Eating an apple a day doesn' t keep the doctor away, but it does reduce the amount of trips you make to the drug store per year. That ' s according to a new study that investigates whether there' s any truth in the old saying.

A team of researchers led by Dr Matthew Davis, of the University of Michigan School of Nursing,asked 8,399 participants to answer survey questions about diet and health. A total of 753 were apple eaters, consuming at least 149g of raw apple per day. The remaining 7,646 were classed as non-apple eaters. When both groups answered questions on trips to the doctor and trips to the drug store per year,the apple eaters were found to be 27% less likely to visit the druggist for drugs.

Trips to the doctor were not significantly affected by apple consumption, though. "Evidence does not support that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. However, the small number of US adults who eat an apple a day does appear to use fewer prescription medications," the study concludes.

Apple eaters were also found to be less likely to smoke and be more likely to have a higher educational attainment than non-apple eaters. While apples do not compete with oranges, they docontain some immune (免疫的) system-increasing vitamin C, which may be why apple-eaters visit the druggist less. With over 8mg of vitamin C per medium-sized fruit, an apple can provide roughly 14% your daily recommended intake.

Previous studies have also linked apple consumption to a lower risk of Type 2 diabetes (二型糖尿病) ,improved lung function and a lower risk of colon (结肠) cancer.