Surprisingly perhaps, Dr Emily Leeming, a dietitian at King’s College London and author of Genius Gut: The Life-Changing Science of Eating for Your Second Brain, thinks this age-old saying isn’t entirely off the mark.
“Apples are a rich source of phytonutrients that are important for your immune system, like vitamin C and antioxidants,” she says. Vitamin C helps your body to produce antibodies and your immune cells to travel to sites of infection, while antioxidants can reduce excess inflammation, helping you bounce back faster if you get sick.