A diet rich in polyphenols substances and polyunsaturated fatty acids, known for its antioxidant properties, could delay the onset and progression of Alzheimer's, according to a study by researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). This is because this diet increases the production of stem cells in the brain and the subsequent birth of new neurons.
Research showed more cell proliferation in the brains of mice fed this diet for 40 days (equivalent to five years in a human) than in those fed a standard diet. In both cases studied the two regions where neurons are born-the olfactory bulb and hippocampus, which are specially damaged by Alzheimer's disease. This study, published in the journal "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease" and directed by Mercedes Unzeta, reinforces the hypothesis that a diet based on foods rich in antioxidants could delay the onset of the disease or slow its progress.
Polyphenols are found in foods such as tea, beer, grapes, wine, olive oil, cocoa, nuts and other fruits and veggies. On the other hand, polyunsaturated fatty acids found in oily fish and vegetables such as corn, soybean, sunflower and pumpkin. For this work we have developed a paste comprising a mixture of natural products: nuts, coconut, vegetable oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and soluble fiber-rich meals.
The stem cells generated during brain development different neural cells that will form the adult brain. Until the late sixties, thought that the amount of neurons in adult mammals decreased as they grew old without any possibility of renewal. We now know that there does exist the formation of new neurons, although this ability is restricted to two regions of the brain: the olfactory bulb and hippocampus. We also know that even though the rate of cell proliferation decreases with age and neurodegenerative diseases, exercise and personal fitness situation favor this process.
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