40 subjects is not large in terms of human research experiments, compared with previous studies on the relationship between eating apples and bad cholesterol, which were mostly supported by animal experiments, this research experiment conducted on humans still has certain reference value.

The antioxidant phytochemicals contained in apples, such as punicalagins and quercetin, can inhibit lipid peroxidation, prevent the oxidation of low-density cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and thus protect cardiovascular health.

Can eating apples lower cholesterol? The key lies in 3 major ingredients

But what is so magical about apples that many studies have shown that eating them in moderation can help lower the bad cholesterol in the blood? Nutritionist Joyce Cheng explained that this is because apples are rich in pectin (water-soluble dietary fiber), which not only helps increase satiety, increases stool volume, and stimulates gastrointestinal motility to aid defecation; dietary fiber can also combine with bile acid, a precursor of cholesterol in the human body, to form feces and be excreted from the body, helping the body to eliminate excess cholesterol and reducing the chance of bad cholesterol staying in the blood.

In addition, the antioxidant phytochemicals contained in apples, such as punicalagins and quercetin, can inhibit lipid peroxidation, prevent the oxidation of low-density cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and thus protect cardiovascular health. Therefore, based on the above reasons, it is indeed a good way to take care of yourself to develop the habit of eating fresh apples moderately in daily life.

Which is better, green apple or red apple? Nutritionist analysis

If you want to lower the bad cholesterol in your blood, how should you choose apples? Is it better to eat green apples or red apples? Nutritionist Joyce Cheng pointed out that green apples and red apples are two different varieties of apples. Although the above small-scale human study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition used green apples for the experiment. However, according to the 2018 edition of the Taiwan Food Composition Database of the Food and Drug Administration, the two contain roughly the same three essential nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) and calories that the human body requires.

The difference is that green apples have a crisper taste while red apples have a denser texture. As for trace elements, the green apple called "Qinglong Apple" contains more quercetin and calcium, while the red apple called "Five-claw Apple" contains more phenols and iron. In essence, the difference is not that big, so nutritionist Joyce Cheng emphasized that moderate consumption of both will have certain benefits for maintaining human health.

Depending on the daily calorie requirements of each person, you can consume about 2 to 4 servings of fruit per day, with each serving being about the size of a fist.

Can everyone eat 2 apples a day? Eating properly is not NG

In addition, some people may think that eating two apples a day feels like a lot, but will they worry about overdosage? Nutritionist Joyce Cheng explained that according to the 2018 new edition of the "Daily Dietary Guidelines" published by the National Health Administration, depending on the different calorie requirements of each person, one can consume about 2 to 4 servings of fruit per day, with each serving being about the size of a fist. Eating 1 to 2 apples a day is equivalent to 2 to 3 servings of fruit. Although it is not excessive, nutritionist Joyce Cheng still recommends that people should choose fruits of different colors and types as much as possible every day to intake different phytochemicals in a more balanced way.

In addition, it should be reminded that if you have poor gastrointestinal function or gastric ulcer, consuming fruits with high acidity will cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Therefore, it is recommended to eat apples after meals, which can also help reduce discomfort. However, if you are a diabetic who needs to carefully control sugar in your daily diet, it is recommended that you control the number of servings of fruit you eat every day according to the advice of a nutritionist. Whether it is apples or other fruits, it is recommended that you cut them into pieces and eat them directly, and avoid making them into juice, so as to prevent a rapid increase in blood sugar and glycemic index.

As for kidney patients, they need to pay attention to the intake of minerals such as sodium, potassium, and phosphorus in their daily diet. In order to avoid hyperkalemia, they need to avoid fruits with high potassium ion content, such as bananas, melons, longan, etc.; but they can choose low-potassium fruits, among which apples, grapes, pears, etc. are good choices. Therefore, for patients with kidney disease, it is no problem to eat apples in moderation.

5 ways to lower bad cholesterol in your blood

Nutritionist Joyce Cheng also shared 5 dietary and daily maintenance tips to help reduce the bad cholesterol content in the blood for friends with high bad cholesterol and hyperlipidemia, and provided them for everyone's reference:

Tip 1: Eat more fruits and vegetables that contain dietary fiber. In addition to fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, celery, and loofah, they are also rich in dietary fiber.

Tip 2: For protein sources, choose low-fat white meat such as fish and chicken, as well as tofu, soy milk, and bean curd skin (non-fried) to replace fat-rich red meat. This is also a good way to reduce bad cholesterol and fat intake.

Tip 3: You can choose low-fat milk, sugar-free yogurt, etc., which can also help reduce the burden on your body.

Tip 4: Reduce high-cholesterol foods, such as offal, crab roe, and pastries and bread made with butter.

Tip 5: Increase your daily exercise and do more aerobic exercises that help promote blood circulation. For example, brisk walking, jogging, swimming, dancing, etc. are all good ways.

[Nutritionist's Tips]:

Nutritionist Joyce Cheng also reminded that normally, the total cholesterol level of healthy adults should be maintained below 200mg/dl; bad cholesterol should be below 130mg/dl, and good cholesterol should be above 40mg/dl. Therefore, if people find that their blood lipids exceed the above figures during a health check, it means that they have problems with hyperlipidemia and high bad cholesterol. They should actively adjust their lifestyle, exercise moderately, or seek help from a professional nutritionist to regulate their diet. If diet and exercise control are ineffective after 3 months, you should seek further medical attention and take relevant medications prescribed by the doctor to avoid unknowingly damaging your cardiovascular health.