Grape Antioxidant Exerts Protective Effect Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Previously, studies have suggested that increased consumption of antioxidant compounds, such as polyphenols present in grape seeds, may protect against cognitive decline such as Alzheimer’s Disease.  Giulio Maria Pasinetti, from Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York, USA), and colleagues report dfata from a lab animal model that shows a selective decrease in the neurotoxin A[beta]*56, a specific form of [beta]-amyloid (A[beta]) peptide, a substance in the brain long known to cause the neurotoxicity associated with Alzheimer disease, following grape-derived polyphenols treatment.   The researchers dministered grape seed polyphenolic extracts to mice genetically determined to develop memory deficits and A[beta] neurotoxins similar to those found in Alzheimer’s disease, and found that the brain content of A[beta]*56 was substantially reduced after treatment.  The team submits that:  “These results … strongly suggest that [grape seed polyphenolic extract] should be further tested as a potential prevention and/or therapy for [Alzheimer’s Disease].”