Alzheimer’s cure

Subject :Science and Technology

Section: Health/Disease

Context:

Central University of Rajasthan (CUoR) has evolved an ingenious concept of food sustainability for combating age-related neurodegenerative ailments such as Alzheimer’s.

What is the concept evolved by the researchers?

The researchers found that the intake of dairy proteins can reduce the occurrence of Alzheimer’s and also provide other health benefits.

How do dairy products help in combating Alzheimer’s?

When a protein called amyloid builds up in organs with food intake, the risk factor for Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases increases.
To capture these amyloids, it is necessary to find a suitable molecule that could effectively capture the toxic protein aggregates and degrade them.
The researchers have found dairy proteins to be having structural superiority to trap harmful molecules and destroy them.

About Alzheimer’s Disease:

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die.
The disease is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioural and social skills that affect a person’s ability to function independently.
Caused by: Alzheimer’s disease is thought to be caused by the abnormal build-up of proteins in and around brain cells.
- One of the proteins involved is called amyloid, deposits of which form plaques around brain cells.
- The other protein is called tau, deposits of which form tangles within brain cells.
Vulnerability: Alzheimer disease most commonly affects older adults, but it can also affect people in their 30s or 40s.