Apples lower prescription drug intake

An apple a day might not keep the doctor away. However, people who eat an apple a day appear to use fewer prescription medicines, according to an analysis of 8399 adults by researchers from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice in the USA.

Of those who completed a dietary questionnaire, 9% typically ate at least one small apple (149g raw apple) per day. Apple eaters had higher educational attainment, were more likely to be from a racial or ethnic minority, and were less likely to smoke than the controls who did not eat apples. Researchers defined 'keeping the doctor away' as no more than one visit to a physician during the past year. Overall, 39% of apple eaters avoided physician visits compared with 33.9% of controls. Apple eating did not seem to influence overnight hospital stay or mental health visits.