Compounds found in fruits and vegetables reduced brain plaques in mouse experiments 

From HealthDay

Flavonoids, compounds found in many fruits and vegetables, may be able to battle the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.

In experiments with mice, two flavonoids called luteolin and diosmin reduced levels of beta-amyloid, which forms the harmful plaques that build up in the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Our lab has been investigating beta-amyloid, which is associated with Alzheimer’s, and how we can reduce it using natural compounds,” said lead researcher Kavon Rezai-Zadeh, from the Rashid Laboratory for Developmental Neurobiology at Silver Child Development Center at the University of South Florida.

The research team would like to use the two flavonoids to see if they can reduce amyloid plaque in humans, since they believe flavonoids would be safe and have few side effects compared with drugs that are being developed to reduce amyloid plaque.

Rezai-Zadeh also thinks that flavonoids, which have strong antioxidant properties, might guard against Alzheimer’s. “A lot of these compounds can be derived from the diet, and they may have preventive effects against Alzheimer’s disease,” he said. “Increasing the flavonoids in your diet may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s.”

“The question is, can we use these flavonoids in people that have cognitive impairment?” Rezai-Zadeh said. “That’s the million-dollar question.”

The report was published in the May 8 online edition of the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

In the study, Rezai-Zadeh’s team used a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease to test their theory. Using, luteolin and diosmin, the researchers were able to reduce the levels of beta-amyloid in the rodents’ brains.

In addition, the researchers found these two molecules were targeting a protein called presenilin-1, which has been linked to a genetic cause of Alzheimer’s disease. These findings could lead to a new approach for treating Alzheimer’s patients, they said.

One expert is concerned this potential treatment could also affect a patient’s cognitive functioning.

“The authors of this study believe that they have identified a drug with a reasonable safety record that could reduce both plaques and tangles,” said Greg M. Cole, associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

However, the enzyme (GSK3) targeted by these flavonoids has many important functions, including a role in processes required for normal cognitive function, Cole said.

“In fact, complete inhibition of GSK3 causes neurons to degenerate. Since cognitive function was not evaluated in this study, researchers still need to learn how much inhibiting GSK3 will be beneficial and side effect-free. That said, this may be a promising new direction,” Cole said.

Another expert cautions that promising findings in mice often do not translate into effective treatments in humans.

“While this paper also shows some promising results in amyloid-depositing mice, we know from our recent experience with Alzhemed [a drug to treat Alzheimer’s] and statins that the path from ‘mouse cures’ to ‘human cures’ may be a tough path indeed,” said Dr. Sam Gandy, chairman of the National Medical and Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer’s Association and associate director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City.

“Both Alzhemed and statins were effective in mice, yet failed in the clinic, so the flavonoid data join NSAIDs, vaccines, PBT2, IVIg, secretase modulators, among others, in the queue of interventions that look promising in mice but remain to be thoroughly assessed in humans,” Gandy said.

From washingtonpost.com

Pharmaceutical companies need to be more responsible in touting products to consumers or else face tighter controls from Congress, a top U.S. Democratic lawmaker said on Thursday.

From WebMD

The reaction of an infant’s immature immune system to a protein found in cow’s milk infant formula may explain the suspected link between early consumption of cow’s milk and an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes later, according to a new study.

But experts who reviewed the study for WebMD say the research is mixed on the suspected link and the new report does not offer conclusive proof of cause and effect. While these experts strongly support breastfeeding, they say those mothers who can’t or choose not to breastfeed shouldn’t be alarmed by the report.

The Formula-Diabetes Theory

The protein under study, called beta-lactoglobulin, is found in cow’s milk but not human breast milk. It is similar in structure to the human protein glycodelin, writes Marcia F. Goldfarb, author of the new report.

The report is published in the letters section of the Journal of Proteome Research. Goldfarb directs Anatek-EP, a contract protein research laboratory in Portland, Maine.

An infant’s immature immune system may destroy the glycodelin in an effort to destroy the look-alike “foreign” protein beta-lactoglobulin, Goldfarb says.

Glycodelin controls the production of the body’s T-cells, which help protect against infection. If glycodelin is destroyed, there could be an overproduction of T cells, she says.

From NaturalNews.com

Recent studies on a very old fruit are confirming what the ancients believed about the pomegranate. Also known as rimmon, its Hebrew name, the pomegranate has long been prized for its benefits to heart health. We now know it also can be helpful in treating diabetes, dementia, cancer and menopausal problems, and it can even prevent sunburn.Known by Bible readers as a decoration on the Temple Priests’ robes and as a metaphor for beauty in poetic writings, this unique fruit was also used in healing. It was known not only in the Middle East, but also in Egypt, Greece, Spain, China and India.In fact, in India the ‘Gulnar farsi’, male abortive flowers of the Punica granatum L., or

pomegranate, have been used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in Unani medicine. Moreover, a recent study in India showed that an extract of this flower lowered blood glucose levels in diabetic rats.As for the pomegranate’s juice, it improved the ability of macrophages (immune-response cells) to absorb low-density lipids. The researchers in this study concluded that pomegranate juice consumption for three months may help diabetics by lowering the oxidative stress that often leads to vascular disease.Those with diabetes should realize, though, that this juice is very high in

sugar content. As Mike Adams warned in a previous Natural News article, “Eight oz. of pomegranate juice (one serving) can deliver over 30 grams of sugars. That’s more than two servings of a sweetened breakfast cereal. It’s a lot of sugar to deal with. And if you’re diabetic or hypoglycemic, you should never drink these juices on an empty stomach. When you eat real pomegranate seeds, you see, the natural seed fibers slow the absorption of the pomegranate sugars. So the glycemic index of pomegranate seeds is far lower than the glycemic index of pomegranate juice.”Scientists have been studying the pomegranate to find out just what the mechanisms and characteristics are that enable it to help with so many ailments. This seedy fruit has more anti-oxidative power in its seeds than red wine, green tea and blueberry juice; the seeds contain a number of flavonoids, including isoflavones with estrogenic capabilities. In addition, its antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties are becoming evident.

It is the anti-oxidant power of pomegranates that is so beneficial for health, especially heart health. If the seeds are consumed over a long period of time, it appears that hardening of the arteries can be prevented. Studies have shown that pomegranate use reduces the progression of high blood cholesterol. Heart function can improve; one study demonstrated that three months of daily juice intake by test subjects resulted in improved heart performance scores on exercise stress tests.Consumption of seeds also may prevent and/or help combat several kinds of cancer. The reason seems to be the effect of the fruit’s ellagic acid, the main polyphenol in pomegranate. Credit is also given to its powerful level of punicic acid, a compound closely related to conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Drinking eight ounces of the seed-derived juice a day appears to help inhibit cancer of the prostate and inflammatory enzymes in colon cancer cells.It has been shown that drinking the juice slows down the antigen doubling which occurs after patients receive traditional therapies, including surgery, for prostate cancer. These antigens cause a recurrence of the cancer in about a third of these patients. With the juice, it was found that the antigen growth slowed down considerably, thus putting off the cancer’s recurrence until age-related death from other causes intervened.

estrogen often prescribed to protect postmenopausal women against heart disease and osteoporosis, while selectively destroying estrogen-dependent cancer cells.”Anecdotal evidence substantiates such estrogenic qualities of pomegranates. Many women report relief from hot flashes and other menopausal problems during the period when they drink pomegranate juice or eat its seeds.

The pomegranate joins dark berries and watermelon as natural sunburn protectors. A double-blind study over a four-week period showed that not only did the consumption of the fruit prevent sunburn, but it resulted in self-reported improvement in complexions by the subjects. This is important in that it increases a person’s ability to stay in the sun long enough to get needed Vitamin D.There is much more that pomegranates do for the skin. Oil from its seeds is commonly used in cosmetic products to add moisture, revitalize dull or mature skin, assist with wrinkles, soothe minor skin irritations, improve skin elasticity and protect the skin. Other benefits include relief from eczema, psoriasis and sunburn. The conjugated fatty acids give it strong anti-inflammatory properties, which help to reduce swelling and ease muscular aches and pains. Studies have shown that pomegranate seed oil stimulates keratinocyte proliferation, promoting regeneration and strengthening of the epidermis.

In a study in which mice were fed pomegranate juice for six months, it was found that scores on memory tests improved. At the same time, amyloid deposition in the brain’s hippocampus, where memory is processed, declined, giving hope that the fruit will be useful in delaying dementia.A study using in vitro methods showed that pomegranate juice had antiviral effects that may lead to
widespread use of the juice as an HIV preventative. The mechanism appears to be the inhibition of
binding by the virus, which reduces its ability to spread, at least in the lab’s experimental environment.The next step was to look at the juice’s application to HIV prevention. Experiments have shown that
pomegranate juice can be effective in preventing infection. The results indicate that HIV-1 entry inhibitors from pomegranate juice adsorb onto corn starch. The resulting complex blocks virus binding and inhibits infection.

From Bloomberg.com: News

Vitamin E helped people with Alzheimer’s disease live longer with the degenerative brain disorder than those who didn’t take the supplement, according to research presented at a neurologists meeting in Chicago.

Patients with the irreversible brain condition who took vitamin E with or without a standard medicine were 26 percent more likely to live longer than people not taking the vitamin, the study showed. The combination of the drug with the vitamin was more beneficial than either agent alone.

Previous research has shown that the vitamin, which is naturally found in some vegetables oils, nuts and green leafy vegetables, can delay the progression of the brain disease. The new data, presented at the meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, showed that vitamin E also seems to prolong survival time of Alzheimer’s patients.

“This is particularly important because recent studies in heart disease patients have questioned whether vitamin E is beneficial for survival,” study author Valory Pavlik from Baylor College of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center in Houston, Texas, said in a release.

The researchers followed 847 people with Alzheimer’s disease for an average of five years to see whether the vitamin helped patients live longer. Recent studies have raised questions about the safety and efficacy of vitamin E to treat Alzheimer’s disease patients, Pavlik said in the abstract.

About two-thirds of the group studied took 1,000 international units of vitamin E twice a day along with a cholinesterase inhibitor, a common type of Alzheimer’s drug. Less than 10 percent of the group took vitamin E alone and about 15 percent didn’t take vitamin E.

‘More Research’

“People who took a cholinesterase inhibitor without vitamin E didn’t have a survival benefit,” Pavlik said in the release that was distributed by the neurology association. “More research needs to be done to determine why this may be the case.”

There’s currently no cure for Alzheimer’s and no way to slow its progression. Scientists are studying whether nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cholesterol-lowering medicines or supplements such as folic acid, gingko biloba or vitamins E, B6, or B12 can slow progression of the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in people 65 and older. More than 4.5 million people in the U.S. have the disease, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The number of people who have dementia is set to rise to 42 million by 2020 and to 81 million by 2040 worldwide, according to research in 2005.

Pfizer Inc.’s Aricept, Johnson & Johnson’s Reminyl and Novartis AG’s Exelon are among the cholinesterase inhibitors approved to treat dementia. Doctors often also prescribe antidepressants such as Eli Lilly & Co.’s Prozac or psychosis drugs including J&J’s Haldol to relieve dementia symptoms