Is the next Alzheimer's breakthrough in your kitchen right now?

Featured in the Mediterranean diet, it's already celebrated for numerous health benefits. But this delicious food could have one more trick up its sleeve—prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's.

I's pretty much one of my "staple" foods. I put it on every salad. I drizzle it on fish. And once I even had it blended into gelato.

I've always known it's good for me—it's central to the Mediterranean diet, which has been linked to a lower risk of stroke, heart disease, and certain cancers. And its anti-inflammatory properties are already well known.

But now my favorite oil is getting some new attention. Because one of the compounds found in olive oil could very well hold the key to halting Alzheimer's.

A team of researchers from the Monell Center and Northwestern University recently discovered that oleocanthal actually alters the structure of neurotoxic proteins (ADDLs) that contribute to Alzheimer's.

These highly toxic proteins link up with the neural synapses (where nerve cells communicate) of the brains of Alzheimer's patients, where they disrupt cell function— leading to memory loss and cell death. This binding is thought to be a crucial first step in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

But it looks like oleocanthal can keep that link-up from happening. It alters the structure of those toxic proteins— actually making them bigger, reducing their ability to bind with synapses.

Now, this research on oleocanthal is pretty preliminary— we're talking strictly lab work here. But it's incredibly promising. Because additional studies have shown that it can protect synapses from structural damage caused by ADDLs. And that it makes ADDLs a stronger target for antibodies.

Only clinical trials will tell for sure, but researchers are already saying this discovery could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's.

I'll keep watching for more news on this potential breakthrough. In the meantime, I'm going to keep loading up on olive oil. Because with this news, and all of the good stuff we already know about it, there's absolutely no reason not to!

Source:

"Natural Compound In Extra-virgin Olive Oil -- Oleocanthal -- May Help Prevent, Treat Alzheimer's," Science Daily (www.sciencedaily.com).

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