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Early effects of Alzheimer's disease can be slowed or even reversed with the help of a healthy diet, according to Temple University researchers.In a previous study, researchers led by Domenico Pratico, associate professor of pharmacology in the Temple School of Medicine, demonstrated that a diet rich in methionine could increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Methionine is an amino acid typically found in red meat, fish, beans, eggs, garlic, lentils, onions, curd and seeds.
"The question we asked now as a follow-up is if, for whatever reason, you had made bad choices in your diet, is there a chance you can slow down or even reverse the disease or is it too late - that there is nothing you could do," said Pratico.
As in the previous study, the researchers fed one group of mice a diet high in methionine and another group a regular, healthy diet.
After three months, they split the group receiving the methionine-rich diet into two, with one group continuing the amino-heavy diet while the second switched to the healthy diet for an additional two months.
"At the end of the study, when we looked at these mice, what we found - very surprisingly - was that switching to a more healthy diet reversed the cognitive impairment that had built up over the first three months of eating the methionine-rich diet," said Pratico.
This improvement was associated with less amyloid plaque - another sign of the disease - in their brains.
Pratico said that the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mental decline that had been observed in the mice after three months on the methionine-rich diet was completely reversed after two months on the healthier diet, and they were now able to function normally.
"We believe this finding shows that, even if you suffer from the early effects of MCI or Alzheimer's, switching to a healthier diet that is lower in methionine could be helpful in that memory capacity could be improved," he said, according to a Temple University release.
The study is slated for publication in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
Source - IANS
Image Source - Pexels
