There is no substitute for fruit and vegetables in keeping the body healthy. "An apple a day keeps illness away" is a very familiar saying, and it is true that apples boost the body's immunity. But eating more apples than needed can cause various problems.

Doctors say an adult can eat at most two apples a day, and eating more is not good, because harmful pesticides on apples enter our bodies, which can be seriously damaging.

Eating large amounts of apples increases the risk of various intestinal problems from the pesticides they carry, and may even raise the risk of bowel cancer. It can harm the stomach and cause various rectal diseases. On top of that, there is the risk of more toxic substances in the blood and various kinds of poisoning in the body.

It is not only pesticides: artificial wax is also used on apples to make them shiny. Apples naturally have a little wax-like substance on the skin, but it does not last long, so many people coat apples with wax and petroleum jelly to keep them fresh and shiny. These also end up in the stomach, and when wax and petroleum jelly build up in the intestines they raise the risk of cancer and other diseases.

Eating more than two apples a day can raise blood sugar, cause digestive problems and lead to weight gain.

Eating too many apples can also damage the teeth, so people with tooth or gum problems should consult a doctor before eating apples.

Source: Amader Shomoy. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.