Herbs, Turmeric & Fish Efficient In Preventing Alzheimer’s?

India’s herbs may have the solution to preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Australian researchers are working in tandem with doctors from Chennai and Kerala to come up with the ultimate wonder drug that can arrest or delay the cruellest diseases of the elderly — dementia.

“We have discovered the benefits of dietary and lifestyle changes in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr Ralph Martins, an Indian-origin researcher in ageing and Alzheimer’s, based in Australia. “Foods rich in antioxidants — green tea, fish, fish oil, turmeric and even red wine — can soon be used in combination to combat neuro-degenerative diseases,” says Prof Martins, who was recently in Chennai to meet neurologists. Even though south Indians consume turmeric in curries it does not get absorbed sufficiently in the gut, calling for a pill, he adds.

Neurologists, Dr E.S. Krishnamoorthy from Chennai, Dr Benny John from Kerala, and experts from Nimhans, Bengaluru, are working for a formula that can help treat the disease.

While India does not have any comprehensive studies on these conditions, the official estimates are that 3 to 7 million old people may have dementia. “It is now proven that the brain cells in patients with dementia are affected due to toxic proteins called amyloids. The only way to treat Alzheimer’s is to get rid of these substances, and we found that foods with antioxidants can achieve this,” says Dr Martins. Exercise, 30 minutes of walking every day, has been proven to reduce the risk of the disease, and weight training, along with aerobic exercises, promises to alleviate the symptoms in older people.

Australian scientists have also devised equipment that can predict Alzheimer’s disease 20 years before the first symptoms appear. The device analyses images of the person’s brain to look for markers that precede the disease. “However, the machine costs $20,000 to make and it is not a practical option in Indian hospitals. We are now trying to develop a blood cholesterol test that will predict the disease in Indians, but it is a slow process as there are no studies pertaining to Indians,” says Dr Martins.

“The closest we have to an Indian population study is the 50-odd Sikhs from Australia’s west coast who have come forward to be subjects for a pilot study,” he says.

source: deccanchronicle