Are you afraid of Alzheimer's? Chew grape seeds!
Grape polyphenols May Protect against Alzheimer's disease
LifeSciencesToday based on the materials of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease:
Natural Chemical Found In Grapes May Protect Against Alzheimer’s Disease by Decreasing Neurotoxins in the Brain
Scientists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that grape seed polyphenols – a natural antioxidant – can prevent the development or slow down the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
The study, led by Giulio Maria Pasinetti, MD and PhD, Professor of Neurology and Professor of Psychiatry and geriatrics, was published online in the latest issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (Grape Seed Polyphenolic Extract Specifically Decreases Aß*56 in the Brains of Tg2576 Mice).
This is the first work evaluating the ability of polyphenols isolated from grape seeds to prevent the formation of a certain form of beta-amyloid peptide (Aß), a substance that has a neurotoxic effect in Alzheimer's disease. In collaboration with a group of scientists from the University of Minnesota, led by Karen Hsiao Ashe, MD and PhD, Dr. Pasinetti and his colleagues studied the effect of grape seed extracts containing polyphenols on genetically modified mice with a program for the development of memory disorders and the formation of Aß-neurotoxins characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. They found that after treatment with polyphenols, the content in the brain of Aß*56 – an oligomer of beta-amyloid peptide with a molecular weight of 56 kDa involved in the development of memory loss in Alzheimer's disease – significantly decreased.
Previous studies suggest that the use of polyphenols isolated from grapes, the content of which, for example, is very high in red wine, can protect against cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease. New results showing a selective decrease in the neurotoxin Aß*56 after treatment with such polyphenols confirm this theory.
"Since natural polyphenols are usually sold as dietary supplements and have minor side effects even with prolonged use, this discovery has good prospects as a method of prevention or treatment and is currently being tested in translational studies on patients with Alzheimer's disease," says Dr. Pasinetti.
The authors of the study emphasize that in order for the polyphenols obtained from grapes to be effective, scientists need to identify a biomarker of the disease that will identify individuals with a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
"This biomarker will be crucial for identifying individuals at high risk of Alzheimer's disease and will allow us to start treatment much earlier and possibly even during the asymptomatic period of the disease," says Dr. Pasinetti. "But the early appointment of such treatment will have a positive effect on patients who are already diagnosed with the initial stages of Alzheimer's disease. Our study, implying that the targets of grape polyphenols are neurotoxins such as Aß*56, has good therapeutic prospects."
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru18.07.2011