.jpeg%3Ftrim%3D71%2C0%2C31%2C0%26width%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
Natural compound found in popular hot drink could protect brain against Alzheimer's, study finds
The research, published in the journal GeroScience, identifies two natural compounds, nicotinamide – a form of vitamin B3 – and an antioxidant found in green tea called epigallocatechin gallate, which help restore a key molecule that fuels energy production in brain cells.
Researchers found that nerve cells treated with these compounds not only experienced reversal of age -related decline but also an enhanced ability to clear away amyloid protein clusters, a hallmark feature of Alzheimer 's.
'As people age, their brains show a decline in neuronal energy levels, which limits the ability to remove unwanted proteins and damaged components,' said Gregory Brewer, lead author of the study.
'We found that restoring energy levels helps neurons regain this critical cleanup function,' Dr Brewer said.
Researchers used a fluorescent molecule to track live guanosine triphosphate levels in neurons from aged mice showing signs of Alzheimer 's.
Scientists found that the levels of energy-rich molecules GTP declined with age – particularly in the cells' mitochondria – leading to impaired elimination of cells with damaged components in a process called autophagy.
While it is known that autophagy, the cell's natural clean-up process, plays a key role in maintaining the health of tissues and organs, what part of ageing causes impairment in this process remains elusive.
When aged nerve cells were treated for just 24 hours with the study molecules nicotinamide and epigallocatechin gallate, the GTP levels were restored to levels typically seen in younger cells.
'Our results reveal age and AD-related neuronal GTP energy deficits that impair autophagy,' scientists wrote.
The molecules also improved energy metabolism within these cells, as well as efficient clearance of amyloid beta clusters.
'By supplementing the brain's energy systems with compounds that are already available as dietary supplements, we may have a new path toward treating age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease,' Dr Brewer said.
'This study highlights GTP as a previously under-appreciated energy source driving vital brain functions,' he added.
Researchers cautioned that more studies are required to find the best way to administer the compounds as treatment.
A recent study also showed that nicotinamide was not very effective when taken orally due to its inactivation in the bloodstream.
However, the findings point to promising strategies to rescue neurons in the brain's hippocampus from energy deficits related to ageing and Alzheimer's disease, researchers say.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
9 minutes ago
- Reuters
Health Rounds: Human fetal kidney development mimicked in test tubes
Aug 20 (Reuters) - This is an excerpt of the Health Rounds newsletter, where we present latest medical studies on Tuesdays and Thursdays. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here. Researchers are a step closer to learning how congenital kidney defects develop in the fetus and how they might be prevented, a new report shows. For the first time, they can watch miniature human fetal kidneys develop in test tubes over periods that simulate the course of a pregnancy. So-called kidney organoids have been grown in test tubes before, but only starting with pluripotent stem cells – immature cells found in early embryos that can differentiate into any cell type in the body but without the tissue-specific characteristics that would allow them to perform an organ's specialized functions. In contrast, the new organoids are grown in test tubes using the same fetal progenitor stem cells that are destined to develop into human kidneys. These cells are capable of building, maintaining and repairing specific organs – in this case, the kidneys. While kidney organoids grown from pluripotent stem cells have survived in test tubes for weeks, the new organoids built from the human fetal kidney stem cells can survive and grow for six to eight months, essentially allowing researchers to observe human kidney development as it would happen during a pregnancy, the research team reported in The EMBO Journal, opens new tab. 'Once we had the tissue stem cells coming from the developing human kidney in the Petri dish, they did the job because this is what they do in nature,' said Dr. Benjamin Dekel of Safra Children's Hospital at Sheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv University, who led the research. 'The cells are self-assembling. They know how to self-organize and how to self-renew, (that is) make copies of themselves,' Dekel said. At the same time, Dekel continued, the cells begin to differentiate, developing qualities that make them appropriate for different roles. Researchers can watch as kidney tubules, ducts, blood vessels and other renal tissues are formed. In his clinical practice, Dekel treats children with kidney diseases. He hopes eventually to use the organoids to study kidney malformations and to isolate genes that lead to birth defects, develop new treatments in the field of regenerative medicine and test the toxicity of drugs during pregnancy on fetal kidneys. In the meantime, he said, it's frustrating to watch as patients' chronic kidney disease worsen into end-stage renal disease. 'Then we need to give them a kidney transplant or to put them on dialysis, which is really a very poor solution,' he said. New findings help explain why experimental treatments for cancers caused by human papillomavirus infections have been less than effective, researchers say. The most common cancer-causing strain of HPV undermines the body's defenses by reprogramming immune cells surrounding the tumor, earlier research has shown. Blocking this process can boost the ability of experimental treatments for HPV to eliminate cancer cells, according to a report published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, opens new tab. While vaccines exist to prevent HPV infections, researchers have failed to develop effective 'therapeutic vaccines' for use after HPV infections have occurred – and the new study helps explain why. Experimental therapeutic vaccines target HPV-infected cells with immune cells known as T-cells. But in tests in mice and cell cultures, researchers found that two HPV proteins, E6 and E7, prompt nearby cells to release a protein called IL-23 that prevents the body's T-cells from attacking the tumor. 'In order to eliminate the cancer, T-cells need to proliferate and destroy infected cells. But IL-23 stops them from working effectively, so the tumor keeps growing,' study leader W. Martin Kast of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California said in a statement. Drugs that inhibit IL-23 are already approved for treating psoriasis and other conditions, the researchers said. 'The fact that these antibodies are already FDA-approved for something else makes this approach promising — and it also allows for rapid translation into the clinic,' Kast said. He and his team are now developing their own therapeutic vaccine, which they will test in combination with antibodies that block IL-23. IL-23 is also found at high levels in testicular and bladder cancers, the researchers noted, adding that further research is needed to clarify what role IL-23 plays in those diseases. Hearing loss is a known risk factor for dementia, but early intervention might lower that risk, a new study suggests. Researchers performed hearing tests in nearly 3,000 volunteers without dementia who were at least 60 years old. Over the next 20 years, the researchers saw a 61% lower risk for eventual dementia among those with newly diagnosed hearing loss who started wearing hearing aids before age 70, compared to participants diagnosed with hearing impairment at a similar age who did not get hearing aids, they reported in JAMA Neurology, opens new tab. Hearing aid use did not appear to protect against dementia in people diagnosed with a hearing problem after age 70, however. 'Only 17% of individuals with moderate to severe hearing loss use hearing aids,' the researchers noted. 'Our study underscores the importance of early intervention' to reduce the risk of dementia associated with hearing loss, they concluded. To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here.
The Guardian
38 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Women with Alzheimer's have unusually low omega fatty acid levels, study finds
Women should ensure they are getting enough omega fatty acids in their diets according to researchers, who found unusually low levels of the compounds in female patients with Alzheimer's disease. The advice follows an analysis of blood samples from Alzheimer's patients and healthy individuals, which revealed levels of unsaturated fats, such as those containing omega fatty acids, were up to 20% lower in women with the disease. The low levels were not seen in men with Alzheimer's, suggesting there may be sex differences in how the disease takes hold and affects a person's physiology. 'The difference between the sexes was the most shocking and unexpected finding,' said Dr Cristina Legido-Quigley, a senior author on the study at King's College London published in the Alzheimer's & Dementia journal. 'There's an indication that having less of these compounds could be causal in Alzheimer's, but we need a clinical trial to confirm that.' Alzheimer's disease is twice as common in women as in men. Factors including women's longer average lifespan, differences in hormones, immune responses and educational opportunities can all play a role in the development of the disease. In the latest study, researchers analysed the levels of lipids, which are fatty compounds, in the blood of 306 people with Alzheimer's, 165 people with mild cognitive impairment and 370 people who were cognitively healthy controls. Lipids can be saturated or unsaturated, with the former considered unhealthy and the latter broadly healthy. Women with Alzheimer's disease had higher levels of saturated lipids and lower levels of unsaturated lipids than cognitively healthy women, a pattern not seen in men. Legido-Quigley said that if changes in the liver or metabolism were responsible, less omega fatty acids would probably be reaching women's brains. 'And these lipids feed the brain,' she added. Diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as the Mediterranean diet, have long been linked to health benefits for the heart, brain and other organs. One study from 2022 found that middle-aged people with higher blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had better cognitive function than others. Several trials have found that giving older people omega-3 supplements did not improve their cognitive function or boost mental capacity in those already diagnosed with dementia. Legido-Quigley wants to see a clinical trial established to test whether supplements can delay Alzheimer's disease specifically in women with low levels of unsaturated fatty acids, adding that the drop may start to appear when women are in their 50s. In the meantime, she said women should ensure they are getting omega fatty acids in their diets. There are three essential omega-3 fatty acids, known as ALA, DHA and EPA. ALA is found in plant-based foods such as chia seeds, flaxseed and walnuts. DHA and EPA primarily come from fish. The NHS recommends eating two 140g servings of fish a week, with one being an oily fish, to get enough DHA and EPA. Dr Julia Dudley at Alzheimer's Research UK, which co-funded the study, said more work was needed to unpick the mechanisms behind the sex difference and discover whether lifestyle changes, including diet, could have a role in preventing the disease. 'Understanding how the disease works differently in women could help doctors tailor future treatments and health advice,' she added.
Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Do YOU have one of the new allergies experts want added to labels? Scientists urge caution over eight more foods as anaphylaxis cases soar
The number of people diagnosed with a food allergy in the UK has skyrocketed in recent years with foods not currently on the mandatory list causing fatal allergic reactions, experts warn in a concerning new study. Food packaging in the UK and EU has to list the most common allergens for people to be aware of by law, including peanuts, sesame and cereals containing gluten. But now scientists are calling for at least four more to be added to the mandatory list, with allergic reactions to foods such as pine nuts and goat's milk putting sufferers at serious risk of deadly anaphylaxis. After analysing nearly 3,000 cases, researchers say goat's and sheep's milk, buckwheat, peas and lentils, and pine nuts should be added to the current 14—based on their frequency, severity and potential for hidden exposure. According to the researchers, kiwi, beehive products including wax, pollen and honey, apple and alpha-gal which is found in red meat such as beef should also be considered serious emerging allergens. Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is a medical emergency and can be fatal if not treated quickly. Symptoms can appear quickly, causing the throat to swell, often leading to unconsciousness and even death within minutes. The most effective treatment is an injection of adrenaline, with sufferers of severe allergies encouraged to carry an auto-injector such as an EpiPen with them in case of an emergency. In the current study, researchers from the Allergy Vigilance Network, identified 413 anaphylaxis cases caused by one of eight 'emerging food allergens' without mandatory labelling, including two deaths caused by goat's and sheep's milk. Professor Domonique Sabouraud-Leclerc, study co-author, said: 'We believe it is time to review the list of 14 foods with mandatory labeling to include at least the most severe of these emerging food allergens.' Perhaps most concerningly, researchers found that allergic reactions to these emerging allergens occur more frequently than those to mustard and sulphites—both of which feature on the mandatory list. They concluded: 'Given the severity and recurrence of anaphylaxis, and the possible presence of the allergen in masked form, we propose that goat's and sheep's milk, buckwheat, peas and lentils, and pine nuts be considered for inclusion in the European mandatory labelling of foods list.' The Foods Standards Agency says it acknowledges there are a significant number of foods that can cause allergies and intolerances. Dr James Cooper, told the BBC: 'This is why pre-packed foods must list all ingredients, why food businesses must provide clear information about allergens and why we encourage consumers to speak up about their allergens.' The call to action comes after a series of high-profile tragedies linked to undeclared allergens on packaging. On 17 July 2016, 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died after eating a Pret a Manger baguette containing undeclared sesame seeds. Her death triggered the introduction of a new food and safety law in 2021, known as Natasha's law, which necessitates full ingredient and allergen labelling on all food made on premises and pre-packed for direct sale.
