According to a new research, eating just two apples a day can help women protect against the risks of heart disease by reducing their cholesterol levels.

Researchers at Florida State University in the US said that apples can significantly reduce cholesterol levels and blood fat levels in postmenopausal women. It was found that eating fruit for a period of six months can reduce cholesterol by almost a quarter

The researchers said that the biggest impact was in reduction of low-density lipoprotein, which raises the risk of clot forming near the heart or brain. The new study suggests that the eating apples can help reduce cholesterol levels and this is supported by earlier studies.

The researchers studied 160 women participants who had been through the menopause. They game half of the women 75 grams a day of dried apple, which is about the same as two fresh apples. The others were asked to eat similar type of prunes to see if they had a similar effect. They conducted blood test after every three months for all the participants.

"Consumption of about two medium-sized apples can significantly lower cholesterol levels as early as three months," the researchers said.

They found that the apple eating group’s cholesterol levels had gone down after three months. The total cholesterol had fallen nine per cent and LDL cholesterol by 16 per cent. The total cholesterol fell 13 per cent and LDL levels dropping by 24 per cent after six months. On the other hand, prunes were able to record cholesterol levels only slightly.