A IS FOR APPLE JUICE AND ARTERIES

NEW RESEARCH FINDS APPLE JUICE GOOD FOR THE HEART

ATLANTA (August 23, 1999) -- Not only does September signal the start of apple-picking season, it also is the government-sponsored National Cholesterol Education Month. To help kick off these well-known "events" is some exciting university research that gives new meaning to the old adage, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Researchers at the University of California Davis (UC-Davis) recently published a study that supports the heart-healthfulness of both apple juice and apples. The study confirmed that apple products are loaded with healthy phytonutrients that can help slow the oxidation of bad cholesterol (LDL -- low density lipoproteins), a process that plays a role in the development of heart disease.

Phytonutrients ("phyto" means "from plants") are newly discovered compounds that are important for good health. "We were particularly excited about our research because we found the amount of phytonutrients in apple juice, and their antioxidant activity, was significant," says UC-Davis lead researcher, Eric Gershwin, M.D.

In light of the unhealthy diets so many Americans (specifically kids) are eating, Gershwin noted that apple juice might help to add some balance. About the research findings, he adds, "In fact, if you went out and you ordered a hamburger, I would really be happy if you washed down that hamburger with apple juice." The research was published in the April 16 issue of Life Sciences, a respected international scientific research journal.

So during this apple-picking season, remember that apple juice is a tasty, thirst-quenching, nutritious snack that offers many of the same health benefits as eating an apple. To read more about the UC-Davis research or to learn more about apple juice and applesauce (not to mention to get some great apple juice recipes!), visit the Processed Apples Institute's Web site at http://www.appleproducts.org.

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The Processed Apples Institute is an international association of producers of processed apple products and those companies that supply raw materials or services to them.

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