Apples and "Bad" Cholesterol

To help lower your cholesterol, try dried apples.

In a study from Florida State University in the Journal of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in August, women who ate dried apples for a year (about 2½ ounces a day, equivalent to about two medium-size apples) decreased their LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by 24 percent, on average, and improved other cardiovascular risk factors.

Apples are a major source of pectin, a soluble fiber known to lower cholesterol, as well as polyphenols (such as quercetin) that have other heart-healthy properties.

The women also lost about three pounds, possibly because the insoluble fiber in the dried apples suppressed hunger and thus food intake.