The study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics involved a team of researchers at Florida State University and included 160 post-menopausal women. After menopause, women are at an increased risk for heart attacks and strokes.
In the trial, half the women ate 75 grams a day of dried apple, the equivalent of two medium-sized fresh apples, while the other half ate the same quantity of prunes. Blood tests measuring their cholesterol were taken every three months for a year.
Apples Lower Cholesterol by 24%
As stated in the study, "After three months total cholesterol levels in the group that ate apples dropped by 9 percent and low-density lipoprotein, the “bad,” cholesterol, dropped by 16 percent. Levels were even lower after six months, with total cholesterol down 13 percent and low-density lipoprotein levels dropped by 24 percent." Low-density lipoprotein is what can clog your arteries and increase the risk of blood clotting near the brain or heart.
Though prunes also lowered cholesterol, the results were not as significant as with those that consumed apples. Though they were probably more regular... J