Apples May Be Good for Your Heart

Apples have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease (5Trusted Source).
One reason may be that apples contain soluble fiber — the kind that can help lower your blood cholesterol levels.
They also contain polyphenols, which have antioxidant effects. Many of these are concentrated in the peel.
One of these polyphenols is the flavonoid epicatechin, which may lower blood pressure.
An analysis of studies found that high intakes of flavonoids were linked to a 20% lower risk of stroke (6Trusted Source).
Flavonoids can help prevent heart disease by lowering blood pressure, reducing “bad” LDL oxidation, and acting as antioxidants (7Trusted Source).
Another study comparing the effects of eating an apple a day to taking statins — a class of drugs known to lower cholesterol — concluded that apples would be almost as effective at reducing death from heart disease as the drugs (8Trusted Source).
However, since this was not a controlled trial, findings must be taken with a grain of salt.
Another study linked consuming white-fleshed fruits and vegetables, such as apples and pears, to a reduced risk of stroke. For every 25 grams — about 1/5 cup of apple slices — consumed, the risk of stroke decreased by 9%