Researchers looked at whether positive factors like optimism, good mood and sense of purpose in life were linked to reduced dementia risk.
The extracts work by preventing the build up of sticky amyloid beta in the brain.
The extracts work by preventing the build up of sticky amyloid beta in the brain.
Compounds found in carrots and green tea have been shown to reverse Alzheimer’s, research finds.
The plant-based treatment was able to completely restore the memories of mice in the study.
Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a compound found in green tea.
Meanwhile, ferulic acid is found in rice, tomatoes, carrots, oats and wheat.
For the study, mice genetically programmed to develop the disease were given plant-based supplements for three months.
Although mouse studies often do not translate into humans, the findings are still promising, said Professor Terrence Town, study co-author:
“You don’t have to wait 10 to 12 years for a designer drug to make it to market; you can make these dietary changes today.
I find that very encouraging.”
For the research, 32 mice with Alzheimer’s symptoms were randomly assigned to different diets.
Four groups were fed with different combinations of EGCG and ferulic acid.
The dosages were 30 mg per kilogram of body weight.
This amount could easily be consumed by a human as part of a healthy diet or in the form of supplements.
The mice were given a range of tests of their memory and learning.
These are the mouse-equivalent of tests given to assess dementia in humans.
Professor Town explained the results:
“After three months, combination treatment completely restored working memory and the Alzheimer’s mice performed just as well as the healthy comparison mice.”
The group of mice that did best were those that were given both compounds together.
The two compounds appear to work by preventing the build up of sticky amyloid beta in the brain.
These are the clumps of protein seen in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s.
The compounds also reduced neuroinflammation and oxidative stress.
The study was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (Mori et al., 2019).
People with a high risk of dementia might be able to lower the odds with these three antioxidants.
People with a high risk of dementia might be able to lower the odds with these three antioxidants.
Higher blood levels of specific antioxidants could reduce the chances of developing dementia.
According to research, individuals with the highest blood concentrations of beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin antioxidants are at lower risk of getting dementia in later life.
Pistachios, egg yolk, bell peppers, corn, kiwi fruit, grapes, courgette (zucchini), squash, and green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, peas, and kale contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin (Sommerburg et al., 1998).
Beta-cryptoxanthin is the other natural carotenoid that can slow down dementia due to aging.
Persimmons, oranges, carrots, peaches, tangerines, papaya, and orange maize are good sources of beta-cryptoxanthin.
Dr May Beydoun, the study’s first author, said:
“Extending people’s cognitive functioning is an important public health challenge.
Antioxidants may help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can cause cell damage.
Further studies are needed to test whether adding these antioxidants can help protect the brain from dementia.”
For this study more than 7,000 participants age 45 or older were enrolled and followed for 16 years.
At the start they went through an interview, physical examination, and blood test to check their antioxidant levels.
The results showed that the risk of developing dementia was reduced for participants with the highest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin.
Increased amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin (15.4 μmol/l) resulted in a 7 percent lower risk of dementia.
Increased levels of beta-cryptoxanthin by 8.6 μmol/l led to a 14 percent reduced risk of dementia.
Dr Beydoun added:
“It’s important to note that the effect of these antioxidants on the risk of dementia was reduced somewhat when we took into account other factors such as education, income and physical activity, so it’s possible that those factors may help explain the relationship between antioxidant levels and dementia.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology (Beydoun et al., 2022).
Alzheimer’s causes degeneration in part of the brain that controls this function first.
Dementia risk is reduced by a diet high in this type of fibre.
Some daytime napping is normal, but too much can be sign of dementia.
With age people’s memory and thinking naturally slows down — but this process can be held in check.
Pet owners retain their cognitive abilities better with age than those without pets.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.
This Alzheimer’s early warning sign could provide a way of warding off the neurodegenerative disease.
This Alzheimer’s early warning sign could provide a way of warding off the neurodegenerative disease.
Poor sleep could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s in people who are otherwise healthy, research finds.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.
Scientists have found links between certain biological markers of Alzheimer’s and sleep disturbances.
Dr Barbara B. Bendlin, who led the study, said:
“Previous evidence has shown that sleep may influence the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease in various ways.
For example, disrupted sleep or lack of sleep may lead to amyloid plaque build-up because the brain’s clearance system kicks into action during sleep.
Our study looked not only for amyloid but for other biological markers in the spinal fluid as well.”
The study was carried out on 101 people with an average age of 63.
All were at risk of Alzheimer’s, although none had any symptoms.
The results showed that those with the worst sleep quality also had biological markers of Alzheimer’s in their spinal fluid.
Dr Bendlin said:
“It’s important to identify modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s given that estimates suggest that delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in people by a mere five years could reduce the number of cases we see in the next 30 years by 5.7 million and save $367 billion in health care spending.”
Not everyone with sleep problems had the biological markers, though, said Dr Bendlin:
“It’s still unclear if sleep may affect the development of the disease or if the disease affects the quality of sleep.
More research is needed to further define the relationship between sleep and these biomarkers.
Improving sleep could be one way of helping to ward off Alzheimer’s, said Dr Bendlin:
“There are already many effective ways to improve sleep.
It may be possible that early intervention for people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease may prevent or delay the onset of the disease.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology (Sprecher et al., 2017).
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