Can apple juice lower your belly fat and thereafter control body weight, BMI and waist and hip circumference? Apparently yes, as researchers of a new study – published in the Journal of Oleo Science – verify that beverages containing apple polyphenols have the ability to reduce body fat and also ensure the safety of human consumption.
THE STUDY FINDINGS
After eight weeks of the apple drink protocol, the researchers started to notice a difference in the visceral fat area. The long-term intake of the polyphenol-rich beverage was able to “significantly” decrease the levels of belly fat in participants. However, the study reported these effects were only observed in those that started the study with more visceral fat. The team explained there was “no significant change in the visceral fat area of subjects in the apple group that started with a normal visceral fat area”.
Why should we worry about visceral fat? That’s because it raises our risk of cardio-vascular diseases and diabetes, can release toxic chemicals and cause body inflammation if allowed to pile up, and can’t be nudged out easily. Yoko Akazome from the Research Laboratories for Fundamental Technology of Food, Asahi Breweries, Midori, Japan and others conducted a long trial – one bottle of beverage containing a regular intake amount of apple polyphenols was given to 94 moderately obese adult males and females, every day for 12 weeks and for the excessive intake trial, three bottles of beverage containing a regular intake amount of apple polyphenols were given to 30 adult males and females ranging from moderately thin to moderately obese every day for 4 weeks. “These trials verified that the degrees of change identified by CT scanning in total fat area and visceral fat area, which were the main examination items for the long-term intake trial, significantly decreased for the apple group compared to the placebo-controlled one,” researchers have said in the study.
HOW APPLE WORKS
“Apple has good fibre content and pectin. This helps in good gut flora which in turn helps in good health and reduces chances of obesity and belly fat pileup. By delaying stomach-emptying, it slows digestion and may help you feel full for longer. In turn, this may reduce your food intake, leading to weight loss,” says Dr Geeta Dharmattia, consultant nutritionist and Pune-based dietician. In one two-day study, 74 adults took 5–20 grams of pectin with orange juice after fasting overnight. Even those taking the smallest dose experienced more fullness and reduced food intake. “Nutrition from apples is about good calories coming from naturally occurring sugar consisting of 19 gm in 100 gm apples and 3 gm fibre. Besides, they are a good source of polyphenols. Many studies have confirmed the role of polyphenols in reducing visceral fats. However, this does not mean that you should have the apple juice that’s commercially available as that has added sugar and no fibre. Besides, consumption of the whole fruit contributes to better nutrition than juice,” says she.
“Overall research shows benefits of having apples, rich in both pectin and polyphenols, in the management of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. To get the most out of apples, leave the skin on, it contains half of the fibre and many of the protective health benefits,” says Dr Dharmatti. “According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the average adult flavonoid intake is between 200 and 250 mg/day. Apples can contain 80-128 mg of procyanidins per 100 g wet weight and they may contribute more than 80 per cent of the antioxidant capacity of apples,” she adds.
”A medium apple has 27 grams of carbohydrates but since about five grams of those are fibres, they work to slow down the digestion and absorption of carbs, which in turn do not cause your blood sugar levels to spike as quickly. Sugar enters the bloodstream slowly, avoiding a calorie pileup. Apple is rich in pectin fibre and helps improve metabolism. The fibres along with the fruit’s water content promote a feeling of fullness and satiety which ultimately help you manage weight by avoiding snacking in between. The apple boosts the immune system as well as brain health due to the presence of Vitamin C and antioxidants. Vitamin C reduces inflammation,” says Priyanka Rohatgi, Chief Clinical Dietitian at Apollo Hospital. “For maximum benefits, eat the fruit as whole with skin. Do not eat fruits with meals but as mid-meal snacks be it mid-morning or mid-evening,” she adds.
WHAT EARLIER STUDIES HAVE SAID
Several studies have demonstrated that apple polyphenols have a variety of physiological functions and consumption safety, including an anti-allergic property, a serum-cholesterol lowering effect, and an inhibitory effect on postprandial triglyceride elevation according to authors. Visceral fat accumulation, according to studies, is more closely associated with the development of obesity, glucose intolerance, abnormal lipid metabolism, and blood pressure elevation. A German study in 2021 found that pectin and dietary fibres in general are considered to provide diverse health benefits including “slow gastric emptying, improvement of physical bowel function, reduced glucose and cholesterol absorption, and increase of fecal mass. Pectin is recognised as a prebiotic that is not degraded by either human saliva or gastric acid and is resistant to pepsin, trypsin, and rennet. Several studies demonstrated that pectins from different sources such as apple or citrus fruits can serve as valuable carbon sources for gut bacteria.” And good gut health can help in reducing belly fat.
#indianews #indiannews
