Apple extracts may protect stomach against aspirin
Extracts from apples may help to protect the stomach against complications caused by aspirin, scientists believe.
Aspirin is known to injure the stomach lining and many long-term users develop stomach or peptic ulcers.
A new study on rats, conducted by scientists in Naples, Italy, suggests that apple-derived compounds called polyphenols may help to reduce the harmful effects of aspirin.
Rats which consumed apple extracts prior to being given aspirin benefited from a 50 per cent reduction in the size of stomach lesions.
The findings, which are published in the British Journal of Nutrition, could potentially be of benefit as a number of studies have suggested that aspirin may reduce the risk of some forms of cancer, including breast and bowel cancer.
The study authors wrote: "Apple polyphenol extract reduces aspirin-induced gastric injury independently of acid inhibition."
Apple extracts have also been suggested to help reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health problems associated with diabetes and heart disease.
Extracts from apples may help to protect the stomach against complications caused by aspirin, scientists believe.
