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Extracts in five fruits and vegetables - apples, broccoli, oranges, potatoes, and radishes - contain substances that act much the same way as drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia among the elderly.
Broccoli has the most potent activity of the foods studied, finds research at King's College London. Compounds in broccoli and the other fruits and vegetables investigated inhibit acetylcholinesterase, the enzyme that's responsible for the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Most drugs currently used to treat AD also act as inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase. The agents in broccoli responsible for this activity are glucosinolates, which are present throughout the cabbage family.

"As yet, it is unproven that eating broccoli . . . would have a beneficial effect on Alzheimer's disease, but the long-term effects of regularly consuming these compounds in vegetables belonging to the cabbage family might certainly be beneficial . . . " says Professor Peter Houghton, study coauthor.

SELECTED SOURCES
"5-A-Day Fruit and Veg Could Boost Your Memory: Groundbreaking New Research," Royal Pharmaceutical Society of GB, 9/26/05
"Common Fruit and Veg May Protect Memory in Elderly," www.nutraingredients-usa.com, 9/27/05
"Investigation of Common Vegetables for Cholinesterase Inhibitory Activity" by B. M. Chiu and Peter J. Houghton, British Pharmaceutical Conference, Manchester, England, 9/26–28/05