Vanessa Feltz teams up with child therapist daughter to launch parenting podcast
The TV and radio presenter, 63, will be joined by Joss on Global's new podcast Help! My Child's Anxious to look at and offer guidance on different topics around parenting and family life.
The weekly episodes will explore the highs and lows of parenting with Feltz sharing her perspective as a single parent and grandmother alongside Joss's expert insight as a child therapist specialising in anxiety and trauma.
Feltz said: 'I am delighted to team up with my daughter, child therapist and anxiety specialist Saskia Joss, to help worried parents guide their anxious children through life's challenges.
'We share the stories of our own relationship, alongside tips and tools, and we bring the perspective of two different generations to bear on children's anxiety which is fast becoming a pandemic.'
Feltz and Joss will take a look at the big stories of the day while also creating a safe space for parents, carers or grandparents who may be struggling to ask personal questions as the duo break it down and offer guidance.
The podcast comes as a new Ipsos survey found that one in four parents of children aged 4-17 in the UK reported that their child has struggled with anxiety or panic attacks in the past 12 months.
Saskia Joss added: 'Help! My Child's Anxious comes from our shared commitment to supporting families and raising awareness around mental health, especially the challenges so many face with anxiety.
'As a child therapist and author specialising in anxiety, I've seen how much parents need practical tools, guidance, and a supportive, compassionate place to turn.
'Teaming up with my iconic mum to bring these conversations to life is a real privilege, and we're looking forward to sharing what I've learned and hearing from families too as we work to make things a little better for all families.'
Joss is also the author of My Child's Anxiety Is Giving Me Anxiety which looks at the anxiety that is experienced by both children and parents with the aim offering advice to help parents and families who might be struggling.
The podcast launches on Thursday June 26 and can be heard on Global Player and all major podcast platforms.
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
The grip secret: it could be the key to a long and healthy life – here's how to improve yours
Anyone who has ever dropped their phone in the toilet – and isn't that all of us? – knows something about the importance of a good strong grip. We come into the world ready to grasp anything placed in our hands, and if we are lucky we leave it the same way. In between, grip lets us cling to our parents, hold our lovers, rock our babies. The morning I wrote this, before I was even dressed, it enabled me to strap on my watch, lock the kids out of the bathroom, wash my hands, insert my contact lenses, strip, shower, brush my teeth, take my medicine and check my phone. A few hours later, as I hung upside down on some gymnastics rings, it stopped me slipping off and cracking my head on the floor. But you know what? This just scratches the surface. Not only does grip help you work, play and pull your trousers on in the morning; it offers an immediate insight into your health. To put it bluntly, the weaker your grip, the more likely you are to die early. Find that hard to swallow? A study of 140,000 adults in 17 countries found that a weak grip went hand in hand with a higher risk of heart attack and stroke, and was a better guide to 'all-cause mortality' than blood pressure. It is associated with osteoporosis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, fall risk and obesity, as well as cognitive decline. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, it is also linked to age-related muscle loss, or sarcopenia. For all these reasons and more, doctors often use grip strength as a quick measure of a patient's health, including their ability to recover from surgery or live independently. 'It's a really easy thing to test,' says physiotherapist Sarah Milner. 'You don't need to hook someone up to a machine, you don't need to look at their muscle mass, you don't need to take their weight …' The only real drawback is that it focuses on upper-body strength, which is why patient assessments often combine a grip test with a sit-to-stand, which gauges lower-body strength. Grip strength reliably reflects 'total body strength, neuromuscular coordination and cardiovascular resilience', in the words of Delhi GP Ramit Singh Sambyal. He says that patients in their 50s with a surprisingly weak grip often report fatigue, slower recovery after minor illnesses and a higher percentage of body fat. Conversely, those with a stronger grip tend to have better functional fitness and recover more quickly. To be clear, no one is saying a weak grip will kill you directly, in the way that heart failure will. But it usually indicates problems far beyond your hands and wrists. We don't yet have the scientific studies to back this up, but it seems reasonable to assume that anything that improves it will also improve your overall health. It will certainly improve your quality of life. Some weakening of the grip is inevitable as we get older. 'From about 50, muscle mass and nerve function gradually decline,' says Samantha Shann, occupational therapist at Oak Tree Mobility and the president of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. 'But staying active – particularly with meaningful and hands-on tasks – helps slow the process.' Actually, we should be talking about grips rather than grip. As well as crush grip, which lets us shake a hand or hold a dumbbell, we mostly rely on pinch grip (think of turning a key or holding a plate) and support grip (to carry something like shopping), though there are enough subcategories to make your head spin. The more precise types may need to be trained with more delicate exercises, but in general what strengthens one grip also benefits the others, by working the flexor muscles that clench our fingers and thumbs, and the extensor muscles that straighten them, as well as our wrists and forearms and sometimes our upper arms and shoulders, too. How do you know whether all this needs attention? Sometimes looking is enough. Lucy Joslin teaches calisthenics, which features a lot of dangling from rings or pull-up bars, and handstands, where often the only thing keeping you balanced is the way your hands grip and flex against the floor. Every class begins with exercises for the hands, wrists and shoulders – bending them, stretching them, putting weight on them, frequently in quite uncomfortable positions. 'I look at people's hands all day long,' she says. 'You can tell unconditioned hands from conditioned hands – the people who are in touch with their fingertips and the people who are not. And then they go to grip a pull-up bar and it's like their hands can't close properly. And as for hanging off the bar, which is something I take for granted … no. And it's not just because they don't have the strength in their shoulders.' Milner, meanwhile, says her job has given her 'monkey grip'. As a result, 'I like doing bar hangs. That for me, is like, 'Where's my grip strength at?' And I know that if I'm fatigued my bar hang is a piece of shit.' On a good day she can hang for 90-120 seconds. When she told me this, I thought I'd see how long I could manage. Thanks to almost a year of calisthenics I made it to 90 seconds – but the last 45 were pretty unpleasant. There are gentler ways of testing, though. 'You can do it by squeezing a tennis ball and seeing how long you can hold your tightest grip,' Milner suggests. Do that regularly and you'll be able to track whether your grip is improving or deteriorating. 'I encourage clients to notice how they manage everyday tasks,' says Shann. 'Can they open a tight jar, wring out a cloth or carry a kettle comfortably? These are all functional ways of assessing grip.' For a more formal measurement, you'll normally squeeze (all right, crush) a device known as a dynamometer. You can get one of these for less than £20, though it may not be as accurate as medical-grade equipment. 'Grip strength varies with age and gender,' says Shann, but broadly speaking here's how much force you should be able to exert: Age 18 to 25 Women 27-31kg, men 46-52kgAge 26 to 35 Women 26-30kg, men 44-50kgAge 36 to 45 Women 25-29kg, men 42-48kgAge 46 to 60 Women 20-28kg, men 35-47kgAge 61 to 75 Women 18-26kg, men 30-45kgOver 75 Women 16-20kg, men 25-40kg 'While everyone's baseline differs,' Shann says, 'these numbers can highlight the need for support or intervention. It could mean a person is at risk of frailty, especially if combined with fatigue or reduced mobility.' Remember what I said about accuracy? Naturally, I had to try a dynamometer myself. The first one I bought gave me a reading of 39.1kg, which as a 61-year-old I should have been happy with. It still felt a little low given how much time I spend hanging from things. So I got another and squeezed it all the way to 46.6kg. I'm not sure which reading is more realistic, but I know which is better for my ego. Still, to put both into proportion, the world-record squeeze is more than 170kg. But what can you do if you're not happy with your result? 'I often recommend turning everyday activities into opportunities for strengthening,' says Shann. 'Tasks like cooking, gardening or carrying laundry all challenge grip in a natural and functional way. Structured exercises can be added in when more support is needed, such as a tennis ball squeeze (hold for three seconds, release, and repeat 10 times per hand, daily) or a towel twist (roll a towel and twist it in opposite directions, for one or two minutes a few times a week). I usually tell clients they can expect to notice small improvements in four to six weeks if they're consistent.' And those little gadgets where you try to force two handles together with your hand, against the resistance of a spring? I've somehow accumulated five of them, rated all the way from 50lb (23kg) to 250lb (113kg). I can barely make that last one move. Forget them, says Milner. What originally attracted me to them – that it's so easy to crank out squeeze after squeeze after squeeze – is also what makes them dangerous. 'They're terrible,' she says. 'People start using them and they give themselves some form of tendinopathy [tendon damage] from overloading. That repetitive gripping is awful.' Better to take a less direct, more holistic approach. 'When it comes to strengthening,' she says, 'it's really important to talk not just about your hand and your forearm, but about the whole kinetic chain.' This is the physios' way of saying that everything is linked; no muscle is an island; the toe bone's connected to the foot bone … 'The shoulder and the scapula – the shoulder blade – are intrinsically linked to grip strength,' Milner says. 'So I would do things like full-body strength training or functional strength training.' Imagine you're in a push-up position, say. 'If you've got your hands on the floor, and you're weight-bearing with a flat palm, or you start doing different types of grip on the floor, you're already strengthening your palm muscles and your forearm muscles, and you're loading up the shoulder blade. And then you can play with taking one hand off the ground and doing shoulder taps, or doing down dogs or a high plank. 'That's going to strengthen your wrists and hand muscles, but it's also going to hit you higher up the chain. It will also train your proprioception, which is basically knowing where your wrists and finger joints are in space, as well as your elbow and shoulder. And that is massively linked to strength, because if you have no idea where anything is, you're going to really struggle to be strong in that area.' Train your grip, in other words, by training things that aren't obviously your grip. And throw away those squeezy things. Six ways to improve your grip, by physiotherapist Sarah Milner At home Push-ups These come in many variations, so if they seem intimidating, you can adjust the difficulty by changing the angle, the position of your hands and the distribution of your weight. Start standing with your hands on the wall for a simple push exercise and progress this to the classic horizontal version on the floor. You can make this more challenging by playing with the position of your hands (wider, more narrow) and where your weight goes through (fists, just fingertips). Wet towel wrings Soak a towel in water, then grip and twist it to wring it out. Use both hands, and twist in both directions to improve the strength of your forearm and hand flexor muscles. Pinch grip holds Find the heaviest book in your house and take it between your fingers and thumb in a classic 'pinch grip' position. See how long you can hold it. You can play with the position of your arm (by your side, out in front of your body, above your head) and how bent or straight your elbow joint is. In the gym Dead hangs Try to hold on to a bar as long as your grip will allow you. You can change your hand position to challenge different hand and forearm muscles (neutral, supinated or pronated). This is a great exercise that helps activate your shoulder muscles, which are so important for grip strength. (Confused about those hand positions? If you stand with your arms by your sides, thumbs facing forwards is neutral. Palms facing forwards is supinated. And palms facing back is pronated.) Barbell bent-over rows This is a great multi-muscle exercise; the heavier you go, the harder your arm muscles, shoulders, shoulder blades and core have to work. Make sure you progress the weight steadily, and get a professional to guide you if you're concerned about your form. You can use either a pronated or a supinated grip. Reverse kettlebell above-head shoulder press. Hold on to the handle of an upside-down kettlebell (the ball part should be at the top and handle at the bottom). Try to keep your wrist in a neutral position (and straight) as you complete a strict above-head shoulder press. Try to move slowly and avoid the kettle collapsing down. This will challenge all of your arm and hand muscles as well as improving joint control and stability through the shoulder, elbow and wrist.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Could Michelle Obama be the voice Democrats need right now?
"I feel like at 60, this is the first time where all my decisions are for me," Obama said on her June 19 episode with radio show host Angie Martinez. With her daughters Sasha and Malia launched in their own young adult lives, "this is a period of freedom." Each week, Obama and Robinson are joined by celebrities like comedians Damon and Marlon Wayans, producer Issa Rae or actress Keke Palmer - with just a glint of politics. It's her space to talk with friends. References to her husband, former President Barack Obama, or the eight years they spent raising young children in the White House are matters of fact, but the political wildfire of the second Trump administration is barely noted, except as a launching point to talk about how people are impacted by Trump's new policies. As recently as last July, an Ipsos poll revealed that only Michelle Obama stood a chance of besting Donald Trump in the presidential election. Even before leaving the White House in early 2017, a corner of the Democratic Party clamored for her to run. She has repeatedly slammed the door on that. But as Democrats search for a liberal counter to the right-wing media ecosystem that helped Trump win back the White House by reaching millions who don't pay attention to mainstream media, the online show of a relatable and popular Democrat could be what they are looking for. Regardless of what Democrats want her podcast to be, Michelle Obama has demonstrated she'll do her show her way. For now, she's using a platform that reflects the former first lady's larger, and perhaps more effective, cultural strategy that mirrors how Black women voters - part of the party's loyalist base - are coping after former Vice President Kamala Harris' loss in the 2024 election, said Democratic strategist Nina Smith. "So this is the best way that she can create space and show the multi-dimensional nature of Black women: our thinking; how we engage friends; how we engage with people across racial lines; how we engage with our siblings; and the fullness of us, while also allowing her to speak to the issues of the moment," Smith said. IMO (short for "in my opinion"), is largely devoid of juicy gossip, let alone talk about any current or former White House occupants. The Father's Day episode, which featured Bruce Springsteen and watched by roughly 216,000 viewers on YouTube, came just days after Trump berated the rock music icon for calling the administration "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous." While Trump's name never came up, they both chuckled when Michelle Obama made a joke about some people being president who need therapy. Instead, they talked about going to therapy, building relationships with absentee parents and being present for their children during formative years "I realized that parenting is pennies in the bank," Springsteen said. "It's that time when you were working and you didn't want to stop, but you did. That made a huge difference to me. I always felt that if I had failed with my kids I would have failed tremendously at life." More: Pop stars, massive crowds and history: How the Obama and Harris campaigns compare Michelle Obama responded with a story from her childhood about what it meant when her father, who worked long hours as a city worker in Chicago, turned his full attention to her and her brother. "When he was present he was present in very small but meaningful ways," she said. 'She hates politics' Michelle Obama, a corporate lawyer specializing in marketing and intellectual property law, was carried into the national spotlight when a skinny senator with a Muslim middle name beat the old guards in both parties with a message of a new America founded upon hope. For most of that time she had to be more mindful of her husband's agenda and image. Since Trump took office, she's been openly critical of him, but on her terms, such as at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in her hometown of Chicago, rather than on her podcast. Speaking up and what she considers the right moment will likely continue, said Democratic strategist Lynda Tran. "I would not be surprised to see her using her voice to rally Democrats in the future assuming the appropriate venues and strategic value. And I would expect an overwhelmingly positive response from Democrats when she does," Tran, who worked in the Obama administration, told USA TODAY. But her participation in politics might be through raising money and giving speeches, rather than a central role in the party's future. Her focus in the last few years has been on outside projects, her family and now the new podcast she co-hosts with her brother. Demands to do more from either Barack or Michelle Obama are often met with scoffs by longtime supporters, such as Natalie Graves, a clinical social worker who was at Chicago's Grant Park when the couple took the victory stage in November 2008. More: Obama warns Trump administration has 'weak commitment' to democracy in Connecticut speech "My first response is an eye roll," Graves, a 55-year-old registered Democrat, said of ongoing efforts to recruit the former first lady to run for president. "If a person says that they don't want to run, what are we talking about? They're ignoring the fact that she has made it very clear that she hates politics." 'Served their time' The former first lady firmly shut the door on running for president in March, saying her daughters, who are both in their 20s, had "served their time" in the limelight and should get to be private young adults. "I wanted them to have the freedom of not having the eyes of the world on them. So when people ask me would I ever run, the answer is no," Obama said on Kyle Kelcie's "Not Gonna Lie" podcast. "If you ask me that, then you have absolutely no idea the sacrifice your kids make when your parents are in that role." Democrats are casting about for trusted voices to better connect with different voters and help create a left-wing media ecosystem to match that of the right. Some liberal strategists are asking donors to contribute to finding voices and influencers on the left to counter people like Steve Bannon and Joe Rogan who helped propel Trump to office, the New York Times reported last month. Democrats statistically have more trust in mainstream media than Republicans, said Texas Christian University political science professor Adam Schiffer. The Democratic brain trust is asking "who is the Democratic Joe Rogan?" he said, but "it's not necessarily clear that there could be one because Democrats don't necessarily find that gratifying and entertaining." More: Town halls, f-bombs and Elon Musk: How Democrats are waging a new messaging war Younger people have a radically different media consumption than their parents, Schiffer said, and it "could become a critical problem for Democrats" if they don't figure out how to get in front of them. No matter how popular, a former first lady in her sixties might not be the best emissary to young people, he said. Influencers played a large role in Harris' abridged presidential campaign last summer and fall, but they couldn't compete with a Republican online juggernaut that has been building for over a decade. And not everyone is an "IMO" fan. Some are calling out the former first lady's complaints about living in the White House. For example, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly mocked the podcast in a June 26 video posted to X, later saying Michelle Obama was "trashing her children and husband again." When Michelle Obama does talk about politics in her podcast, it mostly orbits around the future for Americans in her daughters' generation and how political decisions impact ordinary people. She's often echoing the kind of kitchen table politicking that only voters in swing states get to hear about every four years from presidential candidates. "I'm talking to so many young people who are deathly afraid of their futures in this climate," she said in the May 21 episode. "They're not just worried about jobs, they're worried about being able to become the next entrepreneur, they're wondering whether, you know, they'll have healthcare and housing [and] whether they'll be able to pay off their student loans." In that episode, Obama and her brother spoke with Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky about the future of businesses under the Trump' administration's new tariffs. They talked about how the taxes on goods brought into the country are being passed on to consumers and hindering the ability of younger Americans trying to make it to reach their goals in the current economy. More: Will TikTok be banned? Donald Trump says he has a 'warm spot' for app as it faces January deadline "I mean, some people can hold on, but other people are not only losing their businesses, but they're losing their homes in the process," she said. "It's kind of scary." Michelle Obama did use the podcast to defend her decision not to attend Trump's January inauguration, which sparked rounds of criticism and speculation about her marriage. She insisted she was simply "making the choice that was right" for her. "Whatever the backlash was, I had to sit in it and own it. But I didn't regret it, you know? It's my life now, and I can say that, now," the mom of two said on a June 26 NPR podcast. Dems in a ditch Michelle Obama's show also arrives at a time when the Democratic brand remains in the ditch with progressive voters. About one-third of Democrats said they are optimistic about their party's future, a May poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found. Though several Democrats are starting to make moves toward 2028, liberals have struggled with the lack of a main character to match Trump's political moxie the way then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi did in his first term. Lately, Democratic officeholders have clashed with federal agents at press conferences, immigration hearings and ICE facilities, creating viral moments that have been cheered by mainstream and more left-leaning progressives. More: Vance defends using military to quell protests, refers to Sen. Alex Padilla as 'Jose' Such actions have never been in either of the Obamas' style, and some Black political activists and artists have been emphasizing the need for "self-care" over political action in the aftermath of the 2024 election. "It's important for her to stay within the public space, so it's good that she wants to be active. She endorses candidates and stuff of that nature. I have no problem with that," said Steven Uzoukwu, a 33, a cybersecurity analyst from Baltimore, Maryland. "I just think we shouldn't rely on the Obamas to save America."
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Nutrition: Apple really dey good for your health?
Dem dey tell us say one apple a day dey keep di doctor away, but dis fruit really get dat kain positive effect on our health? Di world love apple. Every year, na almost 100 million tonnes of apples dem dey produce globally. Dis fruits dey come in different colours and for long, don get reputation say e dey help us stay healthy. Di popular saying "an apple a day dey keep di doctor away" originate from one Welsh proverb wey dem write for 1866: "Eat an apple wen you dey go to bed and you go keep di doctor from earning im bread." But any truth dey dis longstanding saying? And shey apples dey especially healthy compared with oda fruits? First, make we tink about di nutrients wey apples contain. For one tin, dem be rich source of phytochemicals, including flavanols. Dis compounds don dey linked to plenti health benefits, like maintaining healthy weight and to lower your heart disease risk. Why apples dey so healthy Apples also contain various polyphenols, including anthocyanins, wey dey help give some apple peel im red colour and dey associated wit improved heart health. Anoda polyphenol wey you go find in apples na phloridzin. Dem find say e dey help control blood glucose. Lots of fibres also dey inside apples, mostly pectin, wey dey reduce di amount of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) – di unhealthy form of cholesterol – in our blood. Pectin also dey lower di amount of sugar and fat wey dey absorb from food, help to stabilise our blood sugar levels. Dis nutrients wey dey inside apples be like dem dey offer health benefits. One 2017 review of five studies bin report say to dey eat apples dey associated wit 18% reduction in di risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Anoda review from 2022, wey analyse 18 studies, find say to dey eat more apples, or apple-derived foods like apple juice, fit reduce cholesterol, if you sustain di habit for more dan one week. To get healthy diet in general fit lower your risk of cancer by up to 40%, mostly thanks to bioactive compounds, phytochemicals, wey dey common in apples. Some studies don even link apple consumption to get lower risk of developing some certain cancers. To dey eat apples regularly dey associated wit plenti health benefits – and we know say dem dey full wit healthy compounds. But apples, dey specifically, any more effective dan oda plant-based foods for keeping di doctor away? "Apples no get much vitamin C, and dem no get no iron or calcium, but dem get so many oda ingredients wey dey promote health and do wonderful tins for di body," Janet Colson, professor of nutrition and food science for Middle Tennessee State University in di US tok. "Some researchers say apples get di 'second highest level of antioxidant power among all fruits" Apples contain compounds wey dey common to many fruits and vegetables, including those helpful polyphenols, Flavia Guzzo, associate professor of plant biology for University of Verona in Italy tok. Polyphenols be strong antioxidant molecules. Dem dey help to balance di ratio of antioxidants to free radicals in our bodies – free radicals dey highly reactive, potentially cell-damaging oxygen molecules. By keeping free radicals in check, we dey reduce our risk of developing diseases including cancer and heart disease through long-term inflammation. "Some researchers say apples get di 'second highest level of antioxidant power among all fruits" Apples contain compounds wey dey common to many fruits and vegetables, including those helpful polyphenols, Flavia Guzzo, associate professor of plant biology for di University of Verona in Italy tok. Some researchers say apples get di "second highest level of antioxidant power among all fruits". Apples also contain di polyphenol phloridzin, wey dey much less common within di oda fruits in your fruit bowl. Like pectin, phloridzin appears to lessen di amount of sugar wey dey absorb into our blood from food. Apples also be good source of phenolic compounds, wey be anoda form of phytochemical. E get one study wey find say pipo wey dey live in di US get around one fifth of dia total phenolic intake from apples. Research suggests say apple phenolic compounds dey associated wit lower risk of heart attack, cancer, asthma, diabetes and obesity. But no be just di powerful polyphenols and antioxidant punch wey dey make some scientists to recommend apples over oda fruit. In some papers, scientists dey recommend regular apple-eating sake of say di fruits dey simply so widely available. Wey mean say, to dey eat dem regularly na sometin wey dey relatively achievable for many pipo. E dey clear say apples get di potential to improve our health. But na quite a big claim to say to dey eat one every day go make us no go to see doctor. One 2015 study bin chook eye for dis exact question. Researchers bin analyse one survey of nearly 9,000 pipo, wey di participants tok wetin dem eat during one 24-hour period, wey dem tok say dey indicative of dia typical daily diet. Dey find say apple-eaters dey more likely dan apple-avoiders to keep di doctor away, however, dis result no dey statistically significant wen we wan take into account say apple-eaters dey more likely to be more educated and dey less likely to smoke. "Di main finding, no say much of di association between pipo wey dey regularly consume one apple a day and di likelihood to visit physician, na sake of say e dey complex," lead researcher Matthew Davis, adjunct associate professor of epidemiology for Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine in New Hampshire, US tok. "Pipo wey dey consume apples, based on our analyses, dey healthier in general." But dem also find say daily apple-eaters dey less likely to dey reliant on prescription medication – and dis na still one significant finding wen pesin adjust di socioeconomic differences between participants wey dey eat one apple per day and those wey no dey eat am. Therefore, di paper conclude say, one more key saying fit be say: "One apple a day go keep di pharmacist away." But Davis get issues wit di apple-a-day tok, and say anoda reason fit dey why im and im colleagues no find connection between daily apple consumption and to dey go see doctor. "Di underlying assumption na say you dey only visit di doctor wen you dey sick, but pipo dey visit di doctor for annual check-ups and oda prevention-type tins," e tok. Dis na why Davis also analyse di data around di likelihood of using prescription medication, too. "E mean say apples dey reduce di likelihood to get chronic illness," e tok. But ultimately, e say, apples alone no dey enough to stop your visit di GP, and say di most impactful tin na to get healthy diet overall. "Wey, really, be wetin di saying dey reason," e tok. Colson agree say di apple-a-day agree to regularly eating plant-based foods. Apples na good example sake of say dem dey so readily available, affordable and get long shelf-life. "Before fridges, you fit put apples for cellar and dem go last long time, and dem no dey attract mould," she tok. Oda studies don find health benefits wey relate to daily apple-eating – but only wen pipo dey consume more dan one per day. "Anoda study find say to dey eat three apples daily dey stimulate statistically significant weight loss" Inside one study wey dey publish for 2020, researchers bin split 40 participants (wey all get small elevated cholesterol levels) into two groups. One of those groups bin eat two apples per day while di oda get one apple drink wit similar calories. Di experiment bin last eight weeks and, apart from di apple products, di participants no make any oda changes to dia diets. Di researchers bin find say di apple-eaters get clinically significant lower level of cholesterol, at di end of di study. However, one weakness of dis study na im small size; 40 participants na relatively low sample size from which to draw any big conclusions. Anoda study bin find say to dey eat three apples daily dey stimulate statistically significant weight loss and improved blood glucose levels (wey bin no dey statistically significant wen e dey followed up) in 40 overweight women. As for how best to eat apples to get di greatest benefit from dem, Guzzo advise against removing di skin first. "We suppose dey eat di peel of apples, as dis na wia you go find most of di apple polyphenols," she tok. And ancient varieties dey preferable to new varieties of apple, Guzzo tok. For 2021, she and colleagues bin publish one paper wey dey look at di nutritional value of di Pom Prussian apple, one ancient apple from northern Italy, wey she find say dey richer in polyphenols dan more modern apple varieties. "Wen breeders select new varieties, dem dey look oda traits, including size and taste and robustness of di trees," she tok. "And wen dem select dis traits, rather dan polyphenol content, di variety become poorer [from a health point of view]." She tok say some polyphenols fit produce a bitter taste, and say sweeter varieties probably contain a lower proportion of dis compounds. As for colour, Guzzo tok say e no matter so much. Both di polyphenols wey dey cause apple skin to dey red or green dey both good for us. Ultimately, while to dey eat one apple a day fit no mean say you go visit di doctor less often, e fit impact your overall health or your reliance on long-term medication. But, as e always be di case, di bigger picture dey complicated. To dey eat one apple a day dey great, Guzzo tok – but only if dat na part of a diet wey dey rich in various oda plant-based foods, since dat na di key driver of good health.
