An apple a day does not keep the doctor away, US study finds

Eating an apple a day is not associated with fewer visits to the doctor, a US study published by JAMA Internal Medicine has found.1

The researchers said that they conducted the study because the claim that “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” had never been rigorously examined. The saying is derived from an earlier one, “Eat an apple on going to bed and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread,” first cited in Wales in 1866.2

The researchers wrote, “Although some may jest, considering the relatively low cost of apples (currently $1.13 [£0.76; €1.05] per pound of …