Vegetable And Fruit Juice Consumption Lower Alzheimer's Risk

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Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Also Included In: Nutrition / Diet;  Neurology / Neuroscience;  Preventive Medicine
Article Date: 31 Aug 2006 - 12:00 PDT

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If you drink fruit and/or vegetable juice at least three times a week you could be reducing your chances of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) by 76%, say scientists in a new study. Even if you have a fruit and/or vegetable juice just twice a week your risk goes down 16%.

You can read about this study in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine.

The scientists monitored nearly 1836 Japanese Americans in King County, Washington, for a decade and found that those whose consumption of fruit and/or vegetable juice was three times a week or more had a 76% lower chance of developing AD when compared to people who did so just once a week or less.

Dietary consumption of fruit and vegetable juices was determined from self-administered questionnaires developed for Asian populations. Cognitive function was assessed by trained interviewers using a standardized test, with clinical follow-up resulting in clinical diagnoses for those patients showing impairment.

Several studies have suggested that polyphenols might disrupt some of the processes that lead to the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide in the brain, and thus delay the onset of AD. Previous studies have indicated that the accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide in the brain is linked to a higher incidence of AD. Polyphenols are strong anti-oxidants which are available in many foods, especially fruits and vegetables.

This is the first study to look at juices rich in polyphenols as a preventative measure for AD.

Team member, Qi Dai, MD, PhD, wrote, "We found that frequent drinking of fruit and vegetable juices was associated with a substantially decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease. This inverse association was stronger after adjustments for potential confounding factors, and the association was evident in all strata of selected variables. These findings are new and suggest that fruit and vegetable juices may play an important role in delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease".

"Fruit and Vegetable Juices and Alzheimer's Disease: The Kame Project"
Qi Dai, MD, PhD, Amy R. Borenstein, PhD, Yougui Wu, PhD, James C. Jackson, PhD, and Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH
The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 119, Issue 9 (September 2006)
Click here to view abstract online

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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