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Drinking Apple Juice Improves Mood in Alzheimer’s Patients

New Research Reveals Diminished Behavioral Symptoms Among Patients Consuming Apple Juice

WASHINGTON, DC (July 7, 2010) – A new clinical trial shows that drinking apple juice significantly improved mood and behavior among a group of patients diagnosed with moderate-to-severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This latest research supports a growing body of evidence exploring the role of apples and apple products (like 100% apple juice) in delaying the onset and progression of AD.

The research, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias, studied 21 patients between the ages of 72 to 93, residing in two Massachusetts nursing homes. Subjects received two 4-ounce servings of apple juice daily for one month; no additional changes were made to their diet or medication and supplement intake.

Dr. Thomas Shea and colleagues from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell report that patients receiving the apple juice showed significant changes in mood and behavior. This was assessed by a 12-item questionnaire measuring the effect that abnormal behavior has on a patients’ well-being. Improvements in anxiety, apathy, agitation, depression and delusion were most notable. Caregivers did not report changes in the patients’ cognitive performance or ability to perform day-to-day functions.

“In addition to changes in memory, there’s a distinct change in mood that often accompanies Alzheimer’s disease,” explains Dr. Shea. “We found that people receiving apple juice displayed fewer of the associated behavioral symptoms. They were calmer, less agitated, and at the end of the day, they had a better quality of life.”

Dr. Shea and his research team have been studying the beneficial effects of apple products on improving brain health for over a decade. Their research in both human subjects and animal models suggests that good nutrition can help support an aging brain by protecting brain tissue from detrimental oxidative damage.

Although it remains unclear which components of apples are responsible for the observed benefits, the researchers believe that supplementation with as little as one 8-ounce glass of apple juice per day may indicate a simple and cost-effective strategy to help maintain mood in Alzheimer’s patients.

Statistics reveal that every 70 seconds, someone in America develops Alzheimer’s disease. In the next 40 years, the rate of occurrence is expected to jump to every 33 seconds.  With an aging population and Alzheimer’s disease listed as the fifth leading cause of death among people aged 65 and older, scientific research related to the devastating brain disease is more critical than ever.

For more information on the health benefits of apples and apple juice, please visit: www.usapple.org and www.appleproducts.org

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The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state and regional apple associations representing the 7,500 apple growers throughout the country, as well as more than 400 individual firms involved in the apple business. USApple's mission is to provide the means for all segments of the U.S. apple industry to join in appropriate collective efforts to profitably produce and market apples and apple products.

The Apple Products Research & Education Council (APREC), formerly the Processed Apples Institute, is a coalition of U.S.-based producers of processed apple products.