RESEARCHERS FIND APPLE JUICE A GOOD ANTIDOTE TO A
HIGH FAT DIET

PHYTONUTRIENTS DISCOVERED IN APPLE JUICE ACT AS ANTIOXIDANTS

ATLANTA (April 15, 1999) -- New scientific research from the University of California-Davis (UC-Davis), gives the long standing adage -- "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" -- the scientific support it has needed, and that parents always knew was true, but could not prove. This university research found that both apple juice and apples are loaded with healthy components that may be just what the doctor ordered to provide balance to the not-so-healthy diets some Americans (particularly kids) are eating.

This ground-breaking research is being presented at "Experimental Biology ‘99," the meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in Washington, D.C., on April 20. It also was published in the April 16 issue of Life Sciences (an international biomedical journal that is distributed to more than 30,000 researchers around the world).

UC-Davis lead researcher Eric Gershwin, M.D., says, "We were particularly excited about our research because we found the amount of phytonutrients in apple juice, and their antioxidant activity, was significant. In fact, if you went out and you ordered a hamburger, drinking apple juice or another phytonutrient-rich beverage --instead of one of the more typical beverage choices-- could help to protect your body against the fats in that burger."

The reason for Dr. Gershwin’s excitement? This is the first study in the U.S. to reveal that apple juice contains many of the newly identified phytonutrients ("phyto" means from plants) that are being praised as important for good health. This research confirms you can place apple juice high on the list of fruits and vegetables that are a key in the diets of children and all consumers.

"Consumers have been hearing an awful lot about phytonutrients recently. And they’re hearing it for good reason, because many of these plant compounds are thought to possess disease preventative properties. What our research demonstrates is that you can add apple juice onto the list of fruits and vegetables which are good for you because they clearly contain a significant amount of these important plant components," says Gershwin.

In the study, the UC-Davis research team found that both apple juice and fresh apple components contain significant amounts of phytonutrients that are thought to play a critical role in supporting and promoting good health. According to the published research, the researchers first identified numerous phytonutrients in apple juice and fresh apple components, many of which are known to have positive effects on disease processes. After this first step, they determined that these favorite foods could also stop oxidation of the bad cholesterol (low density lipoproteins or LDL), a process that can lead to the development of heart disease.

By using LDL cholesterol extracted from the blood of individuals with normal cholesterol levels, the researchers found that apple products significantly slowed the oxidation process. With respect to heart disease, oxidation is believed to be a key event leading to build-up of plaque in arteries, which can lead to their blockage and ultimately cardiovascular disease. The antioxidant effect from the apple phytonutrients was considered separate and distinct from the antioxidant effect often associated with vitamin C (since many apple juices do have vitamin C added).

"There’s pretty strong scientific evidence that oxidation processes play a significant role in many chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. The fact that these popular foods have antioxidant potential is quite important in terms of chronic disease prevention," according to UC-Davis dietitian and nutrition researcher Dianne Hyson, the mother of two children.

"Being the parent of two young girls who really like apple juice, I feel good about having them drink 100 percent apple juice knowing there are health benefits we didn’t know were previously there," concludes Hyson. "We also know that the processes that lead to many serious diseases start very early in life, so it is never too early to teach your children to consume foods that are known to support good health, both now and in the future."

Other studies, done outside of the U.S. and published within the last two years, found that apple phytonutrients were correlated with risk reduction of both heart disease and lung cancer. Specifically, two recent epidemiological research studies from Finland demonstrated that apple phytonutrients may contribute to a reduced risk of both heart disease and lung cancer.

"Apples, apple juice and apple products have always played a role in a healthy diet. For decades, if not hundreds of years, we’ve been told to eat apples to maintain our health," states Sue Taylor, R.D., director of nutrition communications for the Processed Apples Institute. "Now, science is uncovering that the healthy components are not just in apples, but are in apple juice as well."

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The Processed Apples Institute is an international association of producers of processed apple products and those companies that supply raw materials or services to them.

Abstract of UC-Davis Study

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