Breakthrough in Alzheimer’s prevention!

Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia that takes so many loved ones away from us every year. While we still see them and if they’re not too bad yet, still talk to them, the person we see is very different from the person we know and love. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s or any other form of dementia but increasing studies are being done to investigate what prevents it.

A study led by Ashok K Shetty, a professor from the Department of Melecular and Cellular Medicine and Director of Neurosciences at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Texas has identified what we think is our favourite Alzheimer’s preventative measure yet. Red wine.

The critical antioxidant, Resveratrol, has been known to prevent heart disease but this study identified that it also has positive effects on the hippocampus, an area of the brain that is critical to functions like memory, learning and our moods.

The sampling tests were carried out on rats and mice – two animals that both go through the ageing process like humans and experience decline of cognitive capacity. They found the those ageing rats and mice treated with Resveratrol had apparent benefits in terms of learning, memory and mood function.

What this has led the researches to believe is that this antioxidant – found in red wine and peanuts may be used as a preventative measure for preventing Alzheimer’s in the future.

I’ll tell you what, if a glass of red a day is all I need to do to get there then I’m more than happy to undertake that preventative medicine program!