An apple a day – for a happy intestine

It is well known that an apple is full of vitamins, minerals and fibre. But did you also know that an apple contains about 100 million bacteria? And that they don’t make you ill, but are even very beneficial to our health?  These bacteria enrich and improve our intestinal flora. Therefore, what’s desirable is having as many different bacterial species as possible. There are about 1800 difference species. On average, about 500 live in our intestines. The number of bacterial species should not be less than 200. A diverse intestinal flora is important for our immune system. If the bacteria mix, the so-called microbiome, has suffered from a long antibiotic treatment or a one-sided diet with lots of sugar and white flour, immunological diseases can occur.

That’s why doctors recommend a diverse diet, cooking fresh food and eating raw vegetables. Since uncooked fruit and vegetables contain important microorganisms, which doesn’t mean just filling up on fresh produce. Too much raw food leads to flatulence. So it is still true: An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This was discovered by researchers at the Graz University of Technology. Most of these microorganisms are found in the core, the seeds and the stem of the apple – however, eating them is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you eat the flesh and skin of the apple, you only get a tenth of the bacteria. That’s not so bad. When it comes to bacteria, it’s not so much the number as the diversity that is important.

Sources: Courier; Frontiers in Microbiology