Eating three apples a day can significantly cut the risk of death from coronary heart disease, according to US scientists.
The fibre in apples helps prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol levels. The findings are part of a US study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Scientists who carried out the research, said people who eat 10 grams of fibre daily, reduce their risk of heart attack by 14 per cent and their risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 27 per cent.
A medium-sized apple contains about 3gms of fibre, while a slice of whole wheat bread contains 1.5gms.
The team found the health benefit of fibre was strongest when it came from fruit and cereals rather than vegetables. Mark Pereira, author of the study said that the reason for this could be because common starchy and heavily processed vegetables, such as sweetcorn and peas are poor in nutrients but high in sugars that can lead to diabetes and heart disease.
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