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.
Study Shows Green Tea Extract Boosts Memory
Daily supplements of a green tea extract may boost mental al
ertness and enhance memory, according to a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study from Korea.
A combination of a green tea extract with L-theanine was associated with improvements in immediate and delayed recall, and general memory, according to findings published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods.
“As a natural ingredient with a long history of consumption, LGNC-07 [ – a combination of green tea extract and L-theanine - ] should be considered as a potential nutraceutical candidate for enhancing cognitive performance,” wrote researchers.
The study was funded by Korea’s LG Household & Health Care, Ltd., which also produced the ingredient used in the study, and provided one of the co-authors for the paper.
Green tea
The majority of science on tea has looked at green tea, with benefits reported for reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s and certain cancers, improving cardiovascular and oral health, as well as aiding in weight management.
Green tea contains between 30 and 40 per cent of water-extractable polyphenols, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) contains between 3 and 10 per cent. Oolong tea is semi-fermented tea and is somewhere between green and black tea. The four primary polyphenols found in fresh tealeaves are epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epigallocatechin, epicatechin gallate, and epicatechin.
The success has translated into a booming extract market, valued at a around $44m (€29.7m), according to recent report from Frost & Sullivan. The market is expected to grow by more than 13 per cent over the next seven years. Key players include DSM, Taiyo, and Tate & Lyle. Innovation in delivery has also seen companies like Maxx Performance release an encapsulated green tea extract for bakery applications.
L-theanine, an amino acid found in tea leaves, is thought to help reduce stress, promote relaxation and improve the quality of sleep. L-theanine is found in tea leaves in low concentrations (less than 2 percent), which means that effective dosage levels (of 100 – 200mg/day) cannot be delivered from drinking tea.
Study details
Ninety-one participants with mild cognitive impairment – a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease – were recruited and randomly assigned to receive either 1,680 mg of the green tea extract-L-theanine combination (LGNC-07) or placebo (maltodextrin plus lactose) for 16 weeks.
A number of tests were used to assess memory and attention. Results showed that volunteers receiving the green tea supplement exhibited improvements in memory: ‘Marginal’ improvements were observed with regards to the delay in recognition, and ‘significant’ increases in memory regarding recall of word reading.
Electroencephalograms (EEG) were recorded in 24 volunteers, and these scans showed improvements in indicators of mental alertness in specific parts of the brain.
Boost Your Memory!
Cognitive and memory problems are linked to unhealthy habits.
A study in the September, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology found memory loss was 200% more prevalent and cognitive deficit 300% more prevalent, among the third of people having the most unhealthy habits and for the longest period.
Unhealthy habits included not getting enough physical activity, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, smoking, and abstaining completely from alcohol (versus moderate drinking).
A Brisk Walk Can Turn Back the Clock
MODERATE AEROBIC EXERCISE LINKED TO IMPROVED MEMORY
Researchers have found an association between moderate levels of aerobic exercise and increased size of the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory. This is the first study to focus on older adults who already have experienced some decrease in the size of the hippocampus, believed to be the (potentially-inevitable) cause of memory loss with age.
Some of the 120 sedentary adults were placed on a routine of brisk, 40-minute walks three times a week, while others did stretching and toning exercises. In those who walked, hippocampus size increased almost 2%; memory function improved; levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (a biomarker for learning and memory) increased; and scores on spatial memory tests were higher. (Spatial memory records information about a person’s immediate environment and geographical orientation.)
It is important to note that the effect was found only with aerobic exercise; and that only moderate exercise levels were sufficient to produce this effect.
This study was released January 31, 2011 but will not appear in print until a future issue of the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/hhnodP.
Is Your High Fat/Low Carb Diet Hurting You?
HIGH-FAT DIET HARMS HEART & COGNITIVE FUNCTION
A study concludes that the popular high-fat, low-carbohydrate (HFLC) diet may be detrimental to the both the heart and the brain.
Researchers assigned men aged 21 to 23 to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate (HFLC) diet and at a later time, to an alternate diet. They conducted MR scans, echocardiograms, and computerized cognitive tests. The HFLC diet produced 44% higher “plasma free fatty acids” (fats circulating in the blood). This higher level was associated with impaired cognitive function in the areas of attention, speed and mood; and a 9% lower ratio of cardiac phosphocreatine-to-ATP (indicating reduced energy available to the heart for maintaining its proper functioning).
These results occurred after five days on the high-fat diet and suggest an HFLC diet impairs cognition and heart function, reported the team. Released January 26, 2011, this study will be published in a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In the meantime, it is available online at http://bit.ly/eJf9Wc.
Ways to Support Healthy Longevity
Several Habits To Support Longevity
From Prevention Magazine:
1. Cut out the bad fat.
Bad fat being saturated and trans fats. Good fats like Omega 3 essential fatty acids (EFA) are really important for heart, brain and skin health. For an excellent source of Omega 3 EFA, see Antarcti-Krill. Another type of “good fat” are the monounsaturated fats like those from nuts, avocados and olive oil.
2. Reduce your “added” sugar intake.
Too much “added” sugar can result in additional wrinkles because sugar binds to proteins in skin, damaging collagen. To avoid “added sugars,” reduce your consumption of packaged foods and any resulting “added sugar” to no more than 160 calories per day. That would be equivalent to 1 can of soda per day.
3. Develop your friendships.
Close friendships are actually more important in your overall longevity than strong family ties.
4. Get to bed on time.
Lack of sleep affects aging. It adversely affects weight, diabetes and high blood pressure. To help you get the sleep you need, try Z-Caps.
5. Reduce your stress.
Increased stress builds hormones in the blood stream which delay wound healing, increase blood pressure, reduce cognitive function memory, adversely affect mood and learning. To help you cope with stress, try InSight Natural or InSight HT.
Try deep breathing at least twice a day to support healthy stress management.
6. Listen to your iPod at <50% volume.
Listening to loud music can result in early hearing loss. Experts suggest listening to your iPod at <50% volume and invest in a good set of noise canceling headsets so that you can still hear the music, but at a lower and safer volume level.
DHA May Protect Against Brain Injury
DHA MAY PROTECT AGAINST BRAIN INJURY
Although results are preliminary, a study to be published in February suggests traumatic brain injury (TBI) might be reduced by pre-treating at-risk individuals, such as military personnel and contact-sport athletes, with docosahexanoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid. TBI is brain damage from a violent blow to the head that launches the brain against the skull, often causing brain bruising, tearing of nerve fibers, and bleeding.
According to the CDC, one-third of all injury-related deaths in the US are linked to TBI. So far, science has found no effective way to prevent serious outcomes. The main fatty acid found in the brain, DHA may play several roles protecting the brain.
Researchers induced TBI in rats after 30 days of DHA supplementation in dosages of 3, 12, and 40 mg per kilogram of body weight. Highest-dosage rats experienced less tissue damage, less brain cell death, and reduced memory loss, indicating less behavioral impairment.
Another noteworthy finding was reduced expression of beta amyloid protein – a protein linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This study will appear in the February, 2011 issue of Neurosurgery. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/i1WzZf.
How to Halt Alzheimer’s Progression
VITAMIN B SUPPLEMENTS COULD HALT ALZHEIMER’S PROGRESSION
A study found that supplementing the diet with large doses of vitamin B could cut the brain shrinkage by a third to a half common in elderly people with early signs of the disease and could slow, or even halt, the memory-robbing disease’s progression. Researchers stressed the need for further study to confirm these results but described the study outcome as “striking” and “dramatic.”
Over a two-year period half of the168 volunteers (all over the age of 70) had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and were given high daily doses of the B vitamins folate, B6 and B12, higher doses than normally found in supplements or diet.
On average, compared to the group that received only placebo pills with no active ingredients, B-taking volunteers exhibited an average 30 percent lower degree of brain shrinkage, which is associated with atrophy; but in some cases, the reduced amount of atrophy was lower by as much as fifty percent. The study was released September 8, 2010 by the online journal Public Library of Science ONE and can be accessed free online at: http://bit.ly/btsJCl.
Vitamin D & Mental Agility
Cognitive performance is much improved among the elderly who are not deficient in vitamin D, and vitamin D deficiency may be common among shut-in seniors due to limited access to sunshine and other factors, according to a new study.
More than 1,000 study participants who were receiving home care were assessed for vitamin D status. Only 35 percent of participants had sufficient vitamin D levels and this group scored higher on cognitive performance tests than those who were deficient or insufficient in vitamin D. Pathways for vitamin D have been identified in the hippocampus and cerebellum areas of the brain; these are regions associated with planning, processing new information and forming new memories, suggesting vitamin D is important to the cognitive process and for independent senior living.
The study was released by the journal titled, Journals of Gerontology, Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, in a summary format. But it is available in full-text format at: http://bit.ly/d2FtYY.