{"id":115334,"date":"2024-07-18T09:29:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T08:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iispv.cat\/un-estudi-revela-els-beneficis-de-les-pomes-de-polpa-vermella-en-la-salut-cardiovascular\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T12:50:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T11:50:21","slug":"a-study-reveals-the-benefits-of-red-fleshed-apples-for-cardiovascular-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/a-study-reveals-the-benefits-of-red-fleshed-apples-for-cardiovascular-health\/","title":{"rendered":"A study reveals the benefits of red-fleshed apples for cardiovascular health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This fruit, rich in anthocyanins, improves endothelial function, reduces inflammation, and modulates the immune system in people with high cholesterol<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Red Sun apple. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Red-fleshed apples are apples that have both red skin and red flesh. They belong to the Red Sun variety, derived from the commercial red-fleshed cultivar “Redlove”, originally developed in Switzerland. In Catalonia, they are mainly grown in Mollerussa. This red fruit stands out for its high content of anthocyanins, a pigment from the flavonoid family that has been associated with health benefits. Research led by scientists from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV), with the participation of several researchers from the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), among others, has revealed the benefits of consuming these apples: they improve endothelial function, reduce inflammation, and modulate the immune system in people with high cholesterol. The results were recently published in the scientific journal Food & Function<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study, carried out as part of the AppleCOR project, involved 121 participants who were divided into three groups. One group consumed red-fleshed apples, another ate white-fleshed apples (which do not contain anthocyanins), and the third group consumed an infusion made from Aronia melanocarpa<\/em>, which contains a similar amount of anthocyanins to red-fleshed apples. The inclusion of this third group made it possible to determine whether the effects on cardiovascular health depended on anthocyanins being consumed through apples or through the infusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After six weeks, the results showed that red-fleshed apples improved ischemic reactive hyperemia, a parameter used to assess endothelial function and vascular health. This measure indicates how blood vessels dilate in response to the restoration of blood flow. Participants who consumed red-fleshed apples also showed lower levels of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, both markers of inflammation. In addition, an improvement in lipid profile and a reduction in complement system proteins and immunoglobulins were observed. All these indicators are linked to better cardiovascular health and reduced chronic inflammation, which may lower the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory disorders, and other conditions related to the immune system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The anthocyanin-rich Aronia<\/em> infusion also reduced inflammation and improved lipid profile. However, the red-fleshed apple produced greater improvements in inflammation, possibly due to the synergy between anthocyanins and other bioactive compounds present in the apple. By contrast, dietary supplementation with the Aronia<\/em> infusion led to better modulation of lipid profile, which is believed to be related to the higher bioavailability of anthocyanins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study, conducted at Eurecat’s facilities in Reus, also found that white-fleshed apples and Aronia<\/em> infusion helped improve immune system responses. They did so by modulating the expression of complement system proteins and immunoglobulins, which are key components of the body’s defence against infections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The results of this research are important because they support the evidence of the beneficial effects of anthocyanins provided by apple consumption on metabolic disorders and cardiovascular health,” explain the researchers. The data obtained also strengthen interest in naturally biofortified red-fleshed apple crops as an interesting and attractive source of bioactive flavonoids with beneficial effects on health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers from the Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), the University of Lleida, the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (CSIC, University of La Rioja), the Nutrition and Health Unit of Eurecat, the Centre for Omic Sciences (COS) of Eurecat, the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at URV, the Biomedical Research Networking Centre for Obesity and Nutrition (CIBEROBN), and the Biomedical Research Unit of Sant Joan University Hospital in Reus also took part in the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reference<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pedret A, Companys J, Calder\u00f3n-P\u00e9rez L, Llaurad\u00f3 E, Pla-Pag\u00e0 L, Salamanca P, Sandoval-Ram\u00edrez BA, Catal\u00e1n \u00da, Fern\u00e1ndez-Castillejo S, Yuste S, Maci\u00e0 A, Guti\u00e9rrez-Tordera L, Bull\u00f3 M, Camps J, Canela N, Valls RM, Rubi\u00f3-Piqu\u00e9 L, Motilva MJ, Sol\u00e0 R. A red-fleshed apple rich in anthocyanins improves endothelial function, reduces inflammation, and modulates the immune system in hypercholesterolemic subjects: the AppleCOR study<\/em>. Food Funct. 2024 Jun 4;15(11):5825-5841. doi: 10.1039\/d3fo05114e. PMID: 38751340.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This fruit, rich in anthocyanins, improves endothelial function, reduces inflammation, and modulates the immune system in people with high cholesterol Red-fleshed apples are apples that have both red skin and red flesh. They belong to the Red Sun variety, derived from the commercial red-fleshed cultivar “Redlove”, originally developed in Switzerland. In Catalonia, they are mainly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":95809,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1883,2072,2073,1477,2074,1026,1831,1478,1479,2092],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualitat-en","category-assistencia-en","category-docencia-i-formacio-en","category-innovacio-en","category-institucional-en","category-noticies-iispv-en","category-press-releases","category-publicacions-en","category-recerca-en","category-temes-de-salut-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=115334"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":115337,"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115334\/revisions\/115337"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=115334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=115334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irbcatsud.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=115334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}