From: hounddog23x@gmail.com   
      
   Pills made from olives could slash the risk of Alzheimer's disease   
      
   20 March 2015 11:49 PM Andrew Gregory   
      
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   Scientists have discovered a new way of making medicine from olives which   
   could cut the risk of Alzheimer's and even cure the disease.   
      
   A second study has revealed that a new Alzheimer's drug can slow a patient's   
   cognitive decline.   
      
   Results of the two studies will come as welcome news to the more than 800,000   
   dementia sufferers in the UK, many of whom have been diagnosed with   
   Alzheimer's.   
      
   The use of olive extracts in pills is designed to take advantage of its   
   superfood qualities, a key ingredient in the Mediterranean diet which has been   
   shown to boost heart health.   
      
      
   German scientists behind the study believe those who eat an olive-rich diet,   
   as well as keeping phyiscally and mentally active, are less likely to suffer   
   dementia.   
      
   Olive Oil   
   Superfood: Olives and olive oil have long been thought to have beneficial   
   properties   
   Dr Joachim Tretzel, managing director of N-Zyme BioTec GmbH, which is working   
   alongside academics to develop the pills, said: "We want to test whether olive   
   polyphenols can even help to cure the disease."   
      
   The study is being led by Prof Heribert Warzecha of the Department of Biology   
   at the University of Darmstadt.   
      
   She said: "Our new techniques make it easier to extract substances from olive   
   leaves and significantly improve low yields.   
      
   "When it comes to production, this means we aren't dependent on the seasonal   
   harvesting of olives in growing areas."   
      
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   Experts at the University of Frankfurt are to test the 'biotechnologically   
   produced' olive products on cells to test the potential effect on Alzheimer's.   
      
   Food chemist Dr Gunter Eckert added: "We focus on changes to the power houses   
   of nerve cells, mitochondria, which change early on in Alzheimer's disease."   
      
   Their initial findings will be tested on mice, and then subsequently on humans.   
      
   Dr Eckert added: "We are testing the hypothesis that certain polyphenols from   
   olives slow down disease processes in the brain, improve mitochondrial   
   dysfunction and, as a result, provide evidence to suggest they protect against   
   Alzheimer's disease."   
      
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   Meanwhile, the positive results of an early trial of new Alzheimer's drug   
   aducanumab were welcomed by experts.   
      
   Dr Eric Karran, Director of Research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "These   
   are very promising early results, which not only demonstrate the safety of   
   this treatment but also suggest it may hold benefits in the early stages of   
   Alzheimer's disease.   
      
   "Further data from this trial is yet to be reported, and it will be important   
   to see this data as well as results from much larger trials before we can   
   understand how effective this treatment may be.   
      
   "Alzheimer's disease affects half a million people in the UK today, causing   
   untold devastation, yet there are currently no treatments capable of stopping   
   the disease in its tracks. While today's results are promising, we must   
   continue to invest in    
   research and cast our net wide in the search for new ways to fight the   
   disease."   
      
   Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, added: "It's   
   great to have positive news about a potential new treatment for Alzheimer's   
   disease. There is a huge need for new drugs given there are so few medicines   
   currently available."   
      
   But he cautioned: "This was a small, early-stage trial and a larger trial is   
   needed to confirm whether this drug will help people with the disease."   
      
      
   http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pills-made-olives-could-slash-5372934   
      
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