A MOST popular expression around this time of year is “ An apple a day keeps the doctor away”.

Besides the fact that it rhymes, making it fun to say and easy to recall, does it really have any value?

The first printed mention of this saying can be found in the February 1866 issue of the publication Notes and Queries as a Pembrokeshire proverb: “Eat an apple on going to bed and you`ll keep the doctor from earning his bread”.

What makes an apple so special and do they help keep the doctor away?

In truth, apples have properties that no other fruits have and its benefits have been proven overtime. Apples contain vitamin C and are rich in flavonoids which due to their antioxidant effects can prevent both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

Apples also target multiple cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. A regular size apple has between 70-100 calories and although apples contain sugar, they only give you one-quarter of the calories in chocolate bars.

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Apples prevent tooth decay caused by bacteria with the apple juice killing up to 80 per cent of the bacteria. An apple a day can also keep your dentist away. Containing phenols, apples can have a double effect on cholesterol by reducing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol.

It has recently been found that people who eat five apples per week have fewer respiratory problems, including asthma.

Apple has substances called phytonutrients which prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease.

This is something people don`t know, and when you consider that your brain makes you the person you are, it gives a whole new perspective.

Because an apple combines many properties that other fruits have but all in one package let us all eat apples, keep healthy and keep the doctor away.

They also help winter problems and taste great.