Eating apples can extend life up to 10%in animals thanks to its content inantioxidants, as has just been shown by a study published in the journalJournal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Zhen-Yu Chen and his colleagues from the University of Hong Kong, authors of the article, explain that for some time we have known that free radicals, harmful substances generated in the body, cause changes that are related to the aging process and to some diseases such as cancer. And that the antioxidants present in certain fruits and vegetables can combat it.
In the new study, the researchers decided to study thespecific effect of the antioxidant polyphenols present in the apple. The experiments with fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) showed that these substances not onlyincreased longevity by 10%but, in addition, during that “extra” time of life, the insects kept their ability to walk, climb and move agilely intact. In addition, apples reversed the levels of certain biochemicals present in older flies that are used as markers of deterioration caused by aging.
And, as the Spanish proverb says, “there is nothing healthier than eating an apple on an empty stomach”. Chen and his colleagues conclude that the result of their work could be extended to other animals, including humans, and that it reinforces the widespread idea in popular culture that the apple is one of the healthiest foods.
