'Juice and brushing teeth could help prevent Alzheimer's' claim

Drinking fruit juice, getting regular exercise and brushing your teeth could all help prevent Alzheimer’s, according to a new report.

Researchers in the US have found that lifestyle choices may be closely linked to the brain disease, making it easy to take preventative steps and lower the risks.

They have also discovered a change in the memory area of the brain which could determine who will get Alzheimer’s nine years before symptoms appear.

The findings were presented at the first Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Washington this weekend.

One group scanned the brains of middle-aged and older people while they were still healthy.

They discovered that lower energy use in the hippocampus part of the brain correctly signalled who would get Alzheimer’s or a similar memory-related illness 85% of the time.

“We found the earliest predictor,” said lead researcher, Lisa Mosconi from New York University School of Medicine. “The hippocampus seems to be the very first region to be affected.”

Scientists from the University of South Florida College of Public Health found that drinking fruit or vegetable juice at least three times a week could leave you four times less likely to develop the disease.

Antioxidants found in the skin of fruits and vegetables may have a significant impact on the brain’s health, the study found.

Another report suggested that those who took regular exercise performed better in memory tests while one found that contracting gum disease early in life could present a greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

The inflammation can trigger various health problems, according to researchers from the University of Southern California, who said the best prevention was to regularly brush your teeth.