Could Eating an Apple Prevent Obesity?

Non-digestible compounds found in apples—namely, granny smith apples—could prevent obesity-related disorders, according to a recent study.

For the study, researchers evaluated the impact of bioactive compounds (including polyphenols and dietary fiber that are not absorbed for digestion) on the good gut bacteria of obese mice using 7 different apple varieties: granny smith, fuji, gala, golden delicious, mcIntosh, red delicious, and braeburn.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Early Antibiotic Use Could Increase Obesity Risk
Dietary Habits Worsen as Obesity Risk Scores Increase
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The study showed that, while gut bacteria in obese individuals is typically unbalanced, when researchers compared the feces of obese mice consuming granny smith apples to the feces of lean mice, the bacteria proportions were similar.

Investigators suggested that the discovery could help healthcare providers prevent obesity-related disorders including low-grade, chronic inflammation which could lead to diabetes.

The complete study is published in the October issue of Food Chemistry.

-Michelle Canales

References:

Condezo-Hoyos L, Mohanty IP, Noratto GD. Assessing non-digestible compounds in apple cultivars and their potential as modulators of obese faecal microbiota in vitro. Diabetes Care. 2014 October [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.03.122.

Washington State University. An apple a day keeps obesity away. September 29, 2014. https://news.wsu.edu/2014/09/29/an-apple-a-day-could-keep-obesity-away/#.VCwQC14iqf1. Accessed October 1, 2014.