Saffron, vitamin B12 and Hericium Erinaceus can be useful to fight the disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressively disabling neurodegenerative disease with an estimated incidence of 1% in people over 65 years of age; the causes of its onset are not yet known even if several risk factors seem to have been identified such as familiarity, exposure to toxic substances or traumas, old age.
According to a study published in the journal Current Alzheimer Research and conducted by a group of researchers at Temple University of Pennsylvania, also excessive consumption of foods high in amino acid methionine such as beans, eggs, garlic, lentils, onions, red meat, fish yogurt and seeds would help increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
This is because, as Domenico Praticò explains, one of the researchers who participated in the study, when methionine reaches high levels, our body regulates it by transforming it into another amino acid called homocysteine for which previous studies on human beings have already shown a responsibility in ‘onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
It seems to be useful an integration of the diet with saffron, vitamin b12 and hericium erinaceus
- Saffron
The famous spice used since ancient times to give flavor to many dishes, seems to contain in itself therapeutic properties that could prove effective in the fight against various brain diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease.
The antioxidant properties of saffron, whose scientific name is Crocus sativus, a plant belonging to the family of iridaceae, have been known for a long time, as is the action of the crocina, carotenoid which gives its characteristic orange color to saffron, and safranale, spice that gives the saffron its unmistakable aroma, play to protect the body from the action of free radicals that cause initially cell damage and later can generate various diseases. Its beneficial properties for brain health have been the subject of debate among dozens of world-renowned Greek and foreign scholars during a recently organized meeting in Athens.
The benefits of the antioxidant action of saffron were illustrated by Professor Moschos Polissiou of the University of Agriculture of Athens who recalled how the substances contained in saffron can protect and revitalize the cells, improve blood circulation in particular in the brain tissue and the memory, reduce various cardiovascular disorders and control the growth of cancer cells that can form in the brain, as well as reduce the damage caused by brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
- Vitamin B12
The science of nutrition is really taking giant steps and every day we discover something more to treat or prevent very serious diseases, just like Alzheimer’s. According to a recent study by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, vitamin B12 could be a portentous antidote. The research lasted 7 years has allowed us to verify the role of this vitamin.
271 Finnish volunteers aged 65 to 79 were tested, healthy at the start of the research, 17 of whom developed senile dementia during the study. Participants were periodically subjected to blood tests to analyze vitamin B12 levels and homocysteine (an amino acid associated with vitamin B12) whose excessive levels are linked to adverse effects on brain health (including stroke).
The focus of the research has verified that for each micromole of homocysteine the risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases by 16%, while for each additional picomole of the active form of vitamin B12 the risk is reduced by 2%.
- Hericium Erinaceus
A rare mushroom, considered a delicacy, it resembles a lion’s head. It develops preferably on oak trees still alive, or on beech, walnut, plane trees and other broad-leaved trees. It grows on the trunk at a height of about 3-4 meters. The fruiting body resembles the head of a lion, which is why in Asia it is called a lion’s head.
The presence of a substance similar to NGF stimulates myelin synthesis and the reconstruction of nerve fibers. Its effects on the nervous system are multiple and complex; its use is useful in the treatment of anxiety, stress, mnemonic deficits and insomnia.
Clinical studies have found encouraging results in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
This mushroom contains many minerals (Potassium, Zinc, Iron, Germanium, Selenium, Phosphorus), all essential amino acids, immunomodulating polysaccharides (ß-glucans) and antitumor effect (FIII – FIII2b), ericenones, erinacins and a factor similar to the Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). It is a fungus that works mainly on tissues of ectodermal derivation (mucous and nervous system).
It possesses a group of bio-active substances, hericenon A, B, C, D, E, which induce the production of the stimulating factor of the growth of nervous tissue (NGSF) compound capable of stimulating the regeneration of severely damaged brain neurons but still alive .
In Conclusion
The Alzheimer’s patient lives a continuous stress condition because he realizes that he can no longer do what he did before, he can no longer be what he was before simply because he forgets it and in the initial phase he is aware of this. To help fight Alzheimer’s consequences is also important to become aware as soon as possible that any logical explanation of the patient’s behavior is useless; try to create a climate of serenity especially in the family; warn the neighborhood; place the home address and a telephone number in the patient’s pocket; always support the patient giving him the certainty that you are listening to him; be aware of the fact that the person in front of you no longer exists but is present and listens to you.
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Sarah O'Connor
Sarah is part of the Team ELC and she helps people discover what makes their life happy, meaningful, and full of ease. She is a writer, meditator and loves painting, an art she happily gets to practice a lot in her spare time.
