Apples belong to the rose family, Rosaceae. What we eat is a pome, a false fruit that develops from the base of the flower, the receptacle. The wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, still grows in the mountains of southern Kazakhstan, and apple seeds do not grow true to type, so every named variety is a graft.
In four varieties, the peel held more phenolics and flavonoids than the flesh, and the flesh with the peel sat in between. Per 100 g, an apple has 52 kcal, 2.4 g of fiber and 85.6 g of water. No vitamin or mineral gives more than about 5% of the Daily Value. The interest in apples lies in their fiber, pectin and polyphenols, not in vitamins.
Form matters more than most people expect. In 58 adults, a whole apple before lunch cut the calories eaten at that meal by 15%, and it filled people more than applesauce or juice. In a crossover study, clear apple juice raised LDL cholesterol by 6.9% compared with whole apples, and in three large US cohorts fruit juice went with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes while apples and pears went with a lower one.
Health benefits of apples
The top findings from 30 studies, strongest evidence first
What the stars mean
- Strong. Several randomized trials, pooled in a meta-analysis, point the same way, or regulators (FDA or EFSA) have approved the claim.
- Moderate. Good randomized trials support it, but there are fewer of them, or their results vary.
- Limited. Small, short or single trials, or mixed results. Promising, but it needs confirmation.
Population and lab studies get no stars: they show a link or a mechanism, not proof.
How we rate evidence →- ★★★Lower “bad” LDL cholesterol from soluble fiberSoluble fiber, the kind in apple pectin, lowered LDL by 0.057 mmol/L for every gram eaten, at 2 to 10 g a day. This is fiber in general, not apples.
- ★★Lower LDL cholesterol with two apples a dayIn adults with mildly raised cholesterol, two apples a day for 8 weeks left LDL lower (3.72 mmol/L) than a sugar-matched apple drink (3.86 mmol/L).
- ★★Lower C-reactive protein, mixed results for HDLPooled trials of apples or apple polyphenol extracts found lower C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. HDL, the “good” cholesterol, rose in these trials but fell slightly in another pooled analysis.
- ★★Lower BMI, but no change in weightIn 7 randomized trials of apples or pears, intake lowered BMI but not body weight, blood fats, blood sugar or blood pressure.
- ★Fewer calories eaten at lunch after an appleIn 58 adults, an apple eaten 15 minutes before lunch cut calories at that meal by 15%, counting the apple, compared with no starter. It filled people more than applesauce or juice.
All 30 studies, strongest evidence first
Soluble fiber, the kind in apple pectin, lowers LDL cholesterol by 0.057 mmol/L for every gram eaten, at 2 to 10 g a day
Meta-analysis of 67 controlled trials of pectin, oat bran, guar gum and psyllium. The effects of oat, psyllium and pectin did not differ significantly, and HDL and triglycerides did not change. The effect is small in practice: 3 g of soluble fiber from oats lowers LDL by about 0.13 mmol/L. This is fiber in general, not apples.
Across 18 trials, apples and apple products lowered total cholesterol by 2.69 mg/dL and LDL by 2.80 mg/dL, but the drop was not statistically significant
Meta-analysis of 18 randomized trials of whole apple, apple extract and apple juice, each lasting at least a week. Compared with placebo, the drops in total and LDL cholesterol were significant, and people with higher starting levels gained more. HDL fell slightly (1.04 mg/dL) and the other markers mostly did not change.
Two apples a day for 8 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol to 3.72 mmol/L, against 3.86 mmol/L on a sugar-matched apple drink
Randomized crossover trial in adults with mildly raised cholesterol (23 women and 17 men) who ate a proanthocyanidin-rich Renetta Canada apple or drank a control beverage for 8 weeks each. Total cholesterol (5.89 vs 6.11 mmol/L) and triglycerides (1.17 vs 1.30 mmol/L) were also lower and small-vessel function improved. Uric acid rose, and blood pressure did not change.
Eating 15 g a day of apple pectin for 4 weeks lowered LDL cholesterol by 7 to 10%
Crossover trials in men and women with mildly raised cholesterol who ate pectin or cellulose with food. Apple pectin with a high degree of esterification (DE 70) worked as well as citrus pectin; low-esterification pectins and orange fiber worked less well. At 6 g a day for 3 weeks, citrus and high-molecular-weight pectin lowered LDL by 6 to 7%. These were purified pectins, not apples.
Pooled trials of apples or apple polyphenols found lower C-reactive protein and higher HDL cholesterol
Meta-analysis of randomized trials lasting more than a week that used apples or apple polyphenols. C-reactive protein fell (standardized difference 0.43) and HDL rose (0.34), but the HDL results differed widely between trials (I2 77%), and the Kim meta-analysis above found a small HDL fall. Polyphenol extracts were counted along with whole apples.
In 7 randomized trials, apple intake lowered BMI but not body weight, blood fats, blood sugar or blood pressure
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 studies of apples or pears: 7 randomized trials, 1 non-randomized trial and 14 prospective cohort studies. In the cohorts, apple or pear intake went with lower risk of cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular death, type 2 diabetes and death from any cause, but not with cerebral infarction or intracerebral hemorrhage. Pears are counted with apples.
Eating two small Annurca apples a day for 4 months lowered LDL cholesterol by 14.5% and total cholesterol by 8.3%
Randomized parallel-group trial in 250 people with mildly raised cholesterol, 50 per group. Four groups ate one apple a day of Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji or Golden Delicious, and one group ate two Annurca apples, an Italian variety. The abstract reports Annurca as the best result and gives no numbers for the other groups. The effect is larger than in other trials, so treat it with care.
Clear apple juice raised LDL cholesterol by 6.9% compared with whole apples and apple pomace
Crossover study in 23 healthy volunteers, 4 weeks per treatment: whole apples (550 g a day), pomace (22 g), clear or cloudy juice (500 ml) or nothing. LDL tended to be lower with whole apples (6.7%), pomace (7.9%) and cloudy juice (2.2%). HDL, triglycerides, blood pressure, CRP and gut bacteria did not change. The authors say the fiber seems necessary for the effect.
Eating 75 g a day of dried apple lowered LDL cholesterol by 16% at 3 months and 24% at 6 months, compared with the start
Randomized trial in 160 postmenopausal women who ate dried apple or dried plum for 12 months. The two groups mostly did not differ, apart from lower total cholesterol with apple at 6 months, so these are changes within the apple group, with no non-fruit control. Women on dried apple lost 1.5 kg.
Taking 600 mg a day of apple polyphenols for 12 weeks lowered total and LDL cholesterol in people with a higher body mass index
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 71 people with a BMI of 23 to 30 who took capsules of polyphenols from apples or from hop bract. The apple capsules worked better than the hop ones, and visceral fat area and adiponectin improved compared with control. The abstract gives no cholesterol numbers, and these were capsules, not fruit.
Apple flavanol and procyanidin capsules for 4 weeks did not change blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar
Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in 42 adults with moderately raised blood pressure. Capsules held an apple flavanol extract (70 or 140 mg of monomeric flavanols), or 130 mg of apple procyanidins. Arterial stiffness did not change either. The authors suggest the benefits of apple products depend on other components working together.
Three Gala apples a day for 6 weeks lowered C-reactive protein by 17.0% in adults with overweight or obesity
Randomized trial in 46 adults: apples (about 200 g of edible fruit) or no apples, with other polyphenol- and fiber-rich foods limited. IL-6 fell 12.4% and LPS-binding protein 20.7%. Weight and other heart risk markers did not change. It is a small, 6-week trial.
Three apples eaten with a high-fat meal lowered the peak of the inflammation marker IFN-gamma by 12.8%
Crossover trial in 26 adults with overweight or obesity, with blood taken over 6 hours. The apples were 3 whole Gala apples (about 200 g). White blood cells taken from apple eaters also released less IL-6 and TNF-alpha in lab dishes. It tested a single meal.
Three raw apples with a high-fat meal did not change the rise in blood triglycerides
Crossover trial in 17 women and 9 men with overweight or obesity (mean BMI 34.1). Blood was taken for 6 hours after a fat test meal with or without 3 Gala apples (about 200 g). Apples did not change chylomicron properties or blood sugar, but insulin was higher and the peak of apoB48 rose.
Eating three apples or pears a day for 12 weeks went with 1.22 kg of weight loss in overweight Brazilian women, more than oat cookies
Randomized trial in overweight women who ate apples, pears or oat cookies three times a day within a diet aimed at losing 1 kg a month. Apples and pears are reported together as the fruit group. The oat group lost a non-significant 0.88 kg, and blood glucose fell more in the fruit group.
Eating a whole apple before lunch cut calories at that meal by 15%, apple included, compared with no starter
Crossover study in 58 adults, once a week for 5 weeks. Starters matched for weight and calories (266 g, 125 kcal) were apple, applesauce, or juice with or without added fiber, followed by lunch 15 minutes later. Whole apple filled people more than applesauce or juice, and adding fiber to juice did not help.
A flavonoid-rich apple raised nitric oxide markers and lowered systolic blood pressure in healthy adults
Randomized crossover trial in 30 healthy men and women testing single energy-matched doses of apple, spinach, both or a control. A blood nitric oxide marker (RXNO) was 51 nmol/L after apple against 33 nmol/L after control, and flow-mediated dilation improved, while diastolic pressure did not change. Apple and spinach together were no better than either alone.
A large serving of apple (410 g) raised blood uric acid by 19 µmol/L within 30 minutes, much like a fructose drink
Randomized crossover trial in 73 people who ate 205 or 410 g of apple, drank 170 or 340 ml of apple juice, or had a glucose or fructose drink. The large servings held 26.7 g of fructose, the same as the fructose drink, which raised uric acid by 15 µmol/L. Whole apple filled people more than juice. Longer studies are needed.
Apple juice was poorly absorbed by 65% of 17 children and 33% of 12 adults in a breath test
Study using the hydrogen breath test after apple juice (15 ml per kg of body weight, up to 375 ml). Fructose, not sorbitol, was the sugar behind the gas. The authors link this to the diarrhea that follows large amounts of juice in toddlers. This tested juice, not whole apples.
In 7 cohort studies, people who ate the most apples had lower lung cancer risk (relative risk 0.89)
Meta-analysis of 20 case-control and 21 cohort studies of apple intake and cancer. Lung cancer was lower in both designs (odds ratio 0.75 in case-control studies). Colorectal, breast and digestive tract cancers were lower only in case-control studies, and the cohorts showed no effect. The authors say eating other fruit may confound the results.
Three more servings a week of apples and pears went with 7% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, while fruit juice went with 8% higher risk
Three US cohorts (66,105 and 85,104 women and 36,173 men) with 3,464,641 person-years of follow-up and 12,198 cases of diabetes. Hazard ratios were 0.93 for apples and pears and 1.08 for juice, against 0.74 for blueberries and 1.10 for cantaloupe. Diets were self-reported.
Swedish adults who ate the most apples and pears had a lower risk of stroke (relative risk 0.89)
Cohort of 74,961 Swedish women and men followed for 10.2 years, with 4,089 strokes. The link held for apples and pears together, and for green leafy vegetables. Diet came from one food questionnaire in 1997.
Eating more white fruit and vegetables, mostly apples and pears, went with 9% lower stroke risk for each 25 g a day
Dutch cohort of 20,069 adults followed for 10 years, with 233 strokes. The highest group, above 171 g a day, had a hazard ratio of 0.48 against the lowest. Apples and pears made up 55% of the white group, and green, orange/yellow and red/purple groups were not linked to stroke.
People who ate the most apples had lower odds of lung cancer (odds ratio 0.6)
Case-control study in Hawaii with 582 lung cancer patients and 582 matched controls, adjusted for smoking. Onions (0.5) and white grapefruit (0.5) showed similar links. Diets were recalled in interviews, and the authors say prospective studies are needed to confirm it.
Young adults who ate more apples and pears had lower odds of current asthma (odds ratio 0.83)
Cross-sectional study of 1,601 young adults in Melbourne, using a food questionnaire. Whole milk also looked protective, and soy beverage went with more asthma. The authors note that people may change their diet after a diagnosis, so it cannot show cause.
In 225 people with birch pollen allergy, 73% also had a food allergy, and apples were among the most common triggers
Questionnaire study of people who already had birch pollen allergy, so it does not show how common apple allergy is in everyone. The main symptom was oral allergy syndrome (itching in the mouth and throat), and more than 58% also had nasal or eye symptoms.
Apple peels held more phenolics and had stronger antioxidant activity than the flesh in four varieties
Lab analysis of the peel, flesh with peel and flesh of Rome Beauty, Idared, Cortland and Golden Delicious apples. Idared peels were highest in phenolics (588.9 mg of gallic acid equivalents per 100 g). Peel extract also slowed the growth of liver cancer cells in a dish, by 50% at 12.4 mg/ml for Rome Beauty. This is test-tube work, not eating.
Apple peel polyphenols lowered blood pressure more than flesh polyphenols in mice fed a high-fat, high-fructose diet
Mice on the diet received 250 mg per kg of body weight of peel or flesh extract for 28 days. Both improved blood pressure, blood vessel function, blood fats and insulin resistance, and peel was stronger. The peel extract held more total phenolics and flavonoids.
Fresh apple extract cut mammary tumors in a dose-dependent way in rats given a cancer-causing chemical
Rats received apple extract (3.3, 10.0 or 20.0 g per kg of body weight) by gavage for 24 weeks. Tumor incidence was 71.4% in rats given only the chemical, and fell as the dose rose. Markers of cell growth fell and cell death rose in the tumors. It is an animal model with a chemical carcinogen.
Apple pectin cut apparent cholesterol absorption in rats from 43% to 30%
Rats ate 5 g per 100 g of apple pectin, 10 g per 100 g of polyphenol-rich dried apple, or both. Pectin raised fecal sterol loss and lowered liver cholesterol, and the pectin-plus-apple diet lowered plasma cholesterol. Both apple parts raised short-chain fatty acids in the gut.
Who should be careful with apples
Most people can eat apples freely. Take a little care if one of these applies:
- Irritable bowel syndrome. Monash University lists apples as high in FODMAPs, rich in both excess fructose and sorbitol. Apple juice was poorly absorbed by 65% of children and 33% of adults in one breath test, so a small piece or a different fruit may sit better.
- Birch pollen allergy. Among 225 people with birch pollen allergy, 73% had a food allergy, and apples were among the most common triggers, usually as an itchy mouth or throat. If raw apple does this to you, ask an allergist.
- Apple seeds. Seeds of 15 varieties held 1 to 4 mg of amygdalin per gram, and plant enzymes can release hydrogen cyanide from it when seeds are crushed. Commercial apple juice measured low, so this is a reason to spit out the seeds, not to avoid apples.
How to choose, store and eat apples
- Whole, with the peel: peels held more phenolics than the flesh in the lab, and a whole apple filled people more than applesauce or juice, with 15% fewer calories eaten at lunch.
- Dried: 75 g a day of dried apple lowered LDL by 16% at 3 months, though it did no better than dried plum.
- As juice: clear juice raised LDL by 6.9% compared with whole apples, and 3 more weekly servings of juice went with 8% higher diabetes risk in US cohorts.
Choose a variety for how you will use it: snacking, baking or sauce. Apples bruise easily, so check them often and remove any that start to spoil. They keep for up to 4 to 6 weeks in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator crisper drawer, away from other produce because apples give off ethylene gas. In USDA tests of 354 apple samples in 2023, none had a residue above the legal limit.
Sources
- FODMAP food list. Monash University.
- Hoekstra JH, van Kempen AA, Kneepkens CM. Apple juice malabsorption: fructose or sorbitol?. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1993.
- Geroldinger-Simic M, Zelniker T, Aberer W, et al. Birch pollen-related food allergy: clinical aspects and the role of allergen-specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011.
- Bolarinwa IF, Orfila C, Morgan MR. Determination of amygdalin in apple seeds, fresh apples and processed apple juices. Food Chem. 2015.
- Make way for apple season. University of Illinois Extension. 2021.
- Pesticide Data Program: annual summary, calendar year 2023. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.
History of apples
The apple began in Central Asia. Its wild parent, Malus sieversii, grows in the mountains of southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and northwestern China, and domestication is thought to have happened in the Tian Shan range between 4,000 and 10,000 years ago. The Kazakh city of Almaty was formerly called Alma-Ata, a name said to mean “father of the apples,” though that origin is disputed.
The fruit then traveled the Silk Road. A 2017 study that sequenced 117 apple accessions found that cultivated apples likely come from M. sieversii in Kazakhstan, followed by heavy mixing with the European crabapple, M. sylvestris. A 2012 study of 839 accessions from China to Spain found that today’s apple is genetically closer to that European crabapple than to its Central Asian parent, and that a long, multi-species history left no sign of a domestication bottleneck.
Growers learned early that apple seeds do not breed true. Seedlings are extreme mixes of their parents, so good varieties are copied by grafting cuttings onto other trees, a method known in classical Europe. Pliny the Elder described apple storage methods in the first century.
Colonists brought apples to North America in the 17th century, and the first named variety was introduced in Boston in 1640. The only apples native to North America are crabapples. John Chapman, the real Johnny Appleseed (1774 to 1845), planted nurseries of seedling apples across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and opposed grafting. Seedling apples are often poor for eating but make good hard cider, which was in high demand in the early 1800s.
There are now more than 7,500 known varieties, and world production reached 98 million tonnes in 2024, with China growing 52% of it. The genome of the domesticated apple was sequenced in 2010 and identified M. sieversii as its progenitor.
Sources
- Velasco R, Zharkikh A, Affourtit J, et al. The genome of the domesticated apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.). Nat Genet. 2010.
- Cornille A, Gladieux P, Smulders MJ, et al. New insight into the history of domesticated apple: secondary contribution of the European wild apple to the genome of cultivated varieties. PLoS Genet. 2012.
- Duan N, Bai Y, Sun H, et al. Genome re-sequencing reveals the history of apple and supports a two-stage model for fruit enlargement. Nat Commun. 2017.
- Apple. Wikipedia.
- Johnny Appleseed. Wikipedia.
- Almaty. Wikipedia.
Frequently asked questions about apples
Is an apple a day good for you?
For most people, yes, though it is not a vitamin source. A medium apple (182 g) has 95 kcal and 4.4 g of fiber. Per 100 g, no vitamin or mineral gives more than about 5% of the Daily Value. Swedish adults who ate the most apples and pears had a lower stroke risk (relative risk 0.89), and two apples a day lowered LDL in one crossover trial. Those cohort links are not proof, and across 18 trials the cholesterol drop was not statistically significant.
Should you eat the apple peel?
Probably yes, if you like it. In the lab, peels held more phenolics than the flesh, and in mice the peel extract lowered blood pressure more than flesh extract, but no human trial here compared peeled with unpeeled apples. A baking soda wash removed surface pesticide residues better than tap water in a lab study, while peeling removed those that had soaked in but also lost the peel’s beneficial compounds. In USDA tests of 354 apple samples in 2023, none was above the legal limit.
Are apples good for cholesterol?
They may help a little. Two apples a day lowered LDL to 3.72 mmol/L against 3.86 mmol/L on a control drink, and 15 g a day of apple pectin lowered LDL by 7 to 10%. But in a pooled analysis of 18 trials the drops of 2.69 mg/dL (total) and 2.80 mg/dL (LDL) were not statistically significant, and a trial of isolated apple extracts found no change.
Are apples good for weight loss?
They can help you eat less, but no apple trial here showed a clear weight effect on its own. A whole apple before lunch cut calories at that meal by 15%, and overweight women eating apples or pears lost 1.22 kg in 12 weeks. Yet in 7 trials apples lowered BMI but not body weight, and 3 apples a day for 6 weeks did not change weight. A 100 g apple has only 52 kcal.
Are apples good for people with diabetes?
They can fit, with sensible portions. An apple has a glycemic index of 44 and 18.9 g of sugars in a medium fruit (10.4 g per 100 g). In three US cohorts, each 3 weekly servings of apples and pears went with 7% lower diabetes risk, while juice went with 8% higher risk. Whole apple also filled people more than juice, but check portions and choices with your care team.
Are apple seeds poisonous?
Apple seeds contain amygdalin, which can release hydrogen cyanide when the seed is crushed. Seeds of 15 varieties held 1 to 4 mg per gram, while commercial juice measured low. The study here did not test how many seeds cause harm, so the sensible habit is to spit them out.
Is apple juice as healthy as whole apples?
No, the evidence favors the whole fruit. Clear juice raised LDL by 6.9% compared with whole apples, and a whole apple filled people more than juice. US cohorts linked juice to 8% higher diabetes risk. Juice can also upset the gut: it was poorly absorbed by 65% of children in a breath test.
How many apples should you eat a day?
No study here sets an ideal number. Trials used 2 apples a day for 8 weeks, 3 Gala apples a day (about 200 g) for 6 weeks, and 550 g a day for 4 weeks. The trial with the clearest cholesterol result used 2 apples a day, and the cohort studies counted servings, such as 3 more a week.