Pomegranate Juice May Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
November 7, 2006 by ruth
Filed under Food & Nutrition
A couple of months ago, I wrote about an study which demonstrated that drinking fruit juices can cut the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 76%. I also made a bet that apple juice would be the best choice as it has also been previously shown to boost memory. Well, I shouldn’t have spoken too fast.
A study published recently in the Neurobiology of Disease have shown that in mice, concentrated pomegranate juice (brand name: Pom Wonderful) seems to prevent neurodegeneration, which subsequently leads to Alzheimer’s disease.
The mice given the pomegranate juice drink were found to negotiate the maze significantly quicker (about 35 per cent) and swam a more direct path (on average 3750 cm less) than the non-supplemented group [snip].
When the researchers examined the quantity of beta-amyloid deposits [which are telltales of Alzheimer's disease] in the brain cortex of the mice, it was found that the pomegranate juice-supplemented groups had 50 per cent less of the protein than the non-supplemented group.
I’m sure it won’t stop Pom Wonderful from using these data for marketing. As it is their ads are already running slogans such as “Cheat Death”, “Forever Young” and “Death Defying”. I have to admit, the posters look really cute and catchy, but well, it’s not exactly Bible truth. Bear in mind that all these results are but preliminary, and before any dietary recommendations or health claims can be made, further studies on the safety and dosing will still have to be performed.
[thanks to Grace for the tip!]
Came across your blog from the carnival of healing. Very informative.
Unfortunately the full text of the referenced publication requires a subscription. If you’re able to access it, please post the amount of juice given to the mice, and how much an equivalent would be for humans. Thanks
Hello NE. Thanks for visiting Eating Fabulous. As to your question:
The mice drank a daily average of 5ml of PomWonderful diluted 1:160 or 1:80 in filtered water. According to the authors, this amount is roughly equivalent on a mg/kg basis to a human drinking one versus two 8-ounce glasses of PJ per day.
Hope that helps. A tip: if you need a copy of the article for research purposes, you might want to try asking the author for a reprint. Usually, they oblige