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Alzheimer's help - updates - melatonin - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Better Nutrition, May, 2002

A research study has concluded that melatonin may stave off Alzheimer's disease. The American Chemical Society journal Biochemistry reported Dec. 11, 2001 that melatonin--a natural hormone commonly used to treat jet lag--reverses the formation of a protein complex that is typical of Alzheimer's disease.

In the study, researchers successfully blocked the formation of the protein amyloid beta, which is toxic to nerve cells, with melatonin. Quoted in a report released by the Dietary Supplement Information Bureau after the study was published, Dr. Miguel Pappolla of the USA Medical Center and the University of South Alabama in Mobile was cautiously optimistic. "These exciting findings mandate much more research before we can convincingly state melatonin can halt or prevent Alzheimer's disease," Pappolla says. Statistics from a 1993 survey pro-vided by the Chicago-based Alzheimer's Association indicate that approximately 4 million Americans have the disease and 19 million have a family member with the disease. The number of afflicted people worldwide is expected to grow to 22 million by the year 2025.

On the heels of this promising news about Alzheimer's research comes news of another study. Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas have found that cherries--specifically the tart Montmorency variety--are a significant source of melatonin. The next step for the scientists will be to determine how much melatonin is available to the human body after consuming cherries. This will allow researches to calculate the ideal amount of fruit that should be consumed for the greatest health benefits.

COPYRIGHT 2002 PRIMEDIA Intertec, a PRIMEDIA Company. All Rights Reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group

 

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