Apples—An Antioxidant Powerhouse

Apples are a potent source of antioxidants with almost 5 times the antioxidant capacity of bananas and more than twice that of an orange. Antioxidants are widely considered to be a measure of a food’s disease fighting potential and apples are a very rich source.

Apples have...

• The highest antioxidant content of Australia’s most popular fruits
• Almost four times the antioxidants of brewed tea
• Ten times the antioxidant content of goji berry juice
• More antioxidant power than a 1500mg megadose of vitamin C3. 

* Total ORAC Values = sum of hydrophilic-ORAC (H-ORAC) and lipophilic-ORAC (LORAC) reported in µmol of Trolox Equivalents per 100 grams.

Source: US Department of Agriculture, Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity of Selected Foods, November 2007

Why do we need antioxidants?

The special mix of antioxidants found in every apple, boosts our body’s natural defenses by mopping up damaging free radicals. Left unchecked, free radicals can damage our body from the inside—even our DNA, the genetic material that sits at the very heart of every cell.

Free radicals are produced naturally within the body as well as being derived from external sources such as cigarette smoking, environmental pollutants and ultraviolet light. By neutralising these damaging free radicals, the special combination of antioxidants found in each apple provides a vital boost to your body’s natural defenses.

The combination of our environment and poor diet can overwhelm the body’s antioxidant defences leading to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been linked to a variety diseases including cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers, Parkinson’s disease as well as the aging. So we need to optimise our daily intake of antioxidants and apples are a great way to boost our antioxidant status.