Over the past 20 years, Alzheimer's disease has come to be regarded as one of the most feared diseases of aging, particularly as baby-boomers and their parents have begun to live to advanced ages.

Surely, complete prevention of Alzheimer’s would be nirvana, but even delaying the onset or reducing the severity of the disease would be life-changing for millions of people. As with other age-related diseases, the message of Alzheimer’s is clear - it is not enough to live longer, we want to live longer healthier.

For the past decade there has been considerable evidence that Alzheimer’s is also a chronic, inflammatory process in the brain. This naturally suggests that using anti-inflammatories, of which Resveratrol and polyphenols are included, may aid in the mitigation of Alzheimer's.



In 2006, Thimmappa Anekonda from the Neurological Science Institute at Oregon Health and Science University published an article entitled "Resveratrol - a Boon for Treating Alzheimer's Disease?" In the paper, he summarized that SIRT-activating compounds like Resveratrol are potent agents for neuroprotection against Alzheimer's and stroke, focusing on Resveratrol's ability to reduce damage to cell mitochondria.

It is also believed that the accumulation of free radicals may activate beta-secretase, resultingin formation of the amyloid-beta, which is both toxic and inflammatory. Resveratrol, Quercetin and red-wine grape polyphenols are powerful anti-oxidants which as we know, serve to dramatically reduce free radicals. In particular, these compounds are 10 - 100x the strength of anti-oxidants found in foods such as grape juice, pomegranate juice, etc.

Scientists have shown that Resveratrol and other plant polyphenols may block the production of free radicals. In one study, when nutrients containing Resveratrol and Quercetin were introduced, they reduced the production of free radicals, protected cells from free radical damage, and prevented cellular DNA damage.

In 2008, Dr. Lenny Guarente at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, presented a study on Huntington's disease, a neurodegenerative condition associated with premature mental aging. He showed that mice lived longer and had less disease in the brain when SIRT levels were increased. Other investigators have found neuroprotective effects in animals with Lou Gehrig's disease.

These and other studies strongly implicate SIRT genes and enzymes in nerve protection and show that plant polyphenols can elevate SIRT production in the human brain.