Mighty mice may hold key to Alzheimer's breakthrough

[deepdiver]

Mighty mice may hold key to Alzheimer's breakthrough

You know, mice are really the unsung heroes of medicine. We give these little critters just about every disease under the sun, and then we inject them with test cures that, as often as not, kill them.

It's a rough gig.

But, every now and then, these remarkable rodents help us see our way clear to some breakthrough cures. And it looks like they may have done it again.

Researchers are the University of California at Irvine just wrapped up a study where they gave experimental mice Alzheimer's disease (I told you, these little fellas have it tough). They then gave these mice doses of nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3 found in many foods, including chicken, fish, pork, peanuts, sunflower seeds and turkey, to see if there was any improvement.

The results were nothing short of amazing. The mice with Alzheimer's saw their memory improve, but get this – even the mice who didn't have Alzheimer's got a cognitive boost.

In Alzheimer's disease, a protein called tau clogs brain cells and tangles connections. Scientists believe vitamin B3 untangles these connections.

As a next step, researchers will sign up human Alzheimer's patients to see if vitamin B3 will work for them.

That's going to put some lab mice out of work. But I'm guessing they won't mind one bit.
DR.I

[gymdandee]

B blend can slow dementia

At first glance, it's a big win for supplements: Researchers say megadoses of B vitamins can dramatically cut back on the conditions that lead to dementia.

But dig a little deeper, and you'll uncover yet another Big Pharma attempt to bully its way into the supplement game.

In this case, the researchers used a patented blend of B6, B12 and folic acid, called TrioBe Plus by the Swiss drug company that makes it.

In a randomized, controlled trial of 168 seniors diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, they found that TrioBe Plus slowed the rate of brain shrinkage by an average of 30 percent, and as much as 53 percent, according to the study in PLoS One.

While all our brains shrink a little as we age, faster shrinkage has been linked to dementia and Alzheimer's disease. But if this B blend turns into a prescription "drug," you can expect rapid shrinkage somewhere else: your wallet!

The authors of this study claim that TrioBe Plus contains such massive doses that it should only be given as a "drug" under the care of a doctor. Of course, since one of the researchers is also a patent holder who could win big if this "drug" hits the market, of course he'd say that.

So I'm going to let you in on a dirty little secret here: This "special" blend contains 800 micrograms of folic acid, 500 micrograms of B12 and 20 milligrams of B6 -- and there's nothing even remotely risky about those levels for most people. In fact, these vitamins are widely available at drugstores and supermarkets in these doses and higher.

In reality, patenting these vitamins to treat dementia is like patenting water to treat thirst. But since Big Pharma has been busily slapping patents on everything from niacin to fish oil, it's hardly surprising anymore.

For the record, the best natural sources of B vitamins are meats, fish and dairy.

[margypops]

Another little gem from you, I have relative  who is suffering from something ...he works with Toxins in the wood, boat building industry , I had thought it was Alzheimers , and of course as he wont go for an evaluation, I still dont know if it is Toxins or something like Picks, as those are his symptoms, So perhaps B3 will help him whatever he has.I did research into  Neuro Toxins and had a communication with a Dr Skinner who said his symptoms sounded like Neurotoxicity, it is Dr Skinners specialty and he talks about it round the country.So I am thinking that he could take B3 to see if it helps,that and trying to tell him to work with something safer. I guess my health food store will have it,