New research has found that 1 fresh apple has the antioxidant power of 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C, a dose more than 15 times higher than the recommended daily allowance for the vitamin. Additionally, it was found that apple extracts prevented certain cancer cells from growing in the laboratory. Leaving the skin on the apples improved the cancer fighting ability. Researchers speculate that the phenolic acids and flavonoids in apples are behind the fruit's antioxidant and possible cancer-inhibiting effects. According to one of the researchers "If you want antioxidants, you should get them from fruits and vegetables, not pills."
Nature 2000;405:903-904
Nature is one of the top hard core science journals and I like to put studies in these prestigious journals that document the value of natural medicine. It is important to remember that vegetables are far better for you than fruits and fruits should rarely be juiced as they will raise you insulin levels far to rapidly. However, fruits clearly offer benefit to most all of us, unless we are allergic to them or have a severe imbalance of bacterial or fungal overgrowth in our intestine. The other take-home point here is that the whole fruit or vegetable, including the skin, is far better than some extract of it that you might find in the health food store.