Dietary Nutrients and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease

Abstract

: Alzheimer’s disease is an irrevocable, progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and cognitive skills. One of the extensively studied method of preventing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) disease progression is by providing nutritional diet. Several reports have shown that intake of nutritional elements as huperzine A, ursolic acid, vitamins etc. can directly influence pathogenesis of AD. Surprisingly, occurrence of metabolic disorders due to unhealthy diet has been known to be a major environmental causes for AD. It has been noted that AD disease severity can be controlled by supplementing dietary supplements containing huge amounts of health-promoting ingredients. These elements promote cell health, regeneration, and the anti-aging process that specifically interrupt the pathogenic pathways in AD development. Fortunately, incorporating changes in the nutritional content is inexpensive, easy, acceptable, safe, effective, and in most cases free from major adverse events. Many nutritional phytoconstituents such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids are still being evaluated in the hope of identifying a successful therapy for AD. This review discusses the therapeutical potential of several key nutrients that have been researched for treating AD treatment and the method of their neuroprotective intervention.

Huperzine A and Its Neuroprotective Molecular Signaling in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…These conditions impose great monetary and emotional costs on patients and their caregivers. HupA is approved as the drug of choice for Alzheimer's disease (AD) treatment in China and as a dietary supplement in the United States [29,30], as intake can improve AD pathogenesis [31]. Due to its potent AChEI activity, HupA is used as a treatment for AD.…”

The Neuroprotective Potentiality of Flavonoids on Alzheimer’s Disease

“…Flavonoids are a wide group of secondary metabolites characterized by many interesting biological potentials, both in vitro and in vivo (such as anticancer, antioxidant, antiaging, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory activities, along with modulation of the activity of key metabolic enzymes, cytoprotective and cardioprotective potentials, and inhibition of cellular proliferation, for example) and, in the last decades, they have emerged as a promising agents for neuroprotection [ 58 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ]. In a recent epidemiologic study, Shishtar et al [ 69 ] analyzed long-term dietary flavonoid intake and risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias in the Framingham Offspring Cohort, with a total of 5209 participants aged 28–62 years in the original cohort.…”

“…The ability of flavonoids to cross the blood–brain barrier suggests that these compounds can feasibly have a direct effect on the brain. Numerous studies have documented the bioactivity of flavonoids against neurodegenerative disorders such as AD, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, and other neurological disorders [ 51 , 58 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 91 , 92 , 93 ]. Regarding AD treatment, there is still no significantly efficient drug that can reduce the progression or improve the outcome of the disease [ 94 , 95 ].…”