Already one glass of orange juice per day halves the risk of dementia

Protects orange juice from dementia?

Orange juice is a healthy drink, which is also very tasty. Therefore, it is not surprising that many people like to consume orange juice regularly. Researchers have now found that if people drink a glass of orange juice every day, this seems to significantly reduce the risk of developing dementia.

The scientists of Harvard T.H. Chan's School of Public Health found in their recent research that regular consumption of orange juice protects people from developing dementia. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Neurology".

Study included nearly 28,000 subjects

For their study, the experts monitored nearly 28,000 men over a two-decade period. These were on average 51 years old at the beginning of the study. So they wanted to see how their fruit and vegetable consumption affects brain performance. They found that men who drank a small glass of orange juice were 47 percent less likely to develop memory problems, follow instructions, or move in familiar areas. Memory lapses and confusion can be early signs of brain deterioration, which can ultimately lead to life-threatening dementia.

A healthy diet protects the brain

It is estimated that 46.8 million people worldwide have dementia. 850,000 of them live in the UK and five million of them live in the US, the researchers say. There is no cure for the disease, although scientists have been trying to find it for years. The new evidence affirms the importance of a healthy diet for warding off brain degeneration associated with old age. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and nutrients, including antioxidants that can protect the brain. The health benefits can protect the brain from accumulating unwanted molecules and maintain a healthy blood supply to the brain. Long-term intake of vegetables, fruits and orange juice may be beneficial in maintaining cognitive function, study author Changzheng Yuan of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in a press release.

How many fruits and vegetables did the subjects consume??

Participants in the study answered questionnaires about what they ate for four years. The subjects were divided into five groups, depending on the fruit and vegetable intake. The highest consumption group ate about six servings of vegetables per day, while those with the lowest consumption consumed only two servings. A serving of vegetables was defined as a cup of raw vegetables or two cups of leafy vegetables. The group with the highest consumption of fruit consumed about three servings per day, the lowest consumption in one group was half a serving. A serving of fruit included a cup of fruit or half a cup of fruit juice.

How did the consumption of vegetables work??

To measure how the consumption of vegetables and fruits affects brain health, researchers conducted memory and memory tests when the participants were 73 years old. For example, the tests asked whether men could remember recent events or the list of their purchases. Overall, 6.6 percent of the men who consumed most of the vegetables developed poor cognitive function and achieved poor results in the tests, compared with 7.9 percent of the men who ate the least vegetables.

How did the consumption of fruit juice work??

Only 6.9 percent of the people who drank orange juice each day developed a poor cognitive function. By contrast, 8.4 percent of men who drank orange juice less than once a month developed a poor cognitive function. The protective role of regular consumption of fruit juice was observed especially at the oldest men, experts explain. Since fruit juice is usually high in calories, it is best to eat no more than a small glass a day.

Fruits and vegetables to preserve cognitive health?

The study was originally not designed to find a connection between healthy diet and memory. Therefore, at the beginning of the study, there was a lack of data on the memory skills of the participants, who would have shown how their diets could have influenced memory skills over time. Fruit and vegetable consumption may be part of the cognitive health puzzle and should be seen in conjunction with other behaviors that are believed to support cognitive health. (As)