FIGHT AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE , NEW RESEARCH ON WALNUT
A new animal study
published in the Journal of Alzheimer's
Diseaseindicates that a diet including walnuts may have a
beneficial effect in reducing the risk, delaying the onset, slowing the
progression of, or preventing Alzheimer's disease.
Research led by Abha
Chauhan, PhD, head of the Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory at the New York
State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities (IBR), found
significant improvement in learning skills, memory, reducing anxiety, and motor
development in mice fed a walnut-enriched diet.
The researchers
suggest that the high antioxidant content of walnuts (3.7 mmol/ounce) may have
been a contributing factor in protecting the mouse brain from the degeneration
typically seen in Alzheimer's disease. Oxidative stress and inflammation are
prominent features in this disease, which affects more than five million
Americans.
"These findings
are very promising and help lay the groundwork for future human studies on
walnuts and Alzheimer's disease -- a disease for which there is no known
cure," said lead researcher Dr. Abha Chauhan, PhD. "Our study adds to
the growing body of research that demonstrates the protective effects of
walnuts on cognitive functioning."
The research group
examined the effects of dietary supplementation on mice with 6 percent or 9
percent walnuts, which are equivalent to 1 ounce and 1.5 ounces per day,
respectively, of walnuts in humans. This research stemmed from a previous cell
culture study led by Dr. Chauhan that highlighted the protective effects of
walnut extract against the oxidative damage caused by amyloid beta protein.
This protein is the major component of amyloid plaques that form in the brains
of those with Alzheimer's disease.
Someone in the United
States develops Alzheimer's disease every 67 seconds, and the number of
Americans with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are expected to rapidly
escalate in coming years as the baby boom generation ages. By 2050, the number
of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer's disease may nearly triple, from
five million to as many as 16 million, emphasizing the importance of
determining ways to prevent, slow or stop the disease. Estimated total payments
in 2014 for all individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias are
$214 billion.
Walnuts have other
nutritional benefits as they contain numerous vitamins and minerals and are the
only nut that contains a significant source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) (2.5
grams per ounce), an omega-3 fatty acid with heart and brain-health benefits.
The researchers also suggest that ALA may have played a role in improving the
behavioral symptoms seen in the study.
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