"Digestive cancers: A researcher from the U.K.-based Institute for Food Research reports that eating more micronutrient, fiber- and phytonutrient-rich fruits and vegetables such as apples — including flavonoids found most abundantly in apples — may significantly reduce the risk of developing digestive or “gut” cancers, one of the world’s top causes of cancer-related illness and death. The report is based on analysis of epidemiological studies."(Source: Johnson, I.T. Mutation Research: Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis 2004; vol. 551, issues 1-2, pp. 9-28. The paper can be accessed online at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00275107)

"Prostate Cancer: Researchers at Rochester, Minn.'s Mayo Clinic report that quercetin, a plant-based nutrient found most abundantly in apples, may provide a new method for preventing or treating prostate cancer. Researchers found that quercetin inhibits reduced or prevented the growth of human prostate cancer cells by blocking activity of androgen hormones, in an in vitro (laboratory) study. Previous studies had linked androgens to prostate cancer's growth and development. This is the first known study to link apples with a major men's health issue."(Source: Carcinogenesis, 2001, 22: 409-414)

"Lung Cancer: Researchers at the University of Hawaii found that increased consumption of quercetin was associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer in this population-based, case-control study involving 600 lung cancer patients and 600 cancer-free persons. Researchers investigating a possible relationship between the consumption of flavonoids and lung cancer risk found a statistically significant inverse association between lung cancer risk and intake of the flavonoid quercetin, found primarily in apples and onions, and the flavonoid naringin, found in white grapefruit. No association was found for important food sources of other flavonoids. This study validated similar findings published in 1997 (see the American Journal of Epidemiology study referenced below)." (Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2000, 92: 154-160)

"Colon and Liver Cancer: Researchers at Cornell University report that phytonutrients in apples inhibited the growth of colon cancer and liver cancer cells in vitro. While the beneficial phytonutrients were most strongly concentrated in the apple skin, the apple flesh also contained significant levels of phytonutrients. According to the Cornell researchers, 100 grams of unpeeled fresh apple – about two-thirds of a medium-sized apple – provides the total antioxidant activity of 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C." (Source: Nature, 2000, 405: 903-904)

"Cancer and Lung Cancer: Epidemiologists from Finland's National Public Health Institute report that consumption of a flavonoid-rich diet – and particularly flavonoid-rich apples – was associated with a reduced risk of developing cancer. Their study of 9,959 cancer-free Finnish men and women, begun in 1965, revealed that people who regularly consumed the most flavonoid-rich foods – apples, onions, fruits, juices, vegetables and jams – during the 24-year study period were about 20 percent less likely to develop cancer. Researchers found that lung cancer was 46 percent lower among those whose diets contained the highest amount of flavonoids, particularly from apples. Of the major dietary flavonoid sources, apples showed the greatest inverse association with lung cancer incidence." (Source: American Journal of Epidemiology, 1997, 146: 223-230)