Alzheimer's, Grape Seed Extract, & Red Wine,

The Society for Neuroscience issued a news release about a study intoday's issue of *The Journal of Neuroscience*:Study indicates grape seed extract may reduce cognitive declineassociated with Alzheimer's diseaseNutritional supplement as effective as red wine in preventing amyloidbeta plaque build upA compound found in grape seed extract reduces plaque formation andresulting cognitive impairment in an animal model of Alzheimer'sdisease, new research shows. The study appears in the June 18 issue ofThe Journal of Neuroscience.Lead study author Giulio Pasinetti, MD, PhD, of Mount Sinai School ofMedicine and colleagues found that the grape seed extract preventsamyloid beta accumulation in cells, suggesting that it may block theformation of plaques. In Alzheimer's disease, amyloid beta accumulatesto form toxic plaques that disrupt normal brain function.The researchers tested a grape seed polyphenolic extract product sold asMegaNatural-AZ, made by Polyphenolics, which in part supported thestudy. Polyphenolic compounds are antioxidants naturally found in wine,tea, chocolate, and some fruits and vegetables. To determine whether theextract could mitigate the effects of Alzheimer's disease, theresearchers used mice genetically modified to develop a conditionsimilar to Alzheimer's disease. They exposed pre-symptomatic"Alzheimer's mice" to the extract or placebo daily for five months. Thedaily dose of the polyphenolic extract was equivalent to the averageamount of polyphenolics consumed by a person on a daily basis.After the five-month period, Alzheimer's mice were at an age at whichthey normally develop signs of disease. However, the extract exposurereduced amyloid beta accumulation and plaque formation in brains ofAlzheimer's mice and also reduced cognitive decline: compared toplacebo, extract-exposed Alzheimer's mice showed improved spatialmemory. These data suggest that before symptoms begin, the grape seedextract may prevent or postpone plaque formation and slow cognitivedeterioration associated with Alzheimer's disease.Moderate consumption of red wine--approximately one glass for women andtwo glasses for men, according to the Food and Drug Administration--andits constituent grape compounds has reported health benefits,particularly for cardiovascular function. Pasinetti previously foundthat red wine reduced cognitive decline in mice genetically modified todevelop Alzheimer's disease. In subsequent studies, Pasinetti andcolleagues have attempted to isolate which of the nearly 5,000 moleculescontained in red wine are important in disease prevention. "Our intentis to develop a highly tolerable, nontoxic, orally available treatmentfor the prevention and treatment of Alzeheimer's dementia," Pasinetti said."The potential of natural compounds to provide real health benefits tobrain function is only now beginning to be realized by brainresearchers. The lesson they may eventually learn is that sometimes youjust can't improve upon Mother nature," said Gary Arendash, PhD, of TheByrd Alzheimer's Institute, an expert unaffiliated with the study.Chemical analysis showed that the major polyphenol components in thestudy's grape seed extract product are catechin and epicatechin, whichare also abundant in tea and cocoa. These components differ fromresveratrol, a polyphenol that has been reported to reduce amyloid betasecretion in cells and generally increase lifespan by mimicking calorierestriction. Resveratrol appears to be effective only at extremely highdoses, which may limit its use in people. In contrast, the catechins inthe extract product studied appear to be effective at much lower doses.Karen Hsiao Ashe, MD, PhD, at the University of Minnesota andMinneapolis VA Medical Center, another expert unaffiliated with thestudy, cautioned that additional research must be completed before thesefindings translate to a human population. "Unanswered questionspertaining to the polyphenolic extract's use in humans to preventAlzheimer's disease include: when to start taking it, for how long, howmuch to take, and most importantly, how does a person know if it ishelping to prevent the aggregation of amyloid beta protein in the brain?These questions must be answered before polyphenolics can be recommendedas a preventive measure for Alzheimer's disease," Ashe said.