An apple a day keeps cholesterol and inflammation away

Eating an apple or two each day may reduce heart disease risk factors, a new study shows.

The study, which is the latest to polish the apple's heart-healthy reputation, found that eating apples daily appeared to lower levels of cholesterol and two other markers associated with plaques and inflammation in artery walls.

"We were pleasantly surprised ..." that apples so effectively lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol, says study researcher Bahram H. Arjmandi, PhD, RD, Margaret A. Sitton Professor and Chair, Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences at The Florida State University in Tallahassee.

The study was presented at Experimental Biology 2011, in Washington, D.C., according to WebMD.

Yet another advantage is that the extra 240 calories per day consumed from the dried apple did not lead to weight gain in the women; in fact, they lost on average 3.3 lbs.

"Reducing body weight is an added benefit to daily apple intake" Arjmandi said.

Part of the reason for the weight loss could be the fruit's pectin, which is known to have a satiety effect, Times of India reports.