Apples: sink your teeth into a red delicious--it may deliver big apple-sized nutritional benefits, according to new research.(FRESH PICKED)

Not all apples are created equal--at least according to a Canadian study reported in the June 2005 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Chemists discovered that the skin of the Red Delicious is packed with more antioxidants, called polyphenols, than seven other apple varieties.

Red Delicious account for 27 percent of US apple consumption--happily, since its skin has more than six times the antioxidants as the lowest-ranked Empire. (See how they measured up against one another in, "Apples' Top Eight" on page 58.)

Redness wasn't a factor. "The pigment is not the major player in the total antioxidant count," says Rong Tsao, PhD, lead researcher of the study at Canada's Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food in Guelph, Ontario. "We identified two flavanol compounds that contribute the most to the total antioxidant activity, and we found these mostly in the skins. So if you're health-conscious and care about your body, don't peel your apples."

Flavanols are a type of polyphenol and are the major source of antioxidants in apples. They help your cells repair themselves by stimulating the release of protective enzymes that rebuild damage cells--and that nab carcinogens such as smoke, pollution and pesticides before they have a chance to contribute to diseases such as cancer. They seem to particularly protect epithelial cells, those; that line the mouth, lungs; bladder, uterus and digestive tracts.

Previously in the June 21, 2000, issue of the journal Nature, researchers at Cornell University in New York found that phytochemicals in apples may hinder the proliferation of cancer tumor cells. When human liver cancer cells were treated with 50 mg of apple extract, researchers found that the cell growth was inhibited by 40-57 percent, depending on whether the extract was made from the apple flesh or the apple skin.

Although apples have significantly lower concentrations of antioxidants than other types of fruits particularly berries--they're abundant, affordable, super-portable and, yes, delicious. All of which makes it easier for you to reach your two to four fruit servings a day. Get started by turning the page for a yummy way to eat your daily fruit allowance.

 
great grandma 
pearson's apple 
crisp 
 
Serves 8 
 
Offer this homey dessert with ice cream. 
 
4 large Red Delicious apples, cored, peeled 
  and chopped  ...