A nutritionist has said that women should eat two types of fruits above all others. Carlos Andrés Zapata, said in a post on instagram that research has shown they have many beneficial effects – including preventing some diseases.
Apples and pears have been hailed as having a big impact on blood pressure and inflammation. Mr Zapata said they were particularly helpful to women as they get older as they both act to help stop weight gain during menopause and also lower potentially harmful cholesterol levels.
Mr Zapata said: “There are two fruits that women should eat daily because they help to control the factors that cause most diseases.” Nutritionist Mr Zapata revealed through his official Instagram account the importance of two particular fruits and recommends that women, especially in adulthood or older ages, incorporate them into their daily diet. This is for two main reasons, according to the specialist. He said: “The first reason concerns weight control since both pears and apples help regulate the natural weight gain promoted by menopause.
“The second reason relates to reducing what is known as ‘bad’ cholesterol (LDL). These two fruits can reduce it by up to 15-20%, which is essential for protection against cardiovascular diseases. These represent two of the factors that most influence the onset of diseases in women.” Therefore, Carlos Andrés Zapata advises including them in regular diets to keep these potential health risks under control.
He added: “Women have a natural weight gain with age and other associated problems that come with menopause. That is why these two fruits are a must in all my dietary recommendations for my female patients.”
One study of 8,000 adults published in JAMA Internal Medicine that looked at hospital and doctor appointments by apple-eaters and non-apple eaters did find that people who ate at least one a day were slightly less likely to visit a GP. They contain less vitamin C than oranges but more fibre than melons and twice as much as pears. Many of the benefits are linked to pectin, the soluble dietary fibre that is found predominantly in the skin and core of apples.
Apples and pears are rich in flavonoids — antioxidant plant compounds known to help to keep blood pressure under healthy control. Dietician Dr Linia Patel previously said: “Flavonoids relax the walls of blood vessels helping to reduce blood pressure. All fruits and vegetables provide them, but apples and pears are definitely good sources.” And research has shown that if people eat the skins there are even bigger health benefits. Dr Patel said: “Flavonoids relax the walls of blood vessels helping to reduce blood pressure. All fruits and vegetables provide them, but apples and pears are definitely good sources.”
Rob Hobson, author of Unprocess Your Life has said:“Pectin, also found in pears and plums, has been shown in studies, including a review in the journal Clinical Nutrition, to improve blood cholesterol levels. That will help to reduce the risk of heart disease.”
According to Professor Aedin Cassidy, a researcher in the school of biological sciences at Queen’s University in Belfast, these flavonoids boost gut health, which has benefits for blood pressure. In a study of 904 people published in Hypertension, Cassidy found that those who ate the most flavonoid-rich foods had a greater diversity of gut bacteria, which has been shown to enhance the cardio-protective effects of the antioxidant compounds.
Nutritional scientist Tim Spector has said that apple skins contain a high concentration of polyphenols – a compound which can assist in reducing inflammation in the body – potentially helping avoid dementia, arthritis and diabetes.
Prof Spector has previously advocated people not peeling vegetables and fruit as the skin contains much greater quantities of polyphenols. “Here’s a tip to help you get more nutrition from your food. I often talk about the benefits of polyphenols, for your health and particularly for promoting the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.
“Polyphenols are defence chemicals so are most abundant in the skin of plants where they are needed to protect against the elements and predators. In apples, there may be around 30 times more polyphenols in the skin than the flesh.”
The professor added: “As well as polyphenols, peels are often the most fibre and prebiotic rich part of the plant. Keeping the skin on your potatoes means you’ll be getting around 50% more fibre and 175% more vitamin C than if you were to peel it and eating a kiwi with the skin on triples the amount of fibre you’ll consume.”