Media contact: Anne DeLotto Baier, USF Health Science Public Affairs, (813)974-3300

Fruit and vegetable juices may reduce risk for Alzheimer's disease

Tampa, FL (June 19, 2005) – Antioxidants abundant in fruit and vegetable juices may play an important role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease, report researchers at  the University of South Florida.

Amy Borenstein, PhD, MPH, a professor at USF's College of Public Health, presented the findings June 19 at the Alzheimer's Association's first International Conference on Prevention of Dementia. She worked with researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and the Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound in Seattle.

The researchers investigated whether higher consumption of fruit and vegetable juices would lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.  They studied more than 1,800 older Japanese-American men and women from the Kame Project in Seattle, in which participants were dementia-free at the onset of the study and were followed for up to nine years.

Dr. Borenstein and her colleagues found that participants who drank fruit or vegetable juices at least three times per week had a 75 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared with those who drank these juices less than once per week.  By comparison, there was no apparent dementia-related benefit from dietary or supplemental vitamin E, C or beta-carotene intake. 

"These findings suggest that something as simple as incorporating more fruit and vegetable juices into our diet may have a significant impact on our brain health," said Dr. Borenstein, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics.

The theory is that compounds known as polyphenols, potent antioxidants found abundantly in the skins of fruit and vegetables, may play a brain-protective role, Dr. Borenstein said. "Many commercial fruit and vegetable juices are produced from frozen concentrates made mostly from whole fruits including the peels or skins. It is not surprising, therefore, that such juices contain a high concentration of polyphenols."

Dietary consumption was determined using a food frequency questionnaire given at the beginning of the study.  Participants were not asked about the type of fruit and vegetable juice consumed.

The researchers controlled for (excluded) other explanations for the findings, including gender, education, physical activity, body mass, genetic susceptibility, smoking, alcohol consumption, tea drinking and supplemental use of vitamins.

- USF -

The University of South Florida College of Public Health at the USF Health Sciences Center is the only accredited college of public health in Florida and one of only 34 accredited public health programs nationwide. A leader in health promotion, the College prepares tomorrow's public health professionals to be vital stewards of the public's health and safety. With $25 million in grants and contracts in 2003-04, the College is home to five federally-funded Centers of Excellence. Its results-oriented, population-based research helps to promote health and prevent disease across the life span in Florida and the global community by targeting a spectrum of groups to influence behavior toward healthy choices.