Loma Linda Release: "Pomegranates Aid Memory"

[Key Guy]

Pomegranates aid memory in study

Full text: http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_juice17.82fc3e.html

Drinking a glass or two of pomegranate juice every day may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to a study co-authored by a psychology professor at Loma Linda University.

The six-month study, completed in December 2005, involved 30 mice altered genetically to make them prone to the build-up of damaged brain cells common in Alzheimer's victims.

Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia in the elderly, strikes about 10 percent of people over age 65. The disease causes progressive memory loss and can lead to death.

Feeding half of the mice the equivalent of one to two eight-ounce cups of pomegranate juice daily for what amounts to 25 years in humans reduced their memory loss with age by 30 percent and reduced the amount of plaque -- damaged brain cells -- by 50 percent, said Richard Hartman, an assistant professor of psychology at Loma Linda University's School of Science and Technology.

(Note: This study was funded by a company that sells pomegranate juice)

[cricket]

Thank you for the link to this information, KeyGuy.

Quote:

He said pomegranates contain 10,000 parts per million of polyphenols, one of the highest concentrations found in any plant. Other foods high in polyphenols include red wine, curry spice, blueberries and green tea.

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Fruit for the Brain

Researchers found that mice fed pomegranate juice have less memory loss than mice that didn't drink it.

Why: Plant-based chemicals called polyphenols reduce the destruction of cells that is a byproduct of a cell's oxygen absorption. Pomegranate juice has a high concentration of polyphenols -- 10,000 parts per million.

Downside: The juice can affect the body's absorption of some drugs. Some people may be allergic to pomegranates.

Bottom line: More research is needed.

Source: Researchers with Loma Linda University's School of Science and Technology and Washington University, St. Louis.