1. Apples Lower High Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
2. Eating Foods With Fiber, Including Apples, Can Aid Digestion
3. Apples Supports a Healthy Immune System
4. Apples Are a Diabetes-Friendly Fruit
5. The Antioxidants in Apples Plays a Role in Cancer Prevention
6. Eating Apples Supports Healthy Weight Loss
7. Apples May Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
8. Apples Might Help Keep Your Gut Healthy
Nutritional value
Apples are considered nutrient-dense fruits, meaning they provide a lot of nutrients per serving.
The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend 2 cups of fruit daily for a 2,000-calorie diet, emphasizing whole fruits, like apples (2Trusted Source).
One medium 7-ounce (200-grams) apple offers the following nutrients (3Trusted Source):
- Calories: 104
- Carbs: 28 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Vitamin C: 10% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Copper: 6% of the DV
- Potassium: 5% of the DV
- Vitamin K: 4% of the DV
The same serving also provides 2–5% of the DV for vitamins E, B1, and B6.
Vitamin E serves as a fat-soluble antioxidant, vitamin B1 — also known as thiamine — is needed for growth and development, and vitamin B6 is essential for protein metabolism (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
Apples are also a rich source of polyphenols, an important group of antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that protect your cells from free radicals — harmful molecules that contribute to the development of chronic conditions, like heart disease and cancer (4Trusted Source).
While nutrition labels don’t list these plant compounds, they’re likely responsible for many of apples’ health benefits (1Trusted Source)
To get the most out of apples, leave the skin on, as it contains half of the fiber and most of the polyphenols (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
SUMMARY
Apples are a good source of fiber and vitamin C. They also contain antioxidants, like vitamin E, and polyphenols that contribute to the fruit’s numerous health benefits.