In case you needed an excuse to make your food flavorful (ahem, some of you know who you are), new research indicates that some ingredients you already have in your kitchen may be able to help fight Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
Certain herbs and spices are found to contain a special compound that's been shown in tests to reverse memory loss, reduce brain inflammation and more. What are they and what do we know about this promising development so far? Read on to find out!
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Shakespeare lovers may recognize Ophelia's quote, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance."
As it turns out, rosemary may also be for remembering.
A new study from The Scripps Research Institute reports that carnosic acid, a compound found in rosemary and sage, drastically improved brain function in mice.
The study, published in the journal Antioxidants, notes that when mice were given a stable form of carnosic acid, they showed a significant drop in brain inflammation, which is a major factor in Alzheimer's and dementia.
The mice also showed dramatically improved memory when researchers administered the carnosic acid.
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"By combating inflammation and oxidative stress with this diAcCA compound, we actually increased the number of synapses in the brain," senior study author Dr. Stuart Lipton, MD, Ph.D., Step Family Foundation Endowed Chair at Scripps Research, professor and clinical neurologist in La Jolla, California, said in a statement. "We also took down other misfolded or aggregated proteins such as phosphorylated-tau and amyloid-β, which are thought to trigger Alzheimer's disease and serve as biomarkers of the disease process."
Dr. Lipton and his team previously found antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties in carnosic acid, but because the substance is unstable (meaning likely to break down, decompose or otherwise change), it would prove tough to actually use in a drug.
In the new study, Dr. Lipton and his fellow researchers developed compounds from carnosic acid derivatives to find a more stable compound that produced the same results, which may later work in a drug. They monitored the mice for three months using the new compounds, which proved promising.
OK cool, but what does all that mean?
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How Do Rosemary and Sage Fight Alzheimer's?
According to Dr. Lipton, in addition to anti-inflammatory properties, the carnosic acid derivative compounds reduced plaque and tau proteins in the brain to healthy levels.
"We did multiple different tests of memory, and they were all improved with the drug," Dr. Lipton said. "And it didn’t just slow down the decline; it improved virtually back to normal.” Analysis of tissues also showed increased neuronal synaptic density and decreased formation of phosphorylated-tau aggregates and amyloid-β plaques."
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The carnosic acid and its derivatives were also reportedly quite well-tolerated, meaning there would likely be few negative side effects if used in Alzheimer's or dementia drugs, though quite a bit more work needs to be done before that happens. That said, Dr. Lipton is optimistic that because the mice in his studies showed so few side effects, human trials on it may come sooner rather later.
Dr. Lipton also believes that, if nothing else, adding these compounds to existing medicines for conditions like diabetes, Parkinson's disease and heart disease may make them better tolerated than before.
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Sources
“diAcCA, a Pro-Drug for Carnosic Acid That Activates the Nrf2 Transcriptional Pathway, Shows Efficacy in the 5xFAD Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease.” Antioxidants. Read More Details
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