The health benefits of including apples in your diet are numerous. That's about 20 percent of the recommended daily intake of fiber. Most of the fiber found in apples is soluble fiber, called pectin. Pectin has a record of success as a cholesterol reducer going back to research in the early 1960s. Apples rank near the top among fruits and vegetables as a source of pectin, providing .78 grams per 100 grams of the edible portion of fruit.
Apples also contain important flavonoids.
Flavonoids are naturally-occurring plant compounds that have antioxidant properties. Flavonoids are receiving increasing research and public attention for their benefits in fighting cardiovascular diseases. As antioxidants, these substances are thought to reduce the rate of oxidation of harmful low-density lipoproteins in the blood, and to inhibit the growth of dangerous plaques along blood vessel walls. Members include more than 450 individual firms involved in the apple business, as well as 30 state apple associations representing the 9,000 apple growers throughout the country. The U.S. Apple Association's mission is to provide the means for all segments of the U.S. apple industry to join in appropriate collective efforts to profitably produce and market apples and apple products.