Resveratrol may help protect against Alzheimer's

Research indicates that resveratrol may play a future therapeutic or preventive role in several disorders associated with neurological damage in the brain.

A study published in Journal of Biological Chemistry has shown that resveratrol, a compound found in grapes, red wine, peanuts and berries, lowers the levels of the amyloid-beta peptides, which cause much of the neurological damage associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers administered resveratrol to cells which produce human amyloid-beta and tested the compound's effectiveness by analyzing amyloid-beta levels inside and outside the cells. They found that amyloid-beta levels in the treated cells were much lower than those in untreated cells. It is thought that resveratrol acts by stimulating the degradation of these amyloid-beta peptides.

Although more research is needed, early results suggest that this natural compound may have a therapeutic potential in Alzheimer's disease. Resveratrol is currently being researched for a potential role in fighting other human amyloid-related diseases, including Huntington's, Parkinson's and prion diseases.

Source: Resveratrol Promotes Clearance of Alzheimer’s Disease Amyloid Peptides, Marambaud et al, J. Biol. Chem. Vol. 280; Issue 45: 37377-37382, 11-11-05.

Source: USANA Health Sciences

Nutritional health: Alzheimer's

General Description
Alzheimers disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder which primarily affects brain structures involved in memory processes and motor skills. Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia, which generally refers to a progressive decline in mental function, memory and acquired intellectual skills.(1)

Pathologically, the brain is reduced in size (atrophy), especially in the frontal occcipital and temporal regions. Histologically, it is characterized by thickening, conglutination, and distortion of the intracellular neurofibrils (neurofibrillary tangles) and by plaques composed of granular or filamentous masses, found predominately in the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex, amygdala, and hippocampus. (1)

Major clinical criteria for the clinical diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's include:
1) deficits in two or more areas of cognition;
2) progressive worsening of memory;
3) absence of other medical or psychological disorders that could account for memory impairment; and
4) clear consciousness despite memory impairment.

Causes
The exact cause of Alzheimers is unknown. The etiology is complex and may involve several genes and possible environmental factors.(2)
Chronic exposure to aluminum has been suggested as a possible causative agent in Alzheimers. However, clinical evidence for this link is inconclusive.(3)
Oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of neuron degeneration and death in Alzheimers (4,5) An increase in free radical production has been demonstrated in Alzheimers disease brain tissue.
In particular, iron has been shown to be a significant component of senile plaques in Alzheimers disease (6) and may contribute to the disease process by initiating lipid peroxidation, leading to membrane damage and ultimately cell death.(7)

At Risk
Alzheimer's disease is obviously related to age, - that is, the older you get the more likely you are to develop Alzheimer's disease or dementia. For instance, the prevalence of dementia is roughly 3% for individuals aged 65 to 74, whereas it is 18.7% for individuals between the ages of 75 and 84 and nearly 50% for those over age 85. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that genetic factors may play a part in some forms of AD.
Clinical manifestations of mental deterioration, memory loss, confusion, and disorientation may begin in late mid-life (>45 years old). Death usually results in about 5 to 10 years after diagnosis.

Prevention and Management

Nutrition influences:
Nutritional support is important in the treatment of Alzheimers.(2)
In patients with moderately severe impairment from Alzheimer's disease, treatment with alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) or selegiline slows the progression of disease.(8)
There is an association between Alzheimers and low serum cobalamin (vitamin B12) levels.(9)
Deficiency of choline, an important component of membrane phospholipids and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, may play a role in the etiology of Alzheimers(10)

Source

Good news for Alzheimer’s sufferers

Alzheimer's is a cruel and progressive disease,
which affects memory, emotion and thought processes.
It is estimated that there are approximately 18
million sufferers worldwide - some 5 per cent of the
world's elderly population. Worryingly, experts
claim that the condition is on the increase and
predict that by 2020, Alzheimer's will affect up to
30 million people.

Although exactly what causes the condition is still
not clear, significant data exists supporting the
build-up of plaque in the brain from beta-amyloid
deposits.

Now scientists from the US have found that curcumin
- the natural pigment that gives the spice turmeric
(a common ingredient in curries) its yellow colour -
could boost the body's ability to clear the build up
of plaques in the brain that are linked to
Alzheimer's disease.

The new research appears to indicate that curcumin,
could help the body's immune system clear away these
beta-amyloid deposits and reduce the risk of
developing the disease.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Milan Fiala from the
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said:
"Curcumin improved ingestion of amyloid beta by
immune cells in 50 percent of patients with
Alzheimer's disease. These initial findings
demonstrate that curcumin may help boost the immune
system of specific Alzheimer's disease patients."

*******************************
The many health benefits linked to curcumin
********************************

Curcumin has increasingly come under the scientific
spotlight in recent years, with studies
investigating its potential benefits for reducing
cholesterol levels, improving cardiovascular health
and cancer-fighting abilities.

The current US research adds to this by reporting on
a small laboratory study using blood from six
Alzheimer's disease patients (aged 65 to 84) and
three healthy controls. The focus was on
macrophages, the 'foot soldiers' of the immune
system that clean up harmful waste products in the
body, including beta-amyloid deposits.

The isolated macrophages were exposed to a curcumin-
derived compound for 24 hours before beta-amyloid
was introduced. It was found that macrophages from
three out of six Alzheimer's disease patients showed
improved uptake or ingestion of the waste product
compared to the patients' macrophages not treated
with curcumin.

The age of the patient and the stage of the
Alzheimer's disease appeared to be key factors in
the effectiveness of the curcumin compound, reported
the researchers, with younger patients and patients
with early-stage Alzheimer's apparently more
receptive to the benefits.

No effects were reported for the macrophages from
the healthy controls when exposed to the curcumin-
derived compound.

"We are hopeful that these positive results in a
test tube may translate to clinical use, but more
studies need to be done before curcumin can be
recommended," said Dr Fiala.

The mechanism behind these apparent effects is not
clear and significant further study is needed to
further examine the potential effects. "Our next
step will be to identify the factors that helped
these immune cells respond," said co-researcher
Laura Zhang from UCLA.

The researchers concluded that: "Immunomodulation of
the innate immune system by curcuminoids might be a
safe approach to immune clearance of amyloidosis in
Alzheimer's Disease brain."

The new study extends previous findings examining
the neuroprotective effects of curcumin. Experts
recommend however that consumers wishing to make use
of curcumin's properties consume it in supplement
form rather than eating more curries, which tend to
be rather high in fat in their Western form.

Source: Health Sciences Institute e-Alert, 13 October 2006
from The Healthier Life

N.B. USANA's Essentials has CURCUMIN EXTRACT (CURCUMA LONGA L., ROOT) 15.0 mg † - see full ingredients here

Mediterranean-style diet cuts risk of Alzheimer's disease by 68 percent

New research indicates that the Mediterranean diet rich in antioxidants and polyphenols reduce oxidative stress and protect against the development of Alzheimer's disease.

The Mediterranean diet, rich in cereals, wine, fruits, nuts, legumes and whole grains, fish and olive oil, has been linked to lower incidence of heart disease, protection against some cancers, and a longer life. The diet's main nutritional components include beta-carotene, vitamin C, tocopherols, polyphenols and essential minerals. A new study published on-line in the Archives of Neurology indicates that it is these antioxidants and polyphenols that appear to offer protection, not simply an improvement in heart health. After adjusting the results for age, education, BMI, smoking status, and ethnicity, the researchers reported that people with the highest adherence to a model Mediterranean diet were associated with a 60 per cent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease, compared to people with the lowest adherence to the diet. When the researchers took into account general heart health, such as history of stroke, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and cholesterol, the associations for the high adherence group grew stronger, with an associated risk reduction of 68 per cent. These results indicate that the protection gained by following a Mediterranean- type diet is not a result of the cardiovascular factors, and it may be more related to factors such as inflammation and oxidative stress. The researchers noted that the Mediterranean diet contains high levels of important antioxidants and polyphenols, and it could be the combination of these various dietary compounds that could partially explain the reduced risk of Alzheimer's Disease. The study follows another study by the same researchers, published earlier this year in the Annals of Neurology (Vol. 59, pp. 912 - 921), in which elderly individuals whose diet closely resembled the Mediterranean diet had a 40 per cent lower risk of Alzheimer's than those who followed the diet the least.

Source: Mediterranean diet and risk for Alzheimer's disease, Nikolaos Scarmeas, Yaakov Stern, Ming-Xin Tang, Richard Mayeux, Jose A. Luchsinger, Annals of Neurology (Vol. 59, pp. 912 - 921)