By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Wheat, the main ingredient in everything from baguettes, doughnuts to three-minute instant noodles, could also be used for combating Alzheimer's disease, Korean scientists said.
In a study published by peer-review journal, Phytotherapy Research, Daegu Catholic University researcher Lee Jong-won and Daegu Haany University's Jang Jung-hee claimed that water extract of wheat could possibly be used to develop treatments and prevent Alzheimer's, as it suppresses the role of beta amyloid in the brain. Beta amyloid is a protein that is considered the building block of Alzheimer's.
These newly found functions of wheat extract also open possibilities for use in developing more efficient treatments for memory improvement, according to the authors.
``Aricept and a number of other drugs produce short-term improvements in memory loss and cognition in Alzheimer's patients, but side effects were an obvious problem,'' Lee said.
``Drugs like Aricept is focused on improving memory assessment through brain cells that are alive, while wheat extract works by preventing brain cells from dying, which would make them complementary to existing treatments and drugs and provide a synergy effect.
``Based on the results of our animal experiments, a 60-kilogram adult wouldn't get any health benefits if he consumed 300 grams of flour a day, but just 5 grams of wheat extract could be just efficient enough, so we believe there is a chance to develop drugs that require only a moderate dosage.''
Alzheimer's is the major dementia disorder among the elderly and affects about 10 percent of adults over the age of 65, according to figures from health authorities.
Beta amyloid is thought to play a major role in killing nerve cells in the brain affected by Alzheimer's by increasing oxidative stress. The accumulation of the protein in brain cells leads to the formation of reactive oxygen species, which results in the protein oxidation that kills the cells.
The researchers found that wheat extracts suppress the formation of reactive oxygen species inside the brain, thus slowing cell death.
The possibility of medical applications was proven through water maze tests on mice, which compared the times it took the animals to reach the escape platform of the maze.
Mice that were injected with beta amyloid nearly recovered the memory of its previous healthy state after a two-week, daily diet of wheat extract, 200 milligrams per kilogram of the animal's weight.
In passive avoidance tests, which measure step through latency, mice fed with 40 milligrams per kilogram for two weeks showed significant memory improvement, the researchers said.
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