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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

And I'm Sam.

English has many proverbs, short and well-known phrases giving a piece of useful advice or common sense.

For example, the proverb actions speak louder than words means that what people do is more important than what they say.

And the proverb don't judge a book by its cover. It advises people not to form opinions about people based on how they look.

Proverbs are found in many cultures and languages and are often passed down through the generations to teach children lessons in life.

One famous English proverb is an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

In other words, eating fresh fruit is good for you. But is it really true? Can eating an apple a day actually have significant health benefits?

That's the question we'll be discussing in this programme and as usual we'll be learning some new vocabulary as well.

But before that I have a question for you, Sam. Most proverbs come from a place's history and England has a long history of growing apples.

Over the centuries hundreds of different apple varieties have been grown in orchards up and down the country, some with quite unusual names.

So which of the following is the name of a real type of English apple?

Is it a, a tailor's gold, b, a golden pipin or c, a black wister?

I don't know, but I think it's b, a golden pipin.

Okay, Sam, I'll reveal the answer later in the programme.

But whatever the name of the apple, new scientific research is showing that there really are health benefits to eating apples, especially with the skins on.

Apple skins are full of good stuff, fiber, vitamins and especially flavonoids, a chemical compound known to reduce blood pressure and improve brain and heart health.

No wonder then that when Dr Michael Mosley, presenter of BBC Radio 4 programme, just one thing, wanted a snack to eat he reached for an apple.

It's early afternoon and I'm a bit peckish, so I'm about to grab a delicious snack that could improve my blood flow, boost my brain and trim my whistline.

It's not some exotic superfood, in fact it's an apple.

Dr Mosley wanted something to eat because he was peckish, a little bit hungry.

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