The U.S. Apple Association (USApple), a national trade association representing all divisions of the apple industry, is advising Alzheimer’s patients to drink one, 8-ounce glass of apple juice per day in order to improve their mood and behavior. According to a clinical trial of 21 Alzheimer patients between the ages of 72 to 93, an intake of two, 4-ounce servings of apple juice daily for one month improved anxiety, apathy, agitation, depression and delusions.
“Why are we wasting all of this money on pharmaceutical research for Alzheimer’s disease when there’s mounting evidence that apple juice seems to be the cure?” quips ACSH's Jeff Stier.
In another study that ACSH staff found equally bizarre, researchers from the University of New South Wales and Queensland University found that sweet drinks, such as sugary tea or lemonade, can reduce aggression and stress, especially when encountering a difficult supervisor at work.
The study claims that the glucose in sweetened beverages causes a neuronal energy boost that bolsters “executive functioning” in the brain and confers the ability to better control one’s impulses. “Consuming a sweetened beverage on the commute home following a stressful day could reduce aggression toward family members or fellow drivers,” says an Australian psychologist who led the study.
“These stories speak for themselves,” Stier says amid stress-reducing bouts of laughter.