Vienna, VA - January 22, 2008 — Any way you slice it, apples are good for your heart. Red or green, research has shown that apples play an important role in decreasing the risk of heart disease and reducing blood pressure in people with hypertension, thanks to high concentrations of antioxidants and fiber.

Apples and Antioxidants
Apples have one of the highest concentrations of quercetin among all other fruits and vegetables. Quercetin is a type of antioxidant known as flavonoids that has been shown to provide a number of heart-healthy and chronic disease fighting benefits. A study in the November issue of The Journal of Nutrition suggests that the apple-specific flavonoids may be as effective at decreasing blood pressure as other lifestyle changes are, such as sodium restriction, weight reduction, increased physical activity, and alcohol reduction.

Decreasing blood pressure can relieve stress on the heart and lower heart disease risk. The Iowa Women's Health Study, a longitudinal cohort study looking at the health habits of more than 34,000 women, named apples as one of only three foods (along with red wine and pears) that decrease mortality risk from both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

According to the USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, apples are among the top 20 foods with the highest antioxidant concentration. The recently published list recognizes six apples and apple juice as being the most antioxidant-rich. Antioxidants are most concentrated in the skin of the apple, so consumption of the whole fruit is recommended for the greatest heart health benefit.

Apples and Fiber
With five grams of fiber per large fruit, apples are an excellent source of fiber, which acts to improve blood lipid profiles and lower blood pressure. Apples are especially high in soluble fiber, which helps to regulate cholesterol by preventing fatty buildup in the blood vessels, thus promoting heart health. Previous studies have also shown that blood pressure is likely to decrease through consumption of fiber-containing fruits and vegetables, and that for every 10 grams of fiber consumed per day, heart disease risk decreases by 10 to 30 percent.

Go Red with Apples
According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and is the number one killer of American women. Nearly one in three Americans has hypertension and 106 million Americans have high cholesterol. Cardiovascular diseases include heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, heart failure and several other conditions.

February is American Heart Month and Go Red for Women is a campaign founded by the American Heart Association (AHA) to unite women and fight heart disease through education and advocacy. On the first of February, as part of the public awareness campaign, AHA encourages women to wear red to support the fight against heart disease. The U.S. Apple Association encourages Americans to go red with apples for better heart health.

About Us: The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state and regional apple associations representing the nation's 9,000 apple growers, as well as 500 individual firms involved in the apple business. USApple'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.

Sources:

Edwards, RL; Lyon, T; Litwin, SE; Rabovsky, A; Symons, J. Quercetin reduces blood pressure in hypertensive subjects. The Journal of Nutrition, 2007 Nov, 137 (11): 2405-2411.

Mink, PJ; Scrafford, CG; Barraj, LM; Harnack, L; Hong, CP; Nettleton, JA; Jacobs, DR. Flavonoid intake and cardiovascular disease mortality: a prospective study in postmenopausal women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007 Mar, 85 (3): 895-909.

USDA Database for the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods. http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=15866.

Whelton, SP; Hyre, AD; Pedersen, B; Yi, Y; Whelton, PK; He, J. Effect of dietary fiber intake on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled clinical trials. Journal of Hypertension, 2005 Mar, 23 (3): 475-481.

Pereira, MA; O'Reilly, E; Augustson, K; Fraser, GE; Goldbourt, U; Heitmann, BL; Hallmans, G; Knekt, P; Liu, S; Pietinen, P; Spiegelman, D; Stevens, J; Virtamo, J; Willett, WC; Ascherio, A. Dietary Fiber and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2004 Feb, 164 (4): 370-376.

Note: "Apple Bits" is provided by the U.S. Apple Association (USApple), to disseminate news and information about the health benefits of apples and apple products. The text of this release can be downloaded from the Consumer and Health Media section of USApple's Web site, at http://www.usapple.org. Need apple photos? Check out the Media section's Image Library, or contact us for a copy of our creative support CD containing high-resolution digital images of the best photos from USApple's library.