An apple a day may keep dementia away.

• Position: Alzheimer's Disease

A potent antioxidant abundant in apples and some other fruits and vegetables appears to protect brain cells against oxidative stress, a tissue-damaging process associated with Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, according to a study of rat brain cells conducted by researchers at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. The research adds strength to the theory that the risk of developing Alzheimer's and similar diseases may be reduced by dietary intervention.

"On the basis of serving size, fresh apples have some of the highest levels of [the antioxidant] quercetin when compared to other fruits and vegetables and may be among the best food choices for fighting Alzheimer's," contends C.Y. Lee, professor and chairman of the Department of Food Science & Technology. "People should eat more apples, especially fresh ones." He cautions that protecting against Alzheimer's using any food product is theoretical, while adding that genetics and environment also are believed to play a role in the disease. Despite these caveats, the researcher predicts that "eating at least one fresh apple a day might help."

The researchers subjected groups of isolated rat brain cells to varying concentrations of either...