The ingredient in olive oil that makes our throat tingle may help prevent Alzheimer's
Doctors and nutritionists have long associated a Mediterranean diet with good health, including a lower chance of getting Alzheimer's. For example, a recently published study that included 1,800 adults living in New York City showed that among those who adhered to a Mediterranean diet for all 14 years of the study, the rate of Alzheimer's cases was 32%-40% lower than those who did not maintain such a diet.
Virgin olive oil seems to be one of the main factors in reducing the risk. People who adhere to the Mediterranean diet consume about 50 milliliters (about a fifth of a cup) of the green aromatic liquid every morning. At first the researchers assumed that the source of the benefit is the high concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids in the virgin olive oil. However, in 2005, scientists found that the compound oleocanthal, which is naturally found in the oil and creates the sensation of spiciness and burning in the throat, works remarkably similar to ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug. Since then, researchers have turned their attention to the advantage inherent in this unique compound.
Some studies show that oleocanthal interferes with the production of the fibrous protein tangles and amyloid beta protein plaques that form in the brain and play a major role in the neuronal destruction in Alzheimer's disease [see "Seeds of Madness, page 50 of this issue]. A study published in February 2013 in the online issue of the American Chemical Society's "Neuroscience Chemistry", Offers new details on the compound's mode of action. The authors of the article tested the effect of different concentrations of oleocanthal for 3 days on mouse brain cell cultures. Also, in a first experiment of its kind, they gave oleocanthal to live mice daily for two weeks. In both experiments, the concentrations of two proteins that play a central role in moving amyloid beta out of the brain, and of the enzymes that break down amyloid beta, increased significantly.
The researchers also injected beta amyloid into the brains of living mice. Mice given oleocanthal showed accelerated removal and degradation of beta amyloid compared to control groups. "We are trying to better understand the mechanism of action of oleocanthal and maybe in the end we will be able to find a compound that will work in the same way and develop a drug," says Amal K. Kadumi, professor of pharmacy at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and one of the authors of the article. She believes that the findings will find application in the prevention of Alzheimer's more than in the treatment of the disease. She also believes that factors other than the high consumption of olive oil are responsible for the so-called Mediterranean miracle. Factors such as physical training and high consumption of fresh vegetables that is typical of the region.
Oleocanthal is one of several substances with which scientists try to remove beta amyloid from the brain. Among these substances, an old skin cancer drug that in 2012 was found to alleviate Alzheimer's symptoms in mice, and antibodies that bind directly to beta amyloid and eliminate it. "This paper starts to get closer to unique ingredients in healthy foods that really help us," says Kenneth S. Cuzik of the University of California, Santa Barbara.
However, Kuzik adds that until human clinical trials are performed, we should be cautious in interpreting the results. Kadomi's group is trying to get funding for such clinical trials.
The article is published with the approval of Scientific American Israel
3 תגובות
her daughter
Can you point me to one study that supports your strong assertion? And I don't mean a retarded newspaper article.
I would also love to see a study that says not to eat meat at all.
Obviously, eating a lot of meat is not healthy. Eating a lot of potatoes is also not healthy. It is also clear that there are healthy substances in all kinds of plants. They also contain all kinds of dangerous substances. One of the advantages of modern medicine is the ability to produce high amounts of the same beneficial substances without the harmful substances.
Modern medicine has tripled life expectancy. Your nonsense only kills people….
Yeh's daughter
I am fascinated by the way you managed to "slip" an article about olive oil to coconut oil and from there to animals that appear as steak on my plate. If you continue with the same line of thought, you will be able to prove that there is no dark mass. In general, my grandmother, peace be upon her, has long claimed that olives are a living creature, the fact is that goat poop is similar to olives.
Shabbat Shalom
Yehuda
Studies have long shown that coconut oil, in the daily consumption of a few teaspoons, prevents Alzheimer's, and also improves the condition of the patients. And in short, do you want to be healthy? Stop eating animals and switch to a vegetarian diet.