Apples Increase Muscle Tone and Reduce Fat: Study

I was just joking with co-workers that I know I'm getting old because I use a knife to cut up my apples. I'm afraid my teeth will fall out. On Halloween I bob for applesauce! Joking aside, lab tests on mice prove apples really are good for you.

New research suggests that ursolic acid, which is found in abundance in an apple’s peal, builds muscles while reducing fat.

In fact, in tests performed on lab mice,  ursolic acid increased muscle tone by up to 15 percent, and reduced body fat by half.

Ursolic acid also appears to reduce blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

The next step for the University of Iowa scientists who made this discovery is to test ursolic acid’s effects on humans.

If you like looking your best, you might as well get a head start and add more apples to your diet now – it can’t hurt.