Alzheimer's disease is a brain disorder named for German physician
Alois Alzheimer. Alzheimer's destroys brain cells, causing problems with
memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect language
communication, memory, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer's gets
worse over time, and it is fatal. Over 1 million people in US alone
are currently afflicted by Alzheimer's disease because of degeneration
of hippocampus and cerebral cortex of the brain where memory, language
and cognition are located. With this mental disorder, brain cells
gradually die and generate fewer and fewer chemical signals day by day
resulting in diminished of functions. Overtime memory thinking as well
as behavior deteriorates.
Types of food to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease
1. Turmeric, principal curcuminoid of the popular Indian spice, a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, native to tropical
South Asia, according to "Effects of different drying methods on the
antioxidant properties of leaves and tea of ginger species" by E.W.C. Chan, Y.Y. Lim,
S.K. Wong, K.K. Lim, S.P. Tan, F.S. Lianto and M.Y. Yong, posted in
Science Direct. It has been used in traditional herbal medicine
as an anti-inflammatory agent and to treat gastrointestinal symptoms
associated with irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive disorders.
Curcumin is a phytochemical
found abundant in the plant. In acidic solutions (pH <7.4) it turns
yellow, whereas in basic (pH > 8.6) solutions it turns bright red.
In other study of `NSAID
and antioxidant prevention of Alzheimer's disease: lessons from in
vitro and animal models.`by Cole GM, Morihara T, Lim GP, Yang F, Begum
A, Frautschy SA. (Source from
Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Veterans Administration Medical
Center, North Hills, CA 91343, USA. gmcole@ucla.edu) posted in US
National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health,
reseachers found that the unconventional NSAID/antioxidant curcumin
was effective, lowering oxidative damage, cognitive deficits, synaptic
marker loss, and amyloid deposition. Curcumin proved to be
immunomodulatory, simultaneously inhibiting cytokine and microglial
activation indices related to neurotoxicity, but increasing an index of
phagocytosis. Curcumin directly targeted Abeta and was also effective
in other models, warranting further preclinical and clinical
exploration(1).
2. Green tea
Epigallocatechin, including
catechins, is a phytochemical of Flavan-3-ols, in the group of
Flavonoids (polyphenols), found abundantly in green tea, St John wort,
black Tea, carob flour, Fuji apples, etc.
In the investgation of the green tea compound epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) in inhibition of Alzheimer's disease β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) neurotoxicity, showed that EGCG interferes with the aromatic hydrophobic core of Aβ. The C-terminal
part of the Aβ peptide (residues 22-39) adopts a β-sheet conformation,
whereas the N-terminus (residues 1-20) is unstructured. The
characteristic salt bridge involving residues D23 and K28 is present in
the structure of these oligomeric Aβ aggregates as well. The structural
analysis of small-molecule-induced amyloid aggregates will open new
perspectives for Alzheimer's disease drug developmen(2).
3. Skins and seed of grape
Resveratrol is a phytochemical in the class of Stilbenoids, found abundantly in skins and seed of grape wine, nuts, peanuts, etc. In the investigation of the neuroprotective properties of resveratrol found that Resveratrol
has neuroprotective features both in vitro and in vivo in models of
Alzheimer's disease (AD), but it has proved to be beneficial also in
ischemic stroke, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and
epilepsy, according to "Neuroprotective properties of resveratrol in different neurodegenerative disorders" by Albani D, Polito L, Signorini A, Forloni G.(3). Others, in the elucidation of the neuroprotective effect and influence of resveratrol on the extracellular levels of neurotransmitter and neuromodulator during ischemia/reperfusion in rats, found that chronic treatment with resveratrol
remarkably reduced the release of excitatory neurotransmitter
glutamate, aspartate and neuromodulator d-Serine during ischemia and
reperfusion; and significantly increased the basal extracellular levels
of inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-amino-n-butyric acid, glycine and
taurine. Chronic treatment with resveratrol also ameliorated O-phosphoethanolamine levels and excitotoxic index during ischemia and reperfusio, according to "Neuroprotective effects of resveratrol on ischemic injury mediated by modulating the release of neurotransmitter and neuromodulator in rats" by Li C, Yan Z, Yang J, Chen H, Li H, Jiang Y, Zhang Z(4)
4. Tomato
Lycotene is a phytochemical
compound and bright red pigment belonging to group of carotene in the
family of carotenoids found mostly in tomatoes and other red fruits and
vegetables. It best known for its inverse correlation between
consumption of tomatoes and cancer risk. It has been studied by many
researches as a potential compound for prevention and treatment for
certain cancers, including prostate and liver cancer. In the study to evaluate lycopene for its potent
protective properties already demonstrated in several models of
oxidative damage, found that pretreatment with lycopene efficiently attenuated Aβ(25-35)-induced
neurotoxicity, as evidenced by the improved cell viability and the
decreased apoptotic rate. In addition, lycopene inhibited the reactive
oxygen species generation and mitochondrial membrane potential
depolarization caused by Aβ(25-35). Lycopene also restored the levels of
proapoptotic Bax, antiapoptotic Bcl-2, and inhibited caspase-3
activation. These beneficial effects may contribute to the protection
against Aβ-induced neurotoxicity and suggest that the natural antioxidant lycopene has
potential for neuroprotection and therefore, may be a promising
candidate for Alzheimer's disease AD treatment(5).
5. Algae
Carotenoids are fat soluble organic pigments of plants such as algae, some bacteria, and fungus. It generally cannot be manufactured by animals but have to acquired plants.
It is said that consuming caretrnoids can optimize your health against
many types of chronic illness as it acts as antioxidant fighting
against foreigner invasion such as bacteria and virus and promotes the
immune system guarding our body from oxidation causes of irregular
cells growth, such as tumors. Carotenoids play a pivotal role in prevention of many degenerative
diseases mediated by oxidative stress including neurodegenerative
diseases like Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Carotenoids like retinoic acid (RA), all trans retinoic acid (ATRA),
lycopene and β-carotene in prevention of AD symptoms primarily through
inhibition of amyloid beta (Aβ) formation, deposition and fibril
formation either by reducing the levels of p35 or inhibiting
corresponding enzymes(6).
6. Etc.
Made From Fresh Fruits And Vegetable Recipes
Secret To A Vibrant
And Healthy Lifestyle
That You Can Find
Easily At The Comfort Of Your Kitchen.
For the series of Foods to prevent and treat diseases, visit http://foodspreventandtreatdiseases.blogspot.ca/p/phytochemicals-in-foods-to-prevent-and.html
For more health articles, please visit http://medicaladvisorjournals.blogspot.ca
Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15681801
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22300765
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20848560
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20026214
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22044877
(6) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21672580
No comments:
Post a Comment