Know2eat

Apples

Malus domestica

Also known as Eating apple, Cooking apple, Bramley, Gala, Granny Smith

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A pome fruit grown in temperate regions worldwide, with thousands of cultivars differing in acid, sugar and polyphenol content. Much of the polyphenol and fibre content sits in or just under the skin.

Heart HealthGut & Digestive HealthWeight Management

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Moderate evidence

Research suggests daily whole apples or apple pectin are associated with small reductions in total and LDL cholesterol. Effects are modest, trials are mostly short, and the results are driven largely by the soluble fibre rather than anything unique to apples.

What may be going on: Pectin forms a viscous gel that binds bile acids in the small intestine, increasing their excretion and prompting the liver to draw on circulating cholesterol to replace them.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Bowel regularity

Gut & Digestive Health
Limited evidence

Apples supply pectin and sorbitol, both of which affect stool water and transit. Trials on apples specifically are few, though the wider fibre literature supports the direction of the effect.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Satiety and appetite

Weight Management
Limited evidence

Some trials report greater fullness and lower energy intake at the following meal when a whole apple is eaten beforehand, with the effect largely lost when the same apple is given as juice. The trials are small and short.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Apples

Ask about Apples

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories48 kcal2%
Protein0.27 g1%
Total fat0.13 g0%
Carbohydrate12.8 g5%
Fibre1.3 g5%
Total sugars10.1 g—
Water86.7 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.021 g0%
Monounsaturated fat0.0050 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.037 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.031 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A2 µg0%
Vitamin C4 mg4%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.05 mg0%
Vitamin K0.6 µg1%
Thiamin (B1)0.019 mg2%
Riboflavin (B2)0.028 mg2%
Niacin (B3)0.091 mg1%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.071 mg1%
Vitamin B60.037 mg2%
Folate0 µg0%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline3.4 mg1%
Minerals
Calcium5 mg0%
Iron0.07 mg0%
Magnesium4 mg1%
Phosphorus11 mg1%
Potassium90 mg2%
Sodium0 mg0%
Zinc0.05 mg0%
Copper0.031 mg3%
Manganese0.038 mg2%
Selenium0 µg0%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene17 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin18 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.17 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Apples, raw, without skin (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171689).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • cookedReduces the birch-related allergen Mal d 1

    Mal d 1 is heat-labile, which is why many people who react to raw apple can eat stewed apple, apple pie or apple sauce without symptoms. This does not apply to the separate lipid transfer protein allergy, which survives cooking.

  • cookedReduces vitamin C and polyphenols

    Cooking removes most of the vitamin C and degrades a share of the polyphenols, while the pectin remains and in fact becomes more accessible as the cell walls break down.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Birch-pollen oral allergy syndrome

    Apple is the classic trigger of birch-pollen oral allergy syndrome through the protein Mal d 1. Itching or swelling of the lips, mouth and throat within minutes of eating raw apple is common in people sensitised to birch, and varieties differ considerably in how much of the protein they carry.

  • Too much

    High FODMAP content

    Apples carry both excess fructose and sorbitol, and are among the most frequently identified fruit triggers in irritable bowel syndrome.

  • Worth knowing

    Amygdalin in the seeds

    Apple pips contain amygdalin, a cyanide precursor. Swallowing a few whole pips is harmless because the hard coat passes intact, but deliberately chewing large quantities is not a good idea.

  • Allergy

    Salicylate sensitivity

    Apples, particularly the skin and tart varieties, are relatively high in salicylates, which a small number of people with diagnosed intolerance report reacting to.