Muscle Talk

The old adage about apples being good for overall health and thus keeping doctors away has recently taken on a more relevant meaning for bodybuilders. Korean scientists decided to do an experiment regarding whether the addition of apple pulp to a diet would have health-enhancing and lipolytic effects. The pulp was little bit less than 75 percent carbohydrate and 11 percent fibre (thus also making it a good pre-workout choice). Even though the rats in the study were eating their normal amount of calories in addition to the pulp, the apple pulp inhibited a body mass increase. Researchers attributed this to the fact that the rats excreted more fat in their feces as a result of the apple pulp, and they started to eat less. At the end of the experiment, the rats in the “apple pulp” group actually weighed the same as the rats in the “no dietary change” group. Although more research needs to be done as to why the rats didn’t gain weight, scientists posit that the chemical compounds from apple pulp not only reduce fat uptake but also boost metabolism and improve lipolysis. The take-home advice here is to either take apple polyphenols in capsule or pill form twice a day and/or eat a large apple (with skin) with your pre-workout meal.