For those who think that apple juice is a kid’s drink, think again. Apples and apple juice may be among the best foods that baby boomers and senior citizens could add to their diet, according to new research that demonstrates how apple products can help boost brain function similar to medication.
Animal research conducted by Biological Sciences Prof. Thomas Shea, director of the Center for Cellular Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration Research, indicates that apple juice consumption may actually increase the production in the brain of the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine, resulting in improved memory.
Neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine are chemicals released from nerve cells that transmit messages to other nerve cells.
“The big news out of our new study is that we can show the mechanism that’s working to prevent memory loss,” says Shea. “Levels of acetylcholine, a critical neurotransmitter, decline with age and dietary deficiencies, and this decline is prevented by the antioxidant activity of apples and apple products.”
The study was published in the August issue of the international Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
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Prof. Thomas Shea |
The role of acetylcholine in the brain is not a new area of research. Alzheimer’s medication studies start with the premise that increasing the amount of acetylcholine in the brain can help to slow mental decline in people with Alzheimer's disease. Testing a similar hypothesis, the UML research team found that having animals consume antioxidant-rich apple juice had a comparable and beneficial effect.
In this novel animal study at UML, adult (9-12 months) and old (2-2.5 years) mice, some specially bred to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, were fed three different diets (a standard diet, a nutrient-deficient diet, and a nutrient-deficient diet supplemented with apple components (in this case, apple juice concentrate was added to their drinking water).
Among those fed the apple juice-supplemented diet, the mice showed an increased production of acetylcholine in their brains. Also, after multiple assessments of memory and learning using traditional Y maze tests, researchers found that the mice who consumed the apple juice-supplemented diets performed significantly better on the maze tests.
“It was astonishing how the animals on the apple-enhanced diets did a superior job on the maze tests than those not on the supplemented diet,” says Shea.
Shea has conducted a number of studies on the nutritional, genetic and environmental risk factors contributing to Alzheimer’s. The studies have shown that deficient diet causes oxidative damage to brain tissue and impairs memory in mice, conditions that can be prevented with supplements of apple juice concentrate.
Those results encouraged Shea to evaluate the neurotransmitter effect.
Medications given to humans with Alzheimer’s disease have been shown to inhibit the production of specific enyzmes (cholinesterase inhibitors) that break down acetylcholine in the brain. The end result in the animal study is similar – more of these critical messengers remain in the brain to enhance memory.
The results obtained were from the animals consuming moderate amounts of apple juice, comparable to drinking two 8 oz. glasses of apple juice or eating 2-3 apples a day. The findings also suggest that the apple-supplemented diet was most helpful an overall healthy diet.
A human clinical study will begin in the near future. This study was sponsored through an unrestricted grant by the U.S. Apple Association and the Apple Products Research and Education Council.
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