Apples may prevent Alzheimer's

Can two apples a day keep Alzheimer's at bay? The lead researcher of a study on the effect of apples on Alzheimer's disease thinks so. In fact, Thomas Shea told Nutraingredients.com that he forsees a day when apples will become a part of the treatment protocol for the disease.

His study, conducted at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, found that animals fed moderate amounts of concentrated apple juice fared better on tests of memory. In humans, a comparable amount of apple juice would mean drinking approximately 2 eight-ounce glasses of apple juice a day or eating two to three apples daily.

The researchers determined that mice fed the juice had an increase in the production of an essential brain neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. The role this neurotransmitter plays in the brain is of interest to scientists studying ways to combat memory loss during the aging process.

Our levels of acetylcholine drop as we age, but in those who suffer from Alzheimer's disease the declines are even more substantial. Many of the medications now marketed to Alzheimer's patients seek to increase the levels of acetylcholine in an effort to slow the disease's progression.

Source: "Two apples a day keep Alzheimer's away?" Nutraingredients.com, 8/8/06

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