Apples extend lifespan by 10 per cent, study finds

SCIENTISTS are reporting the first evidence
that consumption of a healthful antioxidant
substance in apples extends the average
lifespan of test animals, and does so by 10
per cent. The new results, obtained with
fruit flies stand-ins for humans in
hundreds of research projects each year
bolster similar findings on apple
antioxidants in other animal tests.
The study appears in ACS’s Journal of
Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Zhen-Yu Chen and colleagues note that
damaging substances generated in the
body, termed free radicals, cause
undesirable changes believed to be
involved in the aging process and some
diseases. Substances known as antioxidants
can combat this damage.
Fruits and vegetables in the diet, especially
brightly coloured foods like tomatoes,
broccoli, blueberries, and apples are
excellent sources of antioxidants. A
previous study with other test animals
hinted that an apple antioxidant could
extend average lifespan. In the current
report, the researchers studied whether
different apple antioxidants, known as
polyphenols, could do the same thing in
fruit flies.
The researchers found that apple
polyphenols not only prolonged the
average lifespan of fruit flies but also
helped preserve their ability to walk, climb
and move about. In addition, apple
polyphenols reversed the levels of various
biochemical substances found in older fruit
flies and used as markers for age-related
deterioration and approaching death.
Chen and colleagues note that the results
support those from other studies, including
one in which women who often ate apples
had a 13-22 per cent decrease in the risk of
heart disease, and polish the apple ’s popular
culture image as a healthy food.