(26-03-11) Apples could hold key for increasing lifespan

by S. L. Baker, features writer

(NaturalNews) Sure, apples are delicious and healthy. And, as NaturalNews has
previously reported, there is a growing body of evidence showing apples fight
cancer. In fact, half a dozen studies published by Rui Hai Liu, Cornell
associate professor of food science and a member of Cornell's Institute for
Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, have found eating apples is an
especially powerful way to prevent breast cancer(http://www.naturalnews.
com/025685_c...).

Now there's breaking research news that shows consuming apples regularly may
contribute to a longer lifespan, too. The study was just published in the
American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

A team of scientists headed by Zhen-Yu Chen, PhD, of the Food and Nutritional
Sciences Program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have reported the first
evidence that healthful antioxidant substances in apples extend the average
lifespan of test animals by 10 percent. The new study involved fruit flies and
backs up earlier findings involving the testing of apple antioxidants on other
animals.

Dr. Zhen-Yu Chen and colleagues believe specific antioxidants in apples known
as polyphenols are particularly powerful in combating the damaging substances
known as free radicals that have been linked to many serious diseases as well
as the aging process. In a statement to the media, Dr. Chen noted that the
results of his team's new research support those from other studies, including
one in which women who often ate apples were found to have a whopping 13 to 22
percent decrease in the risk of heart disease.

The scientists found that apple polyphenols not only greatly extended the
average lifespan of fruit flies but also preserved the ability of the oldest
insects to walk, climb and move about. Moreover, the apple polyphenols actually
reversed the levels of a host of biochemical substances found in older fruit
flies that are known to be markers for age-related deterioration and
approaching death.

More good news about apples and other fruit: a new study by Harvard School of
Public Health researchers concludes men and women who regularly eat berries
have a lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease. And men can lower their
risk of Parkinson's even more by regularly eating apples as well as oranges and
other fruits rich in phytochemicals known as flavonoids. The study is slated to
be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 63rd Annual Meeting which
will be held in Honolulu from April 9 to April 16, 2011.

"This is the first study in humans to examine the association between
flavonoids and risk of developing Parkinson's disease," said study author Xiang
Gao, MD, PhD, in a statement to the media. "Our findings suggest that
flavonoids, specifically a group called anthocyanins, may have neuroprotective
effects. If confirmed, flavonoids may be a natural and healthy way to reduce
your risk of developing Parkinson's disease."

For more information :
http://pubs.acs.org/stoken/presspac...

News

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