The health benefits of apples ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute

English from BBC Learning English.

I’m Neil. And I’m Sam.

English has many proverbs

– short and well-known phrases

giving a piece of useful

advice, or common sense.

For example, the proverb,

“Actions speak louder than words”

means that what people do is

more important than what they say.

And the proverb, “Don’t

judge a book by its cover”

advises people not to form

opinions about people based

on how they look.

Proverbs are found in

many cultures and languages,

and are often passed down through

the generations to teach

children lessons in life.

One famous English proverb is:

“An apple a day keeps

the doctor away”.

In other words, eating fresh

fruit is good for you.

But is

it really true?

Can eating

an apple a day actually

have significant health

benefits?

That’s the question

we’ll be discussing in

this programme, and as usual,

we’ll be learning some

new vocabulary as well.

But before that I have

a question for you, Sam.

Most proverbs come from

a place’s history, and

England has a long history

of growing apples.

Over the

centuries, hundreds of different

apple varieties have been grown

in orchards up and

down the country, some

with quite unusual names.

So, which of the following

is the name of a real type

of English apple?

Is it:

a) a Taylor’s gold?

b) a Golden pippin?

or c) a Black Worcester?

I don’t know but

I think it’s b) a Golden pippin.

OK, Sam.

I’ll reveal

the answer later in

the programme.

But whatever

the name of the apple,

new scientific research

is showing that there really

are health benefits to

eating apples, especially

with the skins on.

Apple skins are full

of good stuff: fibre, vitamins,

and especially flavonoids -

a chemical compound known

to reduce blood pressure and

improve brain and heart health.

No wonder then, that when Dr Michael Mosley,

presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme,

Just One Thing, wanted

a snack to eat,

he reached for an apple.

It's early afternoon

and I'm a bit peckish,

so I'm about to grab

a delicious snack that

could improve my blood flow,

boost my brain, and

trim my waistline.

This is not some exotic

superfood.

In fact, it's an apple.

Dr Mosley wanted something

to eat because he was peckish -

a little bit hungry.

He wanted something healthy,

but chose an apple instead

of exotic superfoods like blueberries

or a banana smoothie.

If you call something exotic,

you mean it’s unusual and exciting,

often because it comes from an unfamiliar place.

Instead, he ate the least exotic

fruit I can imagine -

the humble apple.

But Dr Mosely thinks apples

do have health benefits,

and he lists them:

apples improve blood flow,

boost the brain,

and trim the waistline –

a phrase which means to keep

a healthy body weight

with no extra fat.

Yes, one reason apples are

so good for us is that

the skin is packed with

flavonoids which help people

lose weight, and have even

been linked to a longer life.

But that’s not all.

It’s the fact that there are so

many different ways of cooking

and eating apples which makes

them one of the nation’s favourite foods.

Here’s Dr Mosley again explaining

how he likes to eat his apples

to Just One Thing on BBC Sounds.

What I love about apples is

they are so versatile.

I've been snacking on them,

grating them into my porridge,

and having them sliced with

full fat yoghurt as a dessert.

But baked apples are one

of my favourite ways to consume them.

It seems an apple a day really

does keep the doctor away,

and also keep your heart,

gut and even your waistline

in good shape.

Dr Mosley eats apples in porridge,

sliced with yogurt, and even

baked in the oven.

He describes them as versatile

– things which can be used for

many different purposes,

or in many different ways.

What’s more, cooking or baking apples

doesn’t damage those healthy flavonoids,

so even the occasional apple crumble

with custard can be good for you!

Apple crumble and custard!

I’m not so sure that’s a way

to get in good shape –

a phrase meaning ‘healthy’

or ‘in good condition’.

But, Neil, it seems the

old proverb is true –

according to the science,

an apple a day really does

keep the doctor away!

Right, it’s time to reveal

the answer to your question.

Yes, I asked you about the

strange sounding names given

to some varieties of English apple.

And I said that a ‘Golden pippin’

was the name of a real apple.

So, was I right?

Yes, you were!

Golden pippin apples

were first grown in Arundel,

near the south coast of England,

while the other two - Black Worcester

and Taylor’s gold – are actually

types of English pear.

Right, let’s recap the vocabulary

we’ve learned from this programme,

starting with proverb –

a short sentence or expression

giving some well-known, traditional advice.

If you’re feeling peckish,

you’re slightly hungry.

The adjective exotic describes

something which is unusual and exciting,

often because it comes

from a far away place.

The phrase trim the waistline

means to keep your body weight

healthy with no extra fat around

your waistline – the area of your

body above the hips.

Something which is versatile

can be used for many purposes,

or in many different ways.

And finally, if someone

is in good shape, they’re in

a good state of health.

Once again, our six minutes

are up.

Bye for now!

Bye!