8.31.2006
Researchers: Juice Reduces Alzheimer's Risk by up to 76%
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Ron Popeil might be right about the benefits of juice.
According to a new study of 2,000 people, the risk of developing Alzheimer's was cut by 76 percent among those who drank fruit or vegetable juice more than three times a week.
Among those who drank juice once a week, the risk was reduced by 16 percent.
The study focused on 1,836 dementia-free people in Seattle beginning in 1991. They were tracked by questionnaires on their lifestyle and eating habits, as well as by cognitive function tests that were conducted every two years.
Although the scientific community had long thought that antioxidant vitamins like vitamins C and E or carotene had protective benefits against Alzheimer's, the study confirmed their belief that "there was maybe something else," Dr. Dai, the study's principal investigator said, pointing to polyphenols, natural antioxidants found in juice, tea and wine. Polyphenols appear to impact the formation of amyloid plaque, the material associated with the morbidity of the disease
"Animal studies and cell culture studies confirmed that some polyphenols from juices showed a stronger neuroprotective effect than antioxidant vitamins. So we are now looking at polyphenols," Dai said.
read the abstract in situ
