Health
For Alzheimer’s patients, eating pomegranates could help alleviate symptoms, study says: ‘Promising results’
Are pomegranates the next brain food?
The link between diet and dementia has been well-documented, and now researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the U.S. National Institute on Aging have found that eating more pomegranates, strawberries and walnuts could help improve memory among Alzheimer’s patients.
Those foods contain a substance called urolithin A, a compound created by gut bacteria.
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“Our study on mouse models with Alzheimer’s disease shows that urolithin A, which is a naturally occurring substance in pomegranates, can alleviate memory problems and other consequences of dementia,” said Vilhelm Bohr, affiliate professor at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen, in a press release.
Researchers have found that eating more pomegranates, strawberries and walnuts could help improve memory among Alzheimer’s patients. (iStock)
In patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, the brain has trouble removing weak mitochondria, which builds up and impairs brain function.
Utolithin A has been shown to remove weak mitochondria from the brain, thus restoring cognitive function, the researchers found.
The study findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia.
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Researchers aren’t sure how much of the substance is needed to achieve positive results.
“We still cannot say anything conclusive about the dosage, but I imagine that it is more than a pomegranate a day,” Bohr said.
“However, the substance is already available in pill form, and we are currently trying to find the right dosage.”
Pomegranates contain a substance called urolithin A, a compound created by gut bacteria that has been shown to improve memory and brain function. (iStock)
Utolithin A could ideally be used as a safe way to prevent neurological diseases, he noted.
“The advantage of working with a natural substance is the reduced risk of side effects,” he said.
“Clinical trials with Urolithin A have been effective in muscular disease, and now we need to look at Alzheimer’s disease.”
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Based on the “promising results” seen in the mouse models, the researchers are planning to conduct clinical trials on humans.
Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Charlotte, North Carolina, was not involved in the study but shared comments on the findings.
“Long-term urolithin A treatment significantly improved learning, memory and olfactory function (smelling) in mice,” she told Fox News Digital.
“The advantage of working with a natural substance is the reduced risk of side effects.”
“As a dietitian, I always recommend that people discuss any supplement with their personal medical care provider before starting it.”
As the research is still very new and has only been done in mice so far, Freirich noted that the results “cannot be extrapolated to humans with certainty.”
She added, “I would certainly recommend to anyone that adding pomegranates, strawberries and walnuts to the diet is a great idea.”
“I would certainly recommend to anyone that adding pomegranates, strawberries and walnuts to the diet is a great idea,” a nutritionist said. (iStock)
“These are whole, unprocessed and very nutritious foods, high in antioxidants and, in the case of walnuts, omega 3s.”
These foods are unlikely to cause any harm if consumed in typical portion sizes, Freirich noted, unless there is an allergy or another specific reason to avoid them.
Other recommended foods for brain health include adequate dietary intake of omega 3s (salmon, walnuts, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, olive oil), green leafy vegetables, berries, and legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas), according to Freirich.
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Maintaining at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week and keeping the brain sharp with activities and community engagement can also help mitigate Alzheimer’s symptoms, the nutritionist added.
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Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based dietitian and author of the book “Belly Fat Diet For Dummies,” who was also not involved in the study, said the “promising” results support other research that has found an association between pomegranates and improved cognition and memory.
“More research needs to be done to identify how much pomegranate would be needed to achieve cognitive benefits, but adding even small amounts of pomegranate to the diet can be beneficial to overall health,” a nutritionist told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“More research needs to be done to identify how much would be needed to achieve cognitive benefits, but adding even small amounts of pomegranate to the diet can be beneficial to overall health,” she told Fox News Digital.
Pomegranates are also rich in antioxidants and fiber, Palinski-Wade noted, which can help to reduce inflammation in the body and lessen future disease risk.
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“Adding pomegranate arils into salads, smoothies or on top of yogurt or incorporating 100% pomegranate juice can be a great addition to your diet and an easy way to boost your overall intake of brain-benefiting nutrients,” the nutritionist said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers and to the Alzheimer’s Association requesting comment.
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A new test could make it easier to detect high-risk prostate cancer cases earlier.
The blood test, called Stockholm3, is showing promise in clinical trials, beating out the traditional, standard prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
In a new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden studied the test’s efficacy in more than 12,000 men — mostly Swedish or European — aged 50 to 74.
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All participants were tested with PSA and Stockholm3 and were followed for two years. During the follow-up period, 443 men were diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer.
Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests.
Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive prostate cancer cases compared to 74% for PSA tests. (iStock)
Stockholm3 missed “significantly fewer” serious cancer cases than PSA. The number of men incorrectly classified as high-risk was similar across both tests, according to a press release.
Thorgerdur Palsdottir, a researcher at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, wrote in a statement that one of the major challenges in prostate cancer is being able to identify the cases that are “truly dangerous.”
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“Our results show that Stockholm3 identifies significantly more aggressive cancer cases than PSA without increasing the number of unnecessary follow-ups,” she said.
“These results point toward a potential change in how prostate cancer screening can be conducted,” the researcher added. “A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures.”
“A more precise blood test could enable earlier detection of aggressive disease while reducing the number of unnecessary follow-up examinations and procedures,” a researcher commented. (iStock)
Study co-author Hari Vigneswaran, chief medical officer of Stockholm3-maker A3P Biomedical, commented on these “promising” findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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He confirmed that the PSA has been the standard for prostate cancer screening since the 1990s despite its “well-documented limitations.”
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“It leads to invasive and costly follow-up testing, contributes to over-diagnosis of non-aggressive cancers and, most importantly, it misses a substantial share of aggressive disease,” Vigneswaran said.
When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival is close to 100%. (iStock)
When aggressive prostate cancer is found while still confined in the prostate, the five-year survival rate is close to 100%, which highlights the importance of early detection, according to the doctor.
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Data from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database show that metastatic prostate cancer has risen over the past decade, suggesting that “we have not improved early detection of the aggressive, curable disease that screening is meant to catch,” Vigneswaran said.
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“The goal of screening is to find the cancers that need treatment while they are still curable, without raising the number of men who screen positive but don’t have aggressive disease,” he said.
Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher. (Getty Images)
Stockholm3 could reduce the need for unnecessary MRIs and biopsies, according to the researcher.
The findings did have some limitations. Stockholm3 is an investigational device and is not available for sale in the U.S., Vigneswaran noted.
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The test estimates a man’s risk of aggressive prostate cancer, but a biopsy remains the gold standard for confirming the disease.
The company plans to seek FDA approval to use the test for routine screening and will “generate the evidence needed to support that pathway, including U.S. data,” Vigneswaran said.
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Scientists have linked eating leafy green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli to better lung health.
There are two primary forms of vitamin K found in foods. The primary kind is vitamin K1, found mainly in vegetables, which plays a major role in the body’s blood-clotting process.
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Vitamin K2 is found in fermented foods, certain dairy products, eggs and meats and helps regulate calcium in the body and supports bone health.
Researchers at Australia’s Edith Cowan University examined whether dietary intake of vitamins K1 and K2 was associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and lung function.
Leafy green vegetables are high in vitamin K1, a nutrient that researchers have observed conributes to improved lung health. (iStock)
“Chronic respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, are among the most prevalent noncommunicable diseases worldwide and were the third leading cause of death in 2019, accounting for 4 million deaths and affecting 454.6 million individuals globally,” the scientists reported in the introduction to their study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
“Although asthma and COPD can be managed with available treatments, neither condition is curable, underscoring the need for effective prevention strategies,” they added.
The leading cause of COPD is smoking, the Mayo Clinic reported. Exposure to other irritants, such as dust, chemicals and pollution, can also cause it.
The researchers analyzed data from 179,062 participants over a 10-and-a-half-year period and concluded that, “Higher dietary vitamin K1 intake was associated with better lung function and a lower rate of COPD.”
Researchers found that people who increased their vitamin K1 intake were less likely to develop COPD. (iStock)
Participants who consumed the most vitamin K1 had a 16% lower likelihood of COPD, the researchers observed. The effects were more pronounced in smokers and participants with high-risk occupations.
Consumption of vitamin K2 did not result in lower COPD rates.
“No association was observed for vitamin K1 or vitamin K2 intakes and asthma,” the researchers also wrote.
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Associate Professor Marc Sim, who was involved in the study, said that it’s likely Vitamin K activates a protein that may help keep lung tissue flexible and prevent damage.
Because the study was observational, it cannot prove that vitamin K1 directly reduces COPD risk, only that higher intake was associated with better lung health.
Researchers have associated higher consumption of leafy green vegetables with better lung function. (iStock)
Just one extra serving of leafy greens “is an achievable way to boost your vitamin K1 intake,” said Chengfeng Li, one of the study’s researchers.
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Other foods rich in vitamin K1 include collard greens, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts and turnip greens.
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