VIENNA, Va.—Eating apples and drinking apple juice can be beneficial when it comes to improving brain health and diminishing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study that uncovered a wide range of brain-protective effects in apples and apple juice.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell are unclear which components of apples (and apple juice) are responsible for the beneficial effects; however, they suggest the mechanisms responsible likely extend beyond the antioxidant activity of apple polyphenols.
Nine published studies from the researcher, discussed in the November/December 2009 issue of AgroFOOD Industry High-Tech, demonstrate that eating apples or drinking apple juice may improve cognition, reduce hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, and improve mood and behavior in persons with Alzheimer’s disease. Animal studies showed that apple juice improved cognitive performance and increased acetylcholine levels, a neurotransmitter that is essential to thought and memory functions. According to the researchers, the findings suggest that apple juice can impact cognition by boosting neurotransmitter levels.
Among 21 individuals with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers report that consumption of two, 4-ounce glasses of apple juice daily for one month reduced behavioral and psychotic symptoms associated with dementia by 27 percent. The largest changes were seen in reducing anxiety levels, agitation and delusion. The findings suggest that apple juice may be a useful adjunct therapy for reducing the decline in mood that typically accompanies the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
