[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text margin_bottom=”5″ css=”.vc_custom_1525899319708{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]We’ve learned how the importance of maintaining a healthy diet throughout life plays a major role in preventing Alzheimer’s and dementia, but now scientists have found that a specific root vegetable could actually slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. A compound in beets that gives it its distinctive red color could eventually help slow the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain, a process that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists say this discovery could lead to the development of drugs that could alleviate some of the long-term effects of the disease, the world’s leading cause of dementia.
Researchers presented this finding on March 20th at the 255th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
The data suggests that betanin, a compound in beet extract, shows some promise as an inhibitor of certain chemical reactions in the brain that are involved in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Experts caution that this is only the first step, they are hopeful that these findings will encourage the scientific community to seek out structures similar to betanin that could be used to make drugs to treat Alzheimer’s sufferers.
Scientists are still trying to discern what causes Alzheimer’s, a progressive and irreversible brain disorder. The lead suspect is beta-amyloid, a sticky protein fragment, or peptide, that accumulates in the brain, disrupting communication between brain cells. Damage occurs when beta-amyloid attach themselves to metals such as iron or copper. These metals can cause beta-amyloid peptides to misfold and bind together in clumps that can promote inflammation and oxidation — a process similar to rusting — in nearby neurons, eventually killing them.
Previous research suggests that beetroot juice can improve oxygen flow to the aging brain and possibly improve cognitive performance. Building on this work, Li-June Ming, Ph.D, Darrell Cole Cerrato and colleagues at the University of South Florida wanted to find out if betanin, a beet compound used in commercial dyes that readily binds to metals, could block the effects of copper on beta-amyloid and, in turn, prevent the misfolding of these peptides and the oxidation of neurons.
In laboratory studies, the researchers discovered that when betanin was added to the copper-bound beta-amyloid mixture oxidation dropped by as much as 90 percent. This significant drop suggests that misfolding of the peptides was potentially suppressed.
“Less oxidation could prevent misfolding to a certain degree, perhaps even to the point that it slows the aggregation of beta-amyloid peptides, which is believed to be the ultimate cause of Alzheimer’s,” said Darrell Cole Cerrato, a researcher at the University of Florida who took part in this study, Phys Org reported.
Beets have long been heralded as beneficial for brain health. A study1 in 2017 revealed that older individuals who drank beetroot juice before exercising experienced increased brain connectivity and better cognition when compared with peers who didn’t drink beetroot juice prior to workouts.
Obviously, more research will need to be conducted to determine the full potential of beets’ curative potential in preventing Allzheimer’s and dementia. In the meantime, popping by your local juice bar and picking up some beet juice, the addition of ginger makes it more palatable, can’t hurt.
1https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/72/9/1284/2452303[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]