No Alzheimer's cure is existent. But researchers have discovered a molecule that may be potentially used not only as a Alzheimer's preventative, but as an Alzheimer's treatment as well, according to a study scheduled to be published next week in PLoS Biology.

Dr. Leila Luheshi at the University of Cambridge and colleagues in Sweden found in their laboratories that this molecule cured fruit flies engineered to develop a fly version of Alzheimer's disease.

They further found that this molecule not only prevented the Alzheimer's causing toxic protein from building up in the brain, but also reverse the process leading to the disease.

The toxic protein known as amyloid β (Aβ) peptide can unfold and aggregate to form amyloid plaques causing Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia or neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of Americans.

According to the background information provided by the authors, animal model studies have already shown that aggregation of this amyloid peptide caused memory impairment and cognitive deficits which are similar to what are found in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The molecule designed by scientists in Sweden is an Affibody, which can bind other proteins. A laboratory study shows this protein can bind to the amyloid peptide preventing it from forming amyloid plaques and breaking up any plaques that have already formed.

In another experiment, the researchers genetically engineered fruit flies to produce the Affibody and they crossed these flies with other flies prone to having the disease.They found the offspring did not develop the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia among older adults, affects parts of the brain that are linked to thinking, remembering and making decisions. It can affect a person's everyday life. There is no cure for the disease.  

An estimated 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease, which occurs often in people aged 60 or older.  About 5 percent of men and women aged 65 to 74 in the  United States suffer Alzheimer's disease. 

Doctors don't know what cause Alzheimer's disease. But some believe that genetics may play a role in the disease and high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes may also have something to do with the disease.

Alzheimer's disease symptoms include memory loss, difficulty planning or solving problems or completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure, confusion with time or place, difficulty understanding visual images and spatial relationships, problems with speaking or writing words, misplacing things, poor judgement, withdrawal from work or social activities, and changes in mood and personality among others.

Don't wait to get Alzheimer's disease and then try to treat it.  The disease is irreversible. Once you get it, all you can do is palliative.  So an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Luckily, there is something you can do to minimize your risk even though you can't alter your genetics. Some environmental parameters have been linked to the risk of the disease, some raise the risk and others decrease it.

Some lifestyle parameters that reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease include exercise, drinking coffee,dietary supplement including choline, uridine, docosahexaenoic acid or DHA; green tea, curry, calorie restrction, Grape seed extract , red wine compound known as resveratrol, mediterrnean diet, Vitamin D, curcumin , and eating garlic. 

Some risk factors for the disease include Diet rich in methionine, concussions, Obesity and overweight, High blood sugar , and aluminum sulfate among others.

By David Liu