<P> "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is a common English - language proverb of Welsh origin . It espouses the folk - wisdom that apple consumption (or consumption of fruits and vegetables in general) has identifiable health benefits . </P> <P> First recorded in the 1860s, the proverb originated in Wales, and was particularly prevalent in Pembrokshire . The first English version of the saying was "Eat an apple on going to bed, and you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread ." The current phrasing ("An apple a day keeps the doctor away") was first used in print in 1922 . </P> <P> A 2011 study found that consumption of apples and pears might prevent strokes . A 2012 study found that apple consumption significantly lowered bad cholesterol levels in middle - aged adults . In 2013, the BMJ published a study as part of its humorous Christmas issue comparing the effects of prescribing everyone in the UK over age 50 either an apple or a statin a day . The study concluded that both interventions would be similarly effective . </P> <P> A 2015 study looked directly at the relationship between apple consumption and physician visits and found no evidence that the proverb was true . The study did, however, find that people who ate an apple a day did use fewer prescription medications . </P>

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