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Public release date: 23-Jan-2006
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-01/jws-bbb011906.php
Contact: Amy Molnar
[log in to unmask]
201-748-8844
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
British blackcurrants beat Alzheimer's
Research news in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Compounds in blackcurrants could prevent Alzheimer's disease and the
characteristics of British berries suggest they do it best, writes
Jennifer Rohn in Chemistry & Industry magazine.
New research led by Dilip Ghosh of the Horticulture and Food Research
Institute in New Zealand, shows that compounds in blackcurrants have a
potent protective effect in cultured neuronal cells against the types of
stress caused by dopamine and amyloid-b, a peptide associated with
Alzheimer's disease.
'These compounds also work in hippocampal cells taken straight from the
brain,' researcher James Joseph of Tufts University told Chemistry &
Industry. Joseph says that the effect will likely be reproduced in the
human body and that blackcurrants could help prevent or significantly
delay the onset of Alzheimer's.
Blackcurrants and boysenberries, more common in the US, both contain
anthocyanins and polyphenolics. British blackcurrants are bred to be
darker, which means they have more anthocyanins and are likely to be
more potent.
Compounds from these berries are already known to act as antioxidants,
but a role in neuroprotection has not been demonstrated previously,
according to the researchers.
The mechanism of action is unclear. But James said: 'We have evidence
that the compounds protect against Alzheimer's by influencing the early
gene expression in learning and memory, which influences cell signaling
pathways that help neuronal cells communicate with each other.'
Dilip's team recently demonstrated the potent protective effect of
blackcurrant compounds on cultured human promyeloyte and neuroblastoma
cells assaulted by hydrogen peroxide (JSFA doi: 10.1002/jsfa.0247).
###
Article: "Effects of anthocyanins and other phenolics of boysenberry and
blackcurrant as inhibitors of oxidative stress and damage to cellular
DNA in SY-SY5Y and HY-60 cells" by D. Ghosh et. al JSFA, 10.1002/jsfa.2409.
--
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD < [log in to unmask] >
"Ask the Parkinson Dietitian" http://www.parkinson.org/
"Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease"
"Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy"
http://www.nutritionucanlivewith.com/
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