Power Food – Apples

A study was done back in 2003 that wanted to answer the question whether there is weight loss associated with a daily intake of three apples or three pears among overweight women.

The research was conducted by:

Conceição de Oliveira M, Sichieri R, Sanchez Moura A.
Instituto de Medicina Social, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of fruit intake on body weight change.

METHODS: Hypercholesterolemic, overweight (body mass index > 25 kg/m2), and non-smoking women, 30 to 50 yrs of age, were randomized to receive, free of charge, one of three dietary supplements: apples, pears, or oat cookies.

Women were instructed to eat one supplement three times a day in a total of six meals a day.

Participants (411 women) were recruited at a primary care center of the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Fifty-one women had fasting blood cholesterol levels greater than 6.2 mM/L (240 mg/dL) and 49 were randomized.

Subjects were instructed by a dietitian to eat a diet (55% of energy from carbohydrate, 15% from protein, and 30% from fat) to encourage weight reduction at the rate of 1 kg/mo.

RESULTS: After 12 wk of follow-up, the fruit group lost 1.22 kg (95% confidence interval = 0.44-1.85), whereas the oat group had a non-significant weight loss of 0.88 kg (0.37-2.13).

The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.004).

To explore further the body weight loss associated with fruit intake, we measured the ratio of glucose to insulin.  A significantly greater decrease of blood glucose was observed among those who had eaten fruits compared with those who had eaten oat cookies, but the glucose:insulin ratio was not statistically different from baseline to follow-up. Adherence to the diet was high, as indicated by changes in serum triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, and reported fruit intake. Fruit intake in the oat group throughout treatment was minimal.

CONCLUSIONS: Intake of fruits may contribute to weight loss.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12620529

Resources:

• http://www.usapple.org/educators/newsletter/1st_quarter03.pdf

I’ll present other foods over the next few days.

Here is to your health!

Mohamed

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