Are Apples Weight-Loss-Friendly or Fattening?
Are Apples Weight-Loss-Friendly or Fattening?
Apples are an incredibly popular fruit.
Research shows they provide many health benefits, such as reducing your risk of diabetes (1 ).
However, you may wonder whether they’re fattening or weight-loss-friendly.
This article tells you whether apples make you lose or gain weight.
Apples boast a lot of water.
In fact, a medium-sized apple consists of about 86% water. Water-rich foods are quite filling, which often leads to reduced calorie intake (2, 3 , 4 ).
Water is not only filling, but it also considerably lowers the calorie density of foods.
Foods with low calorie density, such as apples, tend to be high in water and fiber. A medium-sized apple has only 95 calories but plenty of water and fiber.
Several studies show that foods with low calorie densities promote fullness, reduced calorie intake, and weight loss (5 , 6 , 7 ).
In one study, apples caused reduced calorie intake and weight loss, while oat cookies — which had a higher calorie density but similar calorie and fiber contents — did not (8 ).
High in weight-loss-friendly fiber
A medium-sized apple contains 4 grams of fiber (2).
This is 16% of the recommended fiber intake for women and 11% for men, which is extremely high given their low calorie content. This makes apples an excellent food to help you reach your recommended fiber intake (9 ).
Many studies demonstrate that high fiber intake is linked to lower body weight and a significantly reduced risk of obesity (10 , 11 ).
Eating fiber may slow the digestion of food and make you feel more full with fewer calories. For this reason, foods high in fiber may help you eat fewer total calories, which helps you lose weight (12 ).
Fiber may also improve your digestive health and feed the friendly bacteria in your gut, which can also aid metabolic health and weight control (10 , 13 ).
Very filling
The combination of water and fiber in apples makes them incredibly filling.
In one study, whole apples were found to be significantly more filling than applesauce or apple juice when eaten before a meal (14 ).
Furthermore, apples take significantly longer to eat compared with foods that don’t contain fiber. Eating duration likewise contributes to fullness.
For example, a study in 10 people noted that juice could be consumed 11 times faster than a whole apple (15 ).
The filling effects of apples may reduce appetite and lead to weight reduction.
Benefits for weight loss
Researchers have proposed that including apples in an otherwise healthy and balanced diet may encourage weight loss.
In studies in women with excess weight who follow a low-calorie or weight-reduction diet, apple intake is associated with weight loss (8 , 16 ).
In one study, women regularly ate apples, pears, or oat cookies — foods with similar fiber and calorie contents. After 12 weeks, the fruit groups lost 2.7 pounds (1.2 kg), but the oat group showed no significant weight loss (16 ).
Another study gave 50 people 3 apples, 3 pears, or 3 oat cookies per day. After 10 weeks, the oat group saw no weight change, but those who ate apples lost 2 pounds (0.9 kg) (8 ).
Additionally, the apple group reduced overall calorie intake by 25 calories per day, while the oat group ending up eating slightly more calories.
In addition to promoting weight loss, apples have several other benefits.
Nutrient density
Apples contain small amounts of many vitamins and minerals and are well known for their vitamin C and potassium contents. One medium-sized apple provides more than 3% of the Daily Value (DV) for both (2).
This fruit also boasts vitamin K, vitamin B6, manganese, and copper (2).
Additionally, the peels are particularly high in plant compounds that may lower your disease risk and provide many other health benefits (20 ).
Low glycemic index
Apples have a low glycemic index (GI), which is a measure of how much blood sugar levels rise after eating.
Low-GI foods may aid blood sugar control and weight management since they help keep your blood sugar levels balanced rather than spiking them (21 , 22 , 23 ).
Additionally, evidence suggests that a low-GI diet may help prevent diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers (24 ).
Heart health
The combination of nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber in apples may reduce your risk of heart disease (25 ).
Apples have been shown to reduce your body’s cholesterol and inflammation levels, which are both key factors for heart health (25 ).
Other studies have found that foods rich in antioxidants, such as apples, may lower your risk of death from heart disease (26 , 27 , 28 ).
Anticancer effects
The antioxidant activity of apples may help prevent certain types of cancer.
Furthermore, eating at least one apple per day has been shown to significantly reduce your risk of mouth, throat, breast, ovarian, and colon cancer (1 ).
Brain function
According to animal studies, apple juice may help prevent mental decline and Alzheimer’s disease.
In one study in mice, apple juice reduced mental decline by decreasing the amount of harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS) in brain tissue (30 ).
Apple juice may also preserve neurotransmitters that are important for optimal brain functionand Alzheimer’s prevention (1 ).
The bottom line
Apples are a good source of antioxidants, fiber, water, and several nutrients.
The many healthy components of apples may contribute to fullness and reduced calorie intake.
Including this fruit in a healthy and well-balanced diet may indeed be useful for weight loss.
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