Drinking apple juice may be beneficial to patients with Alzheimers disease (AD), according to findings published in the American Journal of Alzheimers Disease and Other Dementias. In fact, the fruit-based beverage may lower irrational mood changes in individuals with cognitive complications.
During a one-month trial, a team of researchers had hospitalized AD patients drink two 4-oz glasses of apple juice every day.
The patients caregivers reported that these individuals experienced a 27 percent improvement in behavioral and psychotic symptoms as well as dementia-related issues, such as anxiety, agitation and delusion. However, the patients experienced no change in their daily abilities.
The authors stated that “the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in this study adds to the body of evidence supporting the usefulness of nutritional approaches, including fruit and vegetable juices, in delaying the onset and progression of Alzheimers disease, even in the face of known genetic risk factors.” They added that these results “[indicate] that nutritional supplementation can be effective even during the late stages of AD.”
These findings may also benefit people who are interested in adding more food sources to their diet that may protect against memory loss. In fact, researchers from Tufts University have found that blueberries, the highest fruit source of antioxidants, can remove toxins from the body that can cause Alzheimers disease.