Evaluation Of Combination Nutritional Supplement Therapies In The Prevention Of Alzheimers Disease In
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$484,675.00
Summary
Age-related diseases are becoming a major concern as the world’s population grows older due to advances in medical technology, health and nutrition. Dementia accounts for a large proportion of agerelated diseases and is characterised clinically by deterioration in memory and cognitive processing. AD is the most common form of cerebral degeneration leading to dementia. Currently over 200,000 Australians suffer from dementia, with AD, accounting for 50-70% of all cases. At this rate, the number of ....Age-related diseases are becoming a major concern as the world’s population grows older due to advances in medical technology, health and nutrition. Dementia accounts for a large proportion of agerelated diseases and is characterised clinically by deterioration in memory and cognitive processing. AD is the most common form of cerebral degeneration leading to dementia. Currently over 200,000 Australians suffer from dementia, with AD, accounting for 50-70% of all cases. At this rate, the number of people in Australia with dementia will increase to 730,000 by the year 2050. Thus, there is an urgent need for effective preventative treatments for this devastating disease, as dementia will soon be the major cause of disability in Australia. As a result, the social and economic consequences of this disease present a significant challenge to society, and it is imperative that strategies to prevent or delay the onset of AD are developed. If complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies could be developed to prevent or delay the onset for Alzheimer’s disease, the impact on disease burden could be substantial. However, these CAM therapies need to be critically evaluated for their mechanisms, efficacy and safety before human clinical trial are undertaken. The proposed research plan will evaluate the efficacy of the nutritional supplements of polyphenols (EGCG from green tea and curcumin), omega-3 essential fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid) and lipoic acid to determine whether these treatments in combination offer preventative therapies for AD. The findings from the current study will provide important information concerning the effects of combination supplements in preventing cognitive deficits and AD pathology in a transgenic mouse model. Combination treatments may reduce cognitive deficits (memory and learning), oxidative stress and AD pathology, thereby providing an important insight into possible CAM preventative treatment strategies for AD. The development of effective preventative strategies for the treatment of AD is critical if we are to reduce the number of people that are expected to develop AD over the next 50 years, due to the rapidly aging population. The outcomes of this research may provide disease modifying therapies for the prevention of AD.Read moreRead less
Hypertension And Oxidative Stress: Effects Of Antioxidants On Blood Pressure, Endothelial Function And Oxidative Stress
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$329,122.00
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most common causes of mortality in Western countries. Hypertension (raised blood pressure) is a major risk factor for CVD, and growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress contributes to raised blood pressure. Oxidative stress occurs when the body's antioxidant defences cannot prevent damage caused by free radicals (oxidants). Free radical damage may lead to impairment of blood vessel function resulting in raised blood pressure. Therefore, we will te ....Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most common causes of mortality in Western countries. Hypertension (raised blood pressure) is a major risk factor for CVD, and growing evidence suggests that oxidative stress contributes to raised blood pressure. Oxidative stress occurs when the body's antioxidant defences cannot prevent damage caused by free radicals (oxidants). Free radical damage may lead to impairment of blood vessel function resulting in raised blood pressure. Therefore, we will test the hypothesis that hypertension is associated with increased oxidative stress, and that dietary supplementation with water-soluble antioxidants will reduce oxidative stress, improve blood vessel function and lower blood pressure in hypertensives subjects with higher risk of CVD. To date, there is little direct evidence demonstrating that hypertension per se is associated with increased oxidative stress. Therefore, we will undertake a comparison where oxidative stress status will be assessed and compared in hypertensive subjects with and without other risk factors for cardiovascular disease and in normal healthy subjects. If oxidative stress were contributing to high blood pressure then dietary antioxidants would be expected to lower blood pressure in subjects with hypertension. Reduced oxidative stress and improved blood vessel function would also be expected with antioxidant supplementation. Results of population and intervention studies in humans suggest that vitamin C and other water-soluble antioxidants may reduce oxidative stress, improve blood vessel function and lower blood pressure. Therefore, we will study the effects of dietary supplementation with water-soluble antioxidants, including vitamin C and polyphenolic compounds (plant food-derived antioxidants) on these three main endpoints. We will also investigate whether the form in which the antioxidants are provided, tablets versus fruit juice drink, influences the effects observed.Read moreRead less