Q. Are there nutritional differences among apples?

Thank you!
Heidi - About.com User

Apples contain more than just fiber, vitamins and minerals. The real excitement about apples as health food has to do with chemicals that act as antioxidants to help protect our health. These chemicals include flavonoids and polyphenols and are found in the skins of all apples, especially red apples. According to the American Chemical Society, Red Delicious and Northern Spy varieties of apples contain the most polyphenols.

Researchers have observed that people who eat foods rich in flavonoids like those found in apples have less cardiovascular disease. Other studies have found that some of the chemicals found in apples have anti-tumor properties.

I guess an apple (or two) a day really might keep the doctor away.

_Sources:

Miura T, Chiba M, Kasai K, Nozaka H, Nakamura T, Shoji T, Kanda T, Ohtake Y, Sato T. "Apple Procyanidins Induce Tumor-Cell Apoptosis through Mitochondrial Pathway Activation of Caspase-3." Carcinogenesis. 2007 Sep 7.

Mink PJ, Scrafford CG, Barraj LM, Harnack L, Hong CP, Nettleton JA, Jacobs DR Jr. "Flavonoid intake and cardiovascular disease mortality: a prospective study in postmenopausal women." Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Mar;85(3):895-909.