VIENNA, VA. — Want to keep your brain on its toes? Then munch on some apples, or down some 100 percent apple juice or cider. That's according to new research from the University of Massachusetts Lowell that suggests that nutrients in apples and apple juice may improve memory and learning. And the U.S. Apple Association (USApple) and the Apple Products Research Education Council (APREC) are working to make sure that consumers read, see and hear the news.

Research Suggests Apples Are Food for Thought
The research, by Professor Thomas B. Shea, Ph.D., suggests that apple juice may protect against oxidative damage that contributes to age-related brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, and may help to maintain brain performance — indicating that eating apples and drinking apple juice may impact our brain's health and mental acuity throughout life.

"This is incredible food for thought," says Shea, who is director of the university's Center for Cellular Neurobiology and Neurodegeneration Research. The study was just published in the international Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, and was the subject of a university press conference today.

Shea and his colleagues assessed whether consuming apple juice was protective against oxidative brain damage that results from normal metabolism, dietary insufficiencies or genetic deficiencies. They evaluated normal adult mice as well as mice with a gene associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, and found that supplementing their diet with juice concentrate from naturally antioxidant-rich apples lowered oxidative damage in the brain - compensating for both dietary and genetic oxidative stress on the brain, and throughout the central nervous system. Mice who consumed apple juice tended to perform better on memory maze tests, and all had less oxidative brain damage than the control group. In fact, supplementation completely protected the normal mice from the oxidative stress caused by a deficient diet thought to increase oxidative damage — and protected the genetically-deficient mice from both their genetic predisposition and the deficient diet, allowing them to perform at the same level as normal mice being fed the complete diet.

"This research suggests that eating apples and drinking apple juice, in conjunction with a balanced diet, can protect the brain from the effects of oxidative stress — and that we should eat such antioxidant-rich foods," said Shea.

Although the UMass Lowell researchers did not study what components in apples were responsible for the neuroprotective effects demonstrated, they ruled out sugar and energy content, suggesting that the antioxidant potential of apples was responsible.

The results obtained were from moderate amounts of apple juice — comparable to drinking a couple of good-sized glasses of apple juice or eating a couple of apples a day. Previous research has shown that apples are a rich source of antioxidants; Cornell University researchers reported in the journal Nature in 2000 that one apple packs more cancer-fighting antioxidant capability than a 1,500-milligram dose of vitamin C.

Although studies among human subjects are needed, many in the medical community believe that the evidence is clear: Antioxidants in foods such as apples can have a positive impact on one's mental health.

USApple, APREC Partner to Educate Consumers
The UMass Lowell study was funded by a grant from USApple and APREC, which have been partnering since 1999 to encourage research of the health benefits of apples and apple products. The two organizations are also partnering to educate consumers of the latest study's findings by reaching out to consumer newspapers, magazines, television stations and radio stations coast to coast. USApple prepared a toolkit for its members to use locally.

"This study suggests that eating apples and drinking apple juice today may protect brain health tomorrow, and we are sure that is news consumers will want to hear," said USApple President and CEO Nancy E. Foster. "This is the first study to make a link between apples and brain health, and joins a growing list of 'whole body' health benefits associated with apples and apple products.

The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state and regional apple associations representing the 7,500 apple growers throughout the country, as well as more than 400 individual firms involved in the apple business. USApple's mission is to provide the means for all segments of the U.S. apple industry to join in appropriate collective efforts to profitably produce and market apples and apple products.

The Apple Products Research and Education Council (APREC) is a nonprofit coalition of companies that make and supply products for the processed apples industry.