Cinnamon extract may prevent or cure Alzheimer's disease

Anat Frydman-Marom at Tel Aviv University and colleagues suggest in a report recently published in PLoS ONE that taking cinnamon extract supplements may help prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD) and help correct cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's patients.

Frydman-Marom et al. found that a cinnamon extract tested in their study was able to inhibit the formation of toxic Aβ oligomers and prevent the toxicity of Aβ on neuronal PC12 cells in Alzheimer's Disease model mice.

A growing body of evidence indicates that accumulation of soluble oligomeric units of β-amyloid polypeptide (Aβ) is associated with the pathology of Alzheimer's disease and some particular oligomers are linked with impaired cognitive function in AD mice, according to the background information in the report.

Specifically, the researchers found the cinnamon extract when taken orally rectified reduced longevity, fully corrected locomotion defects and completely removed tetrameric species of the amyloid polypeptide from the brains of the Alzheimer's disease mice.

In addition, the orally administered cinnamon extract decreased the amount of amyloid polypeptide oligomers, reduced plagues and improved cognitive behavior in an aggressive AD mice model.

There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease, according to the U.S. government. The disease affects more than five million Americans, according to American Health Assistance Foundation.

David Liu, Ph.D.

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