Dietary polypenols may delay onset of Alzheimer’s disease

By David Liu

A diet full of foods high in polyphenols and polyunsaturated fatty acids may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The Spanish study found these food ingredients help produce new brain cells and strengthen neural networks.

Mercedes Unzeta at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) and colleagues reported that mice fed a diet full of polyphenols and fatty acids had more cell growth in the olfactory bulk and the hippocampus, both of which are malfunctioning or damaged in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Polyphenols found in grapes, olive oil, cocoa, nuts and polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fatty fish and vegetables like soy beans may delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease, the researchers said.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an irreversible, progressive brain disease, slowly destroys memory and thinking capability, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks and affect a person's daily life and activities, according to http://www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/adfact.htm.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia among older people. The disease is more often found in people at 60 and older. An estimated 2.4 to 4.5 million Americans are living with the disease.