Latest Research on Alzheimer’s Prevention
VITAMIN D SUFFICIENCY
Researchers conclude that vitamin D sufficiency helps remove amyloid-beta plaque from the aging brain, across the blood-brain barrier, helping to prevent the excessive buildup that causes Alzheimer’s disease.
(The buildup in the brain, of amyloid-beta plaque is ordinarily controlled by transporter proteins and vitamin D. Although levels of these protein transporters increase with age, production tends to fail eventually. Low levels of vitamin D have been linked with age-related declines in memory and cognition, and with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s.)
The team found that vitamin D injections in mice appear to help regulate protein expression and cell signaling, which helps prevent plaque buildup and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The implication is that maintaining sufficient vitamin D levels with advancing age may provide some preventive benefit, and a potential therapy, for these brain disorders.
This newly released study will be published in a future issue of the journal, Fluids and Barriers of the CNS. It is available early at http://bit.ly/nmFQyC without fee.
GRAPESEED POLYPHENOLS
A new study found that grapeseed polyphenol, a natural antioxidant, suppresses the creation of a specific form of beta-amyloid peptide – a substance in the brain long known to cause the neurotoxicity associated with Alzheimer’s disease – and therefore confirms, according to the researchers, previous research suggesting that grapeseed polyphenol may be an effective treatment for people at risk for the disease to prevent its development or retard its progression.
The authors stress that for grape-derived polyphenols to be effective, it will be necessary to find a biomarker for those at risk, although it may also be beneficial for those in the early stages of the disease. The study is significant because it is the first to examine the effect of this substance on these destructive peptides, illustrating the mechanism behind the apparent protective benefit, and because it was conducted on living subjects, namely mice. However, research is now being conducted to confirm that the results hold true for humans. The full-text of this just-released study is not yet available but will be published in a future issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Can Red Wine & Dark Chocolate Offset the Effects of a Sedentary Lifestyle?
COMPOUND MIGHT OFFSET SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE
A study has suggested that resveratrol, a compound found in small amounts in cocoa powder, boiled peanuts, and red wine, may offset the negative health effects – such as insulin resistance and loss of bone mass – stemming from a lack of exercise in a sedentary lifestyle.
Resveratrol is an antioxidant substance often reported by the mainstream media to be a major component of red wine; in fact, wine contains only trace amounts. Its cardiovascular health benefits are controversial and the subject of ongoing research.
The researchers tested resveratrol on rats that lived in an environment mimicking the weightless of space, which has negative health effects on astronauts. The rats provided resveratrol managed to avoid the insulin resistance and loss of bone mineral density that affected those sedentary rats not fed resveratrol. (Insulin resistance is linked to diabetes risk.) Resveratrol is found in supplements, which are often made from Japanese knotweed, and in small amounts in cocoa powder, red wine, and boiled peanuts. This study was released June 29, 2011 and will appear in a future issue of The FASEB Journal. It is online now at http://bit.ly/lLx6fj.