An apple a day is just as beneficial as the cholesterol drug statin for avoiding heart attacks and strokes, researchers say today.
Dr Adam Briggs of Oxford University, UK, and colleagues tested the proverb "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" by looking at the impact of 50 years olds taking either a statin each day or eating an apple. They used figures on medication and diet from UK population databases.
A daily statin could prevent 9,400 deaths per year from vascular disease including heart attacks and strokes, compared with 8,500 for a daily apple, they found.
Details of the study appear in today’s (18 December) festive issue of the British Medical Journal. It took into account people who are already taking statins to reduce their risk of vascular disease, and assumed a 70% compliance rate for the advice to eat a daily apple.
"Both nutritional and pharmaceutical approaches to the prevention of vascular disease may have the potential to reduce UK mortality significantly," the authors write. "With similar reductions in mortality, a 150 year old health promotion message is able to match modern medicine and is likely to have fewer side-effects."
Dr Briggs and his team warn that no-one currently taking statins should stop, although "by all means eat more apples".
Many doctors believe that the 17.6 million people in the UK aged over 50 who are not currently eligible for statin treatment would benefit from taking them as a protective measure. However, side-effects can include muscle disease (myopathy) and diabetes.
Maureen Talbot from the British Heart Foundation commented: "The ‘apple a day’ message has survived for over a century, though now we encourage people to eat five different fruits and vegetables a day, not just one apple."
Briggs, A. D. M. et al. A statin a day keeps the doctor away: comparative proverb assessment modelling study. BMJ 18 December 2013 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f7267 [abstract]
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