There is one simple step you can take this autumn to boost your health: Go retro and revisit that “Apple a Day” advice. Recent research has shown that there is a lot of truth in that ancient adage.
A Harvard study, for instance, found that women who ate an apple a day were 29 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women who ate none. That's huge. And speaking of huge, a just released study from the University of Iowa reveals a link between a substance found in apple peels (ursolic acid) and less weight gain. Mice that had consumed ursolic acid gained less weight and were less likely to develop conditions similar to pre-diabetes and fatty liver disease, even though they ate more food than the mice that did not consume ursolic acid. Scientists already knew that ursolic acid increased muscle mass and strength in healthy mice. A health routine including something as natural and no-fuss as eating apples and their peels sounds very, you should pardon the pun, appealing.
-S.H.
