Now there’s another reason why ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ according to new research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. Eating apple polyphenols (antioxidants found in the peels) can help suppress T cell activation to prevent colitis in mice.
For the study, scientists used a chemically-induced model of colitis and then administered an oral placebo to one group of mice, while the other received an oral dose of apple polyphenols every day during the course of the disease.
Results showed that mice treated orally with apple polyphenols were protected from colitis. Importantly, scientists also found that the treated mice had fewer activated T cells in their colons.
"Our results show that a natural product found in apple peels can suppress colonic inflammation by antagonizing inflammatory T cells to enhance resistance against autoimmune disease,” said researcher David Pascual, Ph.D.
This study is the first to show a role for T cells in polyphenol-mediated protection against an autoimmune disease, and could lead to new therapies and treatments for people with disorders related to bowel inflammation, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and colitis-associated colorectal cancer.