Luc Viatour [creativecommons license] via Wikimedia CommonsTwo separate groups of researchers are now pursuing edible options for the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. One study carried out by HyunSoon Kim (Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology) and colleagues showed that tomatoes may serve as effective carriers for an oral vaccine against beta-amyloid in mice. Accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the brain leads to neuronal death, which is thought to underlie the neurodegeneration characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. The other group, led by Richard Wurtman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), found that dietary supplements of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), uridine and choline improved learning and memory in gerbils.
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