Researchers and scientists have claimed that extra virgin olive oil contains oleocanthal, a compound that disturbs the toxic chemicals of the brain, which develop the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s. Oleocanthal is the compound that gives olive oil it’s peppery taste. This compound , researchers say, is going to become the key ingredient for the development of a drug curing Alzheimer’s.
The oleocanthal slows down the chemicals’ ability to slow down the chemical ability to damage the brain cells. The chemicals destroy the brain’s nerve cells, causing memory loss and imbalance of brain function.
Dr. Breslin, a psychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and leader of the study said that the findings lead into preventative and improved treatments of the Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Dr. Breslin, if anti-body treatment of the disease is inhanced by oleocanthal, the effects may lead to a successful treatment for the cure of this dreadful disease.
The study showed that dangerous chemicals in the brain, attack the nerve cells. Then the one part of the brain stop talking to the other and the cells die. Adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet, changes the formation of the chemicals and stops them attacking and damaging the nerve cells.
Scientists believe that a protein called ADDL is the one to blame for attacking the nerves of the brain cells. This effects the Hippocampus, the part of the brain that is involved in learning and memory.Dr. Breslin and his coleagues, first located this ADDL protein in 1998. This changed the thinking about the cause and treatment of the Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. William Klein, who is a proffessor of neurobiology and physiology at the Northwestern University of Chicago, said that the findings of ADDLs attack of the brain cells brought the first step in the development of new treatments for this incurable disease.
The findings were that oleocanthal in olive oil makes ADDLs strong targets for anti-bodies. This also leads to more effective treatments of immunotherapy, using anti-bodies to attack ADDLs.
All these studies opened the doors to new avenues for the discoveries of disease prevention and treatment.