Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Supplementation with resveratrol for 52 weeks resulted in a significant improvement in A-beta40, a protein marker associated with the progression of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia among older adults, is a significant contributor to the $100 billion annual cost of dementia to the healthcare system (1). In addition to the 5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease, an additional 5.4 million Americans have cognitive impairment without dementia (2), totaling more than 10 million Americans with at least some form of cognitive impairment (3).
Research has started to show that antioxidants like vitamin E may help maintain mental health (4). Now a new study (5) suggests that resveratrol may also do the same. The 52-week study involved 119 subjects (51 men, 68 women) aged 62 to 81 with early signs of Alzheimer Disease (as evidenced by a Men Mini-Mental State Examination (6) score between 14 and 26 at screening). They were initially given 500 milligrams of resveratrol per day (64 subjects) or a placebo (55 subjects). After every 13 weeks in the resveratrol group, another 500 milligrams was added until by the end of the study they were taking 2,000 milligrams per day (2 1000-mg doses daily). Before and after the study, each subject had a brain MRI and had a sample of cerebral spinal fluid collected.
After 52 weeks, there was a significant difference between the 2 groups regarding a protein called A-beta40, whose decline in the body is related to dementia progression (7). Specifically,
- Those in the resveratrol group experienced a 1% decrease in the cerebral spinal fluid of A-Beta40 (6574 to 6513 nanograms/milliliter) compared to a 14.3% decrease in the placebo group (6,560 to 5,622 ng/mL) (p = 0.002).
- Those in the resveratrol group experienced a 6.2% decrease in the cerebral spinal fluid of A-Beta40 (163 to 153 ng/mL) compared to a 20% decrease in the placebo group (165 to 132 ng/mL) (p = 0.024).
According to the researchers, the significant changes in both the blood and cerebral spinal levels in the resveratrol group “suggests that resveratrol penetrated the blood–brain barrier to have central effects” directly in the brain.
What was unexpected was a 3.2% decrease in brain volume in the resveratrol group (866 to 839 mL) compared to a 1.2% decrease in the placebo group (850 to 840) (p = 0.025). While they admit that the reason for this is “unclear”, they do state this volume loss “is not associated with cognitive or functional decline.”
For the researchers, “Resveratrol was safe and well-tolerated…and its major metabolites penetrated the blood–brain barrier to have CNS effects” though they admit that “Further studies are required to interpret the biomarker changes associated with resveratrol treatment.”
Source: Turner, R. Scott, Ronald G. Thomas, Suzanne Craft, Christopher H. Van Dyck, Jacobo Mintzer, Brigid A. Reynolds, James B. Brewer et al. “A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of resveratrol for Alzheimer disease.” Neurology 85, no. 16 (2015): 1383-1391.
© 2015 American Academy of Neurology
Posted April 12, 2016.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- “NIH-supported study finds U.S. dementia care costs as high as $215 billion in 2010” posted on the National Institute of Aging website April 4, 2013
- “Prevalence of Alzheimer’s Disease” posted on the National Institute of Aging website
- Blassman PL. Prevalence of Cognitive Impairment without Dementia in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2008 March 18; 148(6): 427–434
- Mangialasche F. Tocopherols and tocotrienols plasma levels are associated with cognitive impairment. Neurobiol Aging 2012. Printed online ahead of print December 11, 2011
- Turner RS. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of resveratrol for Alzheimer disease. Neurology 2015 Oct 20;85(16):1383-91
- Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PH. Mini-mental state: a practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res 1975;12: 189–198
- Murphy MP. Alzheimer’s Disease and the β-Amyloid Peptide. J Alzheimer’s Disease 2010; 19(1):311
