Summary SPMs (“specialized pro-resolving mediators”) are a group of compounds that are derived from omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They have been shown to reduce inflammation, which is why they also have beneficial effects on Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is associated with brain inflammation and reduced levels of SPMs. The present study evaluated the effects…
Summary The progression of Alzheimer’s disease is linked to two factors: the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (highly selective barrier that separates blood from the brain) and the dysfunction of mitochondria (organelles placed in the cells that are involved in energy production). Vitamin C has been reported to function as a modulator of blood-brain barrier…
Summary This study evaluated whether omega-3 fatty acids can improve mental performance in patients with Alzheimer´s disease. Mental performance was evaluated in 174 Alzheimer´s disease patients who were given either omega-3 fatty acids or a placebo for 6 months. Subsequently, all participants received omega-3 fatty acids for additional 6 months. The results showed that the…
Summary Omega-3 fatty acids are a key group of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) found in oily fish and fish oils. They have been proven to provide many health benefits, including improving learning and memory. This scientific publication investigated the association between brain function and the intake of fish and polyunsaturated fatty acids. 21 studies with…
Summary The process of Alzheimer’s disease begins years before disease onset. Scientists have therefore stressed the importance to search for strategies that allow the early prevention of this disease. This study evaluated whether omega-3 fatty acids are able to protect memory functions in healthy older adults. In course of the study, 44 healthy individuals aged…
Summary The brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients contain amyloid plaques, which are believed to play a key role in the development of this brain disease. This study tested the ability of resveratrol, a naturally occurring compound found in red wine, peanuts, soy beans and pomegranates, in reducing amyloid plaques. Mice were fed resveratrol for 45…
Summary The present study examined the effect of a micronutrient combination on brain function. The supplement consisted of curcumin, piperine, epigallocatechin gallate, α-lipoic acid, N-acetylcysteine, B vitamins, vitamin C and folate and was administered for 6 months to mice affected by Alzheimer´s disease. The results of this examination revealed that the micronutrient combination improved brain…
Summary Seizures, a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease, are able to accelerate brain dysfunction. According to research, vitamin C deficiency is an important cause of seizures. This study tested the susceptibility to seizures in mice with Alzheimer´s disease and low concentrations of vitamin C in the brain. The researchers found that low vitamin C concentrations increased…
Summary Neuroinflammation, an inflammation of the nervous system, is a characteristic of a multitude of nervous system disorders. This review summarized 61 studies that tested the effect of omega-3 on neuroinflammation in various diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. The results showed that omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and can fight neuroinflammation in this brain disease.…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between diet and Alzheimer’s disease in normal individuals at risk for this disease. Data from 52 people were analyzed. The association between nutrients and brain function was assessed by means of a questionnaire. The researchers found that higher intakes of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish and low-fat…
Summary Research has found that B vitamin treatment slows the decline of brain functions. On this basis, the present study evaluated whether blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids interact with the effects of B vitamin treatment in patients with mental impairment. 266 participants aged 70 years or older were given B vitamins (folic acid, vitamins…
Summary Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia and the most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. This review analyzed epidemiological, dietary intervention and supplementation studies on Alzheimer’s disease. According to the review, the studies supported the role of omega-3 fatty acids in the prevention or delay of mental decline (reduction of brain function)…
Summary The present study evaluated the protective action of resveratrol on oxidative stress (i.e. the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body´s antioxidant defenses) and memory loss induced by amyloid β peptide (Aβ). Aβ is believed to play a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease because of its ability to…
Summary This study evaluated the effect of vitamin D on mental function in elderly people. 80 participants were included and divided into two groups (group A and group B). Group A received a vitamin D supplementation and the participants of group B functioned as controls. Subsequently, dementia and vitamin D levels were assessed. The results…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between vitamin C deficiency and Alzheimer´s disease. The experiments were performed with mice. The results suggested that even moderate vitamin C deficiencies inside the cells play an important role in accelerating the progression of the disease, particularly during early stages. More details can be found in the study. References…
Summary This study analyzed the relationship between blood levels of vitamin E and dementia. Blood levels of vitamin E were investigated in 1033 participants aged 65 years and older. The results showed that higher vitamin E blood levels can provide significant protection against mental impairment and dementia in elderly people. Further details can be found…
Summary Because of its ability to form brain plaques, the amyloid β-protein is believed to play a key role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This study evaluated the effects of arachidonic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, on the deposition of amyloid β-proteins in the brain. For 9 months, mice were treated with a diet…
Summary This study determined if vitamin E, the drug memantine, or a combination of both slow the progression of Alzheimer´s disease. 613 patients affected by Alzheimer´s disease received either vitamin E, memantine, vitamin E and memantine combined, or a placebo. It was discovered that vitamin E administration led to a slower progression of the disease.…
Summary The brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease have an abundance of amyloid plaques, made up of protein fragments. The excessive accumulation of these proteins is believed to be a key mechanism responsible for brain cell death in Alzheimer’s disease. The present study aimed to identify flavonoids (naturally occurring compounds) that could inhibit amyloid plaques-induced…
Summary Homocysteine, an amino acid found in the blood, represents a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. This study evaluated the relationship among homocysteine, Alzheimer’s disease and levels of B vitamins in the blood. 266 participants with cognitive (mental) impairment were given either folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 or a placebo for 2 years.…
Summary This review collected scientific studies on the effects of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on brain function. A large number of studies has reported beneficial effects of dietary DHA supplementations on memory and cognition. In this publication, the authors described the important potential of DHA to preserve neuronal and brain functions. They…
Summary This study investigated the association between blood levels of vitamin E and the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease among older individuals. 232 people without dementia were followed-up to 6 years to detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The investigation revealed that high blood levels of vitamin E were associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease…
Summary This study determined the relationship between dietary intake of vitamin D and dementia. 498 women without dementia, Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias were included. The intakes of vitamin D from the diet were estimated by food questionnaires. The results showed that higher intakes of vitamin D were associated with a lower risk of developing…
Summary Homocysteine, an amino acid found in the blood, is a risk factor for dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a possible early stage of dementia that can involve problems with memory, language, thinking and judgment that are greater than normal age-related changes. This study evaluated whether blood levels of homocysteine can be lowered by…
Summary This study investigated the effects of the natural compound inositol in patients with Alzheimer´s disease. The symptoms associated with this disease include difficulties with memory, language, thinking, orientation, and others. 11 patients were treated with inositol or with glucose for one month. The results showed that inositol significantly improved language and orientation in Alzheimer’s…
Summary Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated or “essential” fatty acids that occur in both foods of animal origin (oily fish) and foods of plant origin (vegetable oils, seaweed, certain nuts and seeds). This study was conducted with older individuals to evaluate the relationship between levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood and brain function.…
Summary Oxidative stress is an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants (i.e. vitamin E). The present study evaluated whether oxidative stress has a role in the progression of cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. Data from 70 patients with mild…
Summary This study investigated blood levels of vitamins and carotenoids in Alzheimer’s patients. Data from patients with Alzheimer’s disease were compared with data from participants without the disease. The results showed that Alzheimer’s patients had significantly lower levels of vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene. In view of this result, the present study is a…
Summary This study evaluated the effects of vitamin B supplementation on dementia, which is a broad category of brain diseases that cause a decline in mental ability. Data from elderly people were analyzed, revealing that B-vitamin supplementation can slow the shrinking of brain regions that are affected by Alzheimer’s disease and that are associated with…
Summary This study evaluated the effects of thiamine (vitamin B1) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Patients received either vitamin B1 or an ineffective placebo for 3 months. 11 participants completed the study. The results demonstrated that vitamin B1 supplementation improved the mental function of Alzheimer’s patients, as compared to those taking a placebo. More details…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between blood levels of vitamin E and mental (cognitive) function. Blood levels of vitamin E were investigated in 168 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, 166 people with mild cognitive impairment (a precursor to Alzheimer’s dementia) and 187 participants with normal mental function. It appeared that low blood levels of vitamin…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and Alzheimer´s disease. Data were collected from 318 participants. The results showed that vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency were associated with Alzheimer´s disease. Further details can be found in the study. References J S Buell, B Dawson-Hughes, T M Scott, D E Weiner, G E Dallal, W Q…
Summary This study evaluated the efficacy of a commonly used medical drug (selegiline) and vitamins in treating Alzheimer´s disease. A total of 341 patients received selegiline, vitamin E, both selegiline and vitamin E or a placebo for two years. It was found that both selegiline and vitamin E were effective in slowing the progression of…
Summary This study examined the effects of the natural compound pycnogenol (pine bark extract) in healthy people. For 3 months, 101 elderly participants were given a daily dose of 150 mg of pycnogenol. At the beginning, during and end of the treatment, the participants completed different mental tasks, comprising memory tests and other measures. The…
Summary This study evaluated the relationship between blood levels of vitamin C and senile dementia, which describes the impairment of cognitive function in elderly people. Vitamin C levels were measured in healthy participants and compared with the vitamin C levels of patients with senile dementia. It turned out that senile dementia patients had very low…