In fact, this fruit with the misleading Latin name "malus" which means evil, misfortune and harm has many good characteristics. Apples contain more than 30 mineral substances and trace elements, but potassium which regulates the water balance and iron are especially worth mentioning.
Because of their many different fruit acids apples are considered to be a natural toothbrush. Apples are ideal for regulating intestinal activity and contain many important vitamins such as provitamin A, the vitamins B1, B2, B6, E and C, niacin and folic acid.
Another important substance is pectin which lowers the cholesterol level, binds harmful substances and flushes them out. Scientific studies show that people who regularly eat apples suffer less often from bronchial and lung diseases. This effect is ascribed to the phytochemicals, the so-called catechins. The flavonoids and carotenoids contained in the fruit can demonstrably reduce the risk of cancer and have an antioxidant effect.

Reduced risk of cancer
Rai Hai Liu, a nutritionist of New York Cornell University, put laboratory rats that were especially vulnerable to breast cancer on a 24-week apple diet. The result was that the tumor risk decreased by up to 44 percent, whereas already existing tumors shrank by up to 61 percent.
In earlier studies, the same scientist had already proved that the consumption of apples also reduced the growth of liver and intestinal cancer cells because of the high levels of antioxidant quercetine contained in the fruits. This active agent helps against inflammations and renders free radicals harmless. Free radicals are highly aggressive molecules which mainly develop in situations of stress and may cause damage to the genetic substance.

Protection for the brain
Two laboratory studies of the American Cornell University show that the regular consumption of apples could help preventing Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease because the antioxidants of fresh apples can protect brain cells against the harmful action of free radicals. The effective substance in this regard is quercetine which is contained in and directly under the skin of mainly red apple varieties. Quercetine belongs to the flavonoids which are known for their protective action against damages caused by free radicals. These studies could prove that this is also true for nerve cells in the brain.

Improved respiration
The antioxidant substances of apples also have a positive effect on respiration. The lung volume of both healthy persons and asthmatic patients increases and if you are a sporty person, you can enhance your sports performance.

The perfect protection for the heart
Just two apples per day reduce the heart attack risk by up to 30 percent. The secret? Pectin blocks the growth of bacteria that may lead to vessel deposits. Potassium and magnesium lower cholesterol as effectively as medications and flavonoids can even remove vessel deposits.  
The consumption of vitamin E has recently again and again been propagated for preventing heart attacks. Apples contain from 0.4 to 0.7 mg per 100 g of fruits which is relatively much.

UV protection from inside
The protective effect of apples against sunburn and skin cancer has only recently been discovered. More than 600 precious carotenoids preserve the skin from UV damages and protect the skin like a sunscreen with sun-protection factor 3 in case of regular consumption.

Cholesterol
Apples are again and again mentioned as being protective against heart attacks. Because of the high levels of phytochemicals such as phenol acids and flavonoids and as part of a cholesterol low diet these fruits can prevent heart diseases as an elevated cholesterol level is a considerable risk factor for all diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Cholesterol – a name that normally includes cholesterol and all other blood fats – is not harmful as such, on the contrary: it is a fat-like substance of the cellular tissue and converted into bile acids and hormones and therefore an indispensable substance for our body. Cholesterol is produced by the body itself and absorbed with food (mainly animal food). It can be measured in the blood together with other fats and is indicated as cholesterol level.

An increased cholesterol level does not directly result in physical complaints but favours the development of arteriosclerosis (i.e. cholesterol sticks to your arterial walls in the form of fatty deposits) and may therefore lead to illnesses such as heart attack or cardiac insufficiency.

A balanced diet is absolutely essential for preventing an increased cholesterol level. The diet should not be too fat-laden and not be accompanied by excessive alcohol consumption.

Apples are ideal in this context because the pectin that is mainly contained in the skin binds fats and cholesterol in the stomach, which are then more easily excreted.

The cholesterol level decreases, resulting in less negative effects to the body. In comparison with other fruit varieties, the pectin level of about 1% in apples is very high.
The cholesterol-lowering effect was more pronounced in women than in men by tendency.

Dental hygiene
Apples are also ideal for dental hygiene!
The trace element fluorine strengthens the construction of teeth, hardens enamel and prevents tooth decay. While chewing, the pulp rubs against the teeth and acts like a natural toothbrush. The acids of the apple are also able to destroy 90% of the bacteria that attack the enamel after only a quarter of an hour after having slowly chewed an apple. All bacteria are destroyed after an hour.