Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? Scientists discover how much fruit to eat to lower your risk of death

While the old saying goes that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, scientists have discovered a new equation for fruit consumption and overall health.

Over the course of a decade, researchers from Yangtze Hospital in Jinzhou, China, tracked 2,184 middle-aged men and women with high blood pressure.

Publishing in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, the team found that those who ate three to four apples a week were 39 percent less likely to die than those who abstained or ate less than one per month.

The benefits also extend to bananas.

Scientists found that consuming the starchy fruit three to six times per week slashed the risk of premature death by just under 30 percent.

Better than one or the other? A fruit salad for longevity as the team found that eating both fruits three to six times a week cut the risk of death almost in half.

Will Bulsiewicz, MD, a gastroenterologist and New York Times bestselling author of “The Fiber Fueled Cookbook,” previously broke down the benefits of apples.

He shared that apples are a great source of fiber, with a medium-sized apple containing about 4.4 grams of fiber. Apples also contain an “insane” amount of phytochemicals, plant-based compounds that can help prevent chronic diseases.

The source of all knowledge and original sin is also a fine source of probiotics like pectin, which feeds ‘good’ gut bacteria.

Apples with darker red or purple skins, such as the red delicious apple, often have higher levels of antioxidants compared to those with lighter-colored skins.

A previous study found that women who ate one or more apples a day had a 28% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared with those who ate none.

Bananas, meanwhile, contain 12% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C, 7% of the DV of riboflavin, 10% of the DV of potassium, and 8% of the DV of magnesium.

Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, which can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of hypertension.

Bananas are also a source of dopamine and catechins, which can prevent the onslaught of oxidative stress that causes aging.

The American Heart Association recommends four to five servings each of fruits and vegetables per day.