CORNELL ANTI-CANCER FINDINGS
It's true, an apple a day really does keep the doctor away--and the cancer--according to new research released last year.
Cornell University food scientists have discovered that substances called phytochemicals, found primarily in the skin of New York apples, provide huge anti-oxidant and anti-cancer benefits. They have identified a dozen compounds -- triterpenoids -- in apple peels that either inhibit or kill cancer cells in laboratory cultures.
The laboratory study, funded by the New York Apple Association and the New York Apple Research Development Program, was published in the June 22, 2001 issue of the journal Nature.
The Cornell researchers found that eating 100 grams of a fresh New York apple with skins provided the total anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activity equal to 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C.
"Eating fruits and vegetables is better than taking a vitamin pill," said Rui Hai Liu, Cornell assistant professor of food science and lead author on the Nature article.
-New York Apple Association