An Apple a day in adults of 50 years reduces deaths vascular.

The authors of the study conclude that the recommendation to eat this fruit is capable of matching the most widespread use of modern medicine and, probably, with fewer side effects.

The old English proverb that an apple a day keeps the doctor away (“an apple a day keeps the doctor away”) resists the passage of time. New research reveals that eating an apple a day at the age of 50 years or more could prevent or delay about 8.500 Vascular deaths such as heart attacks and strokes each year in the UK, protection similar to administering statins to all those over 50 years that they are not taking them anymore.

The authors of the work conclude that the recommendation to eat this fruit is capable of matching the most widespread use of modern medicine and, probably, with fewer side effects.

The research considers people who are already appropriately taking statins to reduce their risk of vascular disease and, Therefore, Scientists stress that no person currently taking statins should stop taking them, although I do eat more apples.

Using mathematical models from a team of researchers at the University of Oxford, in United Kingdom, These experts proved how that proverb of 150 years could be compared with the widespread use of statins in the British population.

The researchers analyzed the effect on the most common causes of vascular mortality of prescribing a statin in those who were not already taking it or an apple a day in all adults over the age of 10. 50 years in the UK.

The researchers assumed a compliance rate of 70 percent and that total calorie intake remained constant and they estimated that 5,2 Millions of people are currently eligible for statin treatment in the UK and 17,6 Millions of people who are not currently taking statins would be offered them if they were recommended as a primary prevention measure for everyone over the age of 10. 50 years.

These scientists calculated that offering a daily statin to 17,6 million more adults would reduce the annual number of vascular deaths in 9.400, while offering an apple a day to 70 percent of the total UK population over the age of 50 years ( 22 millions of people) would avoid 8.500 vascular deaths.

However, The side effects of statins mean that prescribing statins for everyone over the age of 50 years can lead to more than a thousand extra cases of muscle disease (myopathy) and more of 10.000 additional diabetes diagnoses.

Additional modeling showed a further reduction in 3 percent in the annual number of vascular deaths when apples or statins were prescribed to all those over 30 years, although the number of adverse events is also expected to double. “This study shows that small changes in diet, as well as increased use of statins in the population can significantly reduce vascular mortality in the United Kingdom”, say the authors.

“This research gives more weight to calls for greater use of drugs for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, as well as to persevere in policies aimed at improving the nutritional quality of UK diets”, conclude the authors of this work.