Everyone I know is familiar with the old saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well, new evidence suggests that the old saying is very true. A new study followed only six people. But the results tell all. The researchers placed all six participants on a diet poor in antioxidants for two days. After that, they gave the patients a homogenate from 600 grams of red-delicious, unpeeled apples.
Then the researchers collected their blood at 0, 3, 6 and 24 hours after they ate the apple homogenate. They exposed the white blood cells to a significant oxidant stress in the test tube. The apple consumption protected the cells. Of course, the protection gradually diminished over the 24 hours. So, to keep up the protection, you will need to follow the old adage.
Apples are delicious. Make sure to eat them with the peel, and, that you eat only organic. They can prevent oxidative damage to your white blood cells, which help prevent all sorts of illnesses.
Ref: Maffei, F., A. Tarozzi, et al. Relevance of apple consumption for protection against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide in human lymphocytes, Br J Nutr, 2007; 97(5): 921-927.