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Apple
juice improves behavior but not cognition in
Alzheimer's patients
Los
Angeles, CA (June 2010)-- Apple juice can be
a useful supplement for calming the
declining moods that are part of the normal
progression of moderate-to-severe
Alzheimer's Disease (AD), according to a
study in American Journal of Alzheimer's
Disease and Other Dementias (AJADD),
published by SAGE.
In the AJADD study, after institutionalized
AD patients consumed two 4-oz glasses of
apple juice a day for a month, their
caregivers reported no change in the
patients' Dementia Rating Scale or their
day-to-day abilities. What did change,
however, was the behavioral and psychotic
symptoms associated with their dementia (as
quantified by the Neuropsychiatric
Inventory), with approximately 27%
improvement, mostly in the areas related to
anxiety, agitation, and delusion.
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by a
progressive loss of memory, decline in
cognitive function, behavioral changes, and
the loss in ability to do daily activities,
all of which causes a significant caregiver
burden and increased health care costs.
While pharmacological treatments can provide
temporary reduction in AD symptoms, they're
costly and cannot prevent the ultimate
decline in cognitive and behavioral
function. That's why the authors considered
it important to discover any possible
nutritional interventions.
"The modest, but statistically significant,
impact of apple juice on 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 Alzheimer's Disease, even in
the face of known genetic risk factors,"
write the authors, Ruth Remington, RN, PhD,
Amy Chan, PhD, Alicia Lepore, MS, Elizabeth
Kotlya, MS, and Thomas B. Shea, PhD, "As in
prior studies with vitamin supplements, it
indicates that nutritional supplementation
can be effective even during the late stages
of AD."
###
The article "Apple Juice Improved Behavioral
But Not Cognitive Symptoms in
Moderate-to-Late Stage Alzheimer's Disease
in an Open-Label Pilot Study" in American
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other
Dementias is available free for a limited
time at
http://aja.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/25/4/367.
The American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease
and Other Dementias (AJADD) is for and by
professionals on the frontlines of
Alzheimer's care, dementia, and clinical
depression – especially physicians, nurses,
psychiatrists, healthcare administrators,
and other related healthcare specialists who
deal with patients having dementias and
families every day.
http://aja.sagepub.com/
SAGE is a leading international publisher of
journals, books, and electronic media for
academic, educational, and professional
markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform
and educate a global community of scholars,
practitioners, researchers, and students
spanning a wide range of subject areas
including business, humanities, social
sciences, and science, technology, and
medicine. An independent company, SAGE has
principal offices in Los Angeles, London,
New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC.
www.sagepublications.com
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