Learn more about the study and the role that diet has in brain health.
How Alzheimer’s Could Be Prevented by Maple Syrup
A recent study conducted by researchers in Canada and the United States have found that compounds found in maple syrup may protect the brain from the damages caused by Alzheimer’s and related forms of dementia.
Researchers found that an extract of real maple syrup was able to stop the folding in two different types of toxic brain proteins associated with dementia. University of Toronto professor Donald Weaver said:
“One of the theories of Alzheimer’s disease is that there are proteins [beta amyloid and tau peptide, in neurons] which clump up and cause harm to the brain. So we found that a particular extract from maple syrup prevented this clumping.”
The study was presented by Dr. Donald Weaver as part of a two-day symposium at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Using Diet to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease
Researchers cautioned against self-medicating with maple syrup, however. Further studies are needed to see if the compounds can have the same effect on brain health when ingested. It is also important to note that research found a highly refined extract from maple syrup was beneficial in reducing the effects of Alzheimer’s and other researchers are cautioning against using maple syrup to treat dementia due to its high sugar content.
Though, researcher Dr. Navindra Seeram acknowledges the power of diet in brain health stating, “Natural food products such as green tea, red wine, berries, curcumin and pomegranates continue to be studied for their potential benefits in combating Alzheimer’s disease.”
Previous studies have suggested following the MIND Diet, which features berries, fish, nuts, olive oil, poultry and vegetables, can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by as much as 50%.
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