Comparing Apples To Apples: Which Are Healthiest?

Some apples might do a better job of keeping the doctor away than others, according to a new study.

Canadian researchers analyzed eight popular varieties of the fruit. They said that Red Delicious, Northern Spy and Ida Red are packed with more disease-fighting antioxidants than other apples studied.

The study is published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Researchers said the findings could lead to the breeding of hybrid apples that pack a heftier antioxidant punch.

Researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Guelph, Ontario, studied apples that are popular in Canada, including Red Delicious, McIntosh, Cortland, Northern Spy, Ida Red, Golden Delicious, Mutsu and Empire apples. But they did not include a number of other apples popular in the United States including Gala, Granny Smith, Jonathan, York, Stayman and Rome.

Red Delicious apples had two times more antioxidants than Empire apples, which had the least of any of the apples studied.

Apples have long been known as a good source of antioxidants, a group of chemicals that fight unstable molecules called free radicals. Free radicals, which can wreak havoc on cells and tissues, appear to play a role in the onset of heart disease and prostate, colon and other cancers, according to a news release from the journal.

However, if you skin your apples, you're missing out on some of the benefits. The study found that polyphenols, which are major sources of antioxidants in apples, were five times more prevalent in the skin than the flesh of the apples.

"When taste and texture do not matter, choosing an apple with a high proportion of polyphenols in the flesh and skin can potentially produce more health benefits," researcher Rong Tsao said in a news release. "But eating any apple is better than eating no apple at all."