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More Evidence an Apple a Day Keeps Alzheimer's Away
 Nov.
30, 2005- One of the largest studies of its kind is finding a link
between fruit and vegetable consumption and memory loss in the elderly.
The discovery supports research with rats in 2004 that found a potent
antioxidant abundant in apples and some other fruits and vegetables
protects rat brain cells against oxidative stress, a tissue-damaging
process associated with Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative
disorders.
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The rat study was reported in the December 1, 2004
issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry by researchers
at Cornell University in New York.
The Cornell researchers said their study added
strength to the theory — bolstered by other animal studies — that the
risk of developing Alzheimer’s and similar diseases may be reduced by
dietary intervention, particularly by increasing one’s intake of
antioxidant-rich foods.
(For the report on the rat study and the best foods
for antioxidants see sidebar - "Apples May Help Fight Alzheimer's
Disease.")
In the study of humans, investigators from the
Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging based at Utah State
University are researching eating habits, as well as asking questions
such as will cholesterol-reducing drugs protect people from cognitive
decline and are they at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s if they
have diabetes?
“We found that the group with the highest intake of
fruits and vegetables scored better on the memory test than the group
with the lowest intake,” said Heidi Wengreen, a lead investigator on a
study of the relation between fruit and vegetable consumption and
cognitive function in the elderly. “It appears that higher intake of
fruits and vegetables may protect against memory loss in older adults.”
“On the basis of serving size, fresh apples have
some of the highest levels of [the antioxidant] quercetin when compared
to other fruits and vegetables and may be among the best food choices
for fighting Alzheimer’s,” said C.Y. Lee, Ph.D., professor and chairman
of the Department of Food Science & Technology at Cornell University in
Geneva, N.Y., who led the 2004 study with rats.
“People should eat more apples, especially fresh
ones,” Lee said. He cautioned that protection against Alzheimer’s using
any food product is currently theoretical and added that genetics and
environment are also believed to play a role in the disease. Despite
these caveats, the researcher predicted that “eating at least one fresh
apple a day might help.”
Wengreen said the Cache County Study is the first
of its kind specifically geared to dementia prevention. Wengreen’s
research involved analysis of data collected from more than 5,000 Cache
County seniors, each of whom completed a standardized memory test up to
four times over an eight-year period and answered detailed questions
about personal dietary habits.
The large Cache County Study on Memory, Health and
Aging is a collaborative effort between researchers at Utah State, Duke
University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington.
Started in 1995, the study has followed a large group of Cache County,
Utah, senior citizens, investigating a wide range of health, lifestyle
and environmental factors that may influence aging and memory.
Other Cache County Study findings revealed that men
with diabetes may be at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease
but not women diabetics, the combined use of non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs and antioxidant supplements can prevent
cognitive decline, and use of statin drugs does not influence cognitive
performance.
This information on fruit and vegetable consumption
was originally presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International
Conference on Prevention of Dementia in Washington, D.C. last summer.
Study project manager Nancy Sassano of USU’s Center
for Epidemiologic Studies said the continued participation of such a
large number of Cache County residents has allowed the project to make
significant contributions to scientific knowledge about Alzheimer’s
disease, memory and aging.
Findings have been published in more than 30
professional journals and presented at numerous national and
international conferences. “Our study participants really deserve a lot
of thanks,” she said.
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