Apples and processed apple products are the most consumed fruit in the United States. A recent survey of pediatricians concluded that apple juice is the first juice recommended for young children. In a study released this week in the May issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Finnish researchers concluded there is an association between apple consumption and a reduced risk of stroke, after studying a large group of 9,208 Finnish men and women for more than 25 years. After following the study group for 28 years, researchers determined that study participants who ate the most apples had the lowest risk for stroke, where a blood clot starves part of the brain of oxygen. Both studies pointed to quercetin, from a class of phytonutrients called flavonoids, as the beneficial agent.
Apples are the best fruit source of quercetin.
The latest Finnish study suggests there may be more to apples' healthfulness than previously thought. Researchers reported that while there was a strong relationship between apple consumption and reduced risk of stroke, the benefit did not appear to be related to apples' high quercetin content - suggesting that some unidentified component in apples may be at work. This study adds to the growing body of evidence that apples and apple juice are associated with a number of health benefits. Members include 39 state apple associations representing the 9,000 apple growers throughout the country, and nearly 500 individual firms involved in the apple business .