Apples, Pears Fend Off Strokes

An apple a day may keep the doctor away, and more specifically lessen your chance of having a stroke. High consumption of apples and other white-fleshed fruit like pears, bananas, and cauliflower reduced people's likelihood of a stroke by 52% in a new Dutch study, the Daily Mail reports. Red/purple, orange/yellow, and green fruits had no effect on stroke chances for the 20,000 participants.

Fruit and vegetable skin color reveals the presence of helpful phytochemicals like carotenoids and flavonoids, researchers say. Apples and pears are high in a flavonoid called quercetin; they're also high in dietary fiber. But researchers warn not too draw too much from the findings, which are based on food frequency questionnaires that may not be reliable. They also caution against eating all-white fruits and veggies: "Other fruits and vegetable color groups may protect against other chronic diseases," one researcher says. (More apple stories.)