Apple juice helps sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease

(Dmitry Melnikov)

Researchers have found that those suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) can enhance their mood with apple juice.

The authors of the study from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell (UMass) in the US, published their findings in the June edition of the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias, and noted "behavioral and psychotic symptoms associated with dementia as quantified by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory" were lessened by 27 percent (according to caregivers) "with the largest changes in anxiety, agitation, and delusion."

The open-label (both researchers and participants knew what was being administered) clinical trial was small with "21 institutionalized individuals with moderate-to-severe AD" enrolled, and for one month the participants drank two 4-oz (118ml) glasses of apple juice every day.

Ruth Remington, RN, PhD, associate professor of nursing at UMass, and her colleagues suggest "that apple juice may be a useful supplement" to help counter the "decline in mood that accompanies progression of AD."

Prior to this study, the researchers stated, "apple juice exerts multiple beneficial effects including reduction of central nervous system oxidative damage, suppression of AD hallmarks, improved cognitive performance, and organized synaptic signaling."

That being said, the benefits of giving your AD loved one apple juice daily can not only help them but also make your ability to give care easier as it "may also reduce caregiver burden."

Full study, "Apple Juice Improved Behavioral But Not Cognitive Symptoms in Moderate-to-Late Stage Alzheimer's Disease in an Open-Label Pilot Study": http://aja.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/25/4/367?etoc