Harvard researchers say that eating an apple every day protects you from weakness. Because apples contain a substance that significantly reduces the risk of age-related fractures, hospital stays and the like.
Harvard researchers say that the English proverb “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” proves it right again. According to their current study, the flavonol quercetin in apples should prevent premature weakness in the elderly. In fact, the body can start showing signs from the age of 40.
Up to 15 percent of older adults experience frailty
According to the researchers involved, about 10 to 15 percent of the elderly suffer from frailty. In people over the age of 90, it’s up to 25 percent. It is the syndrome of aging that leads to increased risks of falls, fractures, disability, hospitalizations, and deaths, and thus severe physical and mental limitations. But vulnerability is not an inevitable fate. According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating just one apple a day lowers your risk to a surprising extent.1
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How does quercetin in apples prevent weakness?
Current recommendations for preventing weakness focus primarily on protein intake. However, certain types of fruits and vegetables — most notably apples — appear to have significant health benefits as well. The 12-year study, involving more than 1,700 women and men (mean age 58.4 years), found that weakness was reduced by 20 percent when 10 milligrams of quercetin was taken daily. According to researchers, this is exactly the amount found in an apple, according to a statement.2 Quercetin is a particularly potent flavonol. Flavonols are plant compounds that have been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease and thus have a life-prolonging effect (FITBOOK reported). The study leader, Dr. Shivani Sahni together.
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Asthenia can begin at the age of 40 years
By the way: Blackberries, raspberries, and kale also contain significant amounts of quercetin. Therefore, experts recommend consciously incorporating foods containing quercetin into your daily diet by the age of 40 at the latest. Asthenia does not only affect the elderly. A study by Flinders University in Australia found that 45 percent of people between the ages of 40 and 49 already have some type of pre-existing.3 These include problems with balance, lack of strength in the extremities, or poor lung function — all symptoms that can be prevented with a simple apple a day.