Pick Apples for Good Neurological Health, Says New Research

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Source: U.S. Apple Association

Released: Tue 17-Oct-2006, 15:00 ET

Embargo expired: Wed 18-Oct-2006, 16:00 ET

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/524405/?sc=dwhp

Pick Apples for Good Neurological Health, Says New Research

Description

For those who think that picking and eating apples this time of year is

just for fun and for the great taste of America’s favorite fruit, you

may want to think again. Apples and apple juice may be among the best

foods that anyone could add to their diet, finds a collection of recent

research studies, the latest of which was presented today at the Society

of Neuroscience annual conference in Atlanta.

Newswise — For those who think that picking and eating apples this time

of year is just for fun and for the great taste of America’s favorite

fruit, you may want to think again. Apples and apple juice may be among

the best foods that anyone could add to their diet, finds a collection

of recent research studies, the latest of which was presented today at

the Society of Neuroscience annual conference in Atlanta. Researchers G.

Bureau and M. oli from the University of Quebec a Trois-Rivieres,

found that quercetin (one of the antioxidants found abundantly in

apples) was one of two compounds that helped to reduce cellular death

that is caused by oxidation and inflammation of neurons. An abstract of

their presentation can be found at http://tinyurl.com/wdu4h.

This finding was previously confirmed not just by testing quercetin by

itself, but by using apples as a whole food. Published in the May 2006

issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, researcher Gershwin,

M.D., with the University of California, Health System, discovered

a way in which flavonoid-rich apples and apple juice protect cells from

damage. Gershwin exposed human cells to an extract of apple mash made

from different apple varieties, similar to outcomes presented today at

the Society of Neuroscience meeting. The UC researchers then

challenged these cells by exposing them to tumor necrosis factor (TNF),

a protein-like compound found in the body that usually triggers cell

death and promotes inflammation via a mechanism called the “nuclear

factor kappa B pathway” (this pathway involves chemical signaling

between cells). The UC research revealed that apple extract

protected the cells from the normally lethal effects of TNF by

interfering with this pathway that would otherwise damage or kill cells

in the body. Gershwin noted that the method by which apple extract

protects cells is different than that reported for other flavonoid-rich

foods.

Other more recent research demonstrated how apples and apple juice can

help boost neurological health, specifically in the brain. The latest

study from the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML), published in

the August 2006 Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, indicates that apple

juice consumption may actually increase the production in the brain of

the essential neurotransmitter acetylcholine, resulting in improved

memory among mice who have Alzheimer’s-like symptoms.

Neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine are chemicals released from

nerve cells that transmit messages to other nerve cells. Such

communication between nerve cells is vital for overall good health, not

just in the brain. In addition to finding the improved levels of

acetylcholine in their brains, “it was surprising how the animals on the

apple-enhanced diets actually did a superior job on the maze tests than

those not on the apple-supplemented diet,” remarks Dr. Shea, who

led the research.

Shea, who is the director of the UML Center for Cellular Neurobiology

and Neurodegeneration, published yet another study in the December 2005

Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease in which older mice (not mice with

Alzheimer’s like conditions) performed significantly better on memory

tests than did animals whose diet was not enriched with apple products.

Both of these studies, along with similar study published by Shea in the

February 2004 issue of Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging strongly

suggests that apples must possess a unique mix of antioxidants that

improve cognition and memory via inhibition of oxidation in the brain.

Both the UC and UML studies were funded by unrestricted grants

provided by the U.S. Apple Association and Apple Products Research and

Education Council.

--

ne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar@... >

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

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