Sugar-coated particles may be an open window for protecting us from Alzheimer’s disease. Yeah, sugar could be a beneficial element for this disease, but not any kind of sugar. Unfortunately, Alzheimer-s disease is very common in the world, so the fact that scientists are shining a light on a prevention for this disease is wonderful news. Let’s see what this sugar could help us with.
Alzheimer affecting our brains
Our brains are full of neurons which are the ones in charge of making us talk, learn, move and all the things we are capable of. However, this disease starts when these neurons stop working when the proteins our bodies produce misfold, which makes these proteins incapable of doing their specific job.
The amyloid beta proteins are believed to be the main cause of Alzheimer because when these proteins misfold and they join each other, they produce toxic fibers which damage our neurons.
Sugar, an important element in this research
The amyloid beta proteins were studied and some scientists came up with a new way of stopping these harmful proteins. They created a nanomaterial capable of attracting those proteins and capturing inside their structure and avoiding their join.
This nanomaterial is formed thanks to two elements: peptide amphiphile and trehalose. If you are not an expert on the field, these names sound like nothing to you so let’s explain them.
Peptide amphiphile is a special molecule capable of mixing with water and fat to be easier to move around the body. The other element is trehalose which is sugar, but natural sugar – the one found in plants or insects. This sugar makes the proteins not to misfold.
Relevance of the discovery
Everytime a new discovery concerning health is made, it means a step closer to having a future with more cures for different diseases. Now, most treatments for Alzheimer’s disease or similar ones are to help with the symptoms, not cure the cause of it.
So, with this sugar-coated nanomaterial we could have treatments dealing with diseases from the beginning in the future, which would slow down neurodegenerative diseases.
When will this treatment be ready to use?
It is too soon to talk about a date for the treatment. Scientists need to test it on human beings to really say whether it works or not, but we should be proud of the numerous scientific discoveries that try to find a solution for problems out of our hands.
Although we know these processes take time, this treatment is necessary at this time because the population is getting older and these types of diseases will increase in the future. So, the earlier we have treatments to prevent the diseases, the healthier our generations will be.
Advice in the meantime
As the sugar-coated nanomaterial treatment is estimated to be late, there are some things we can do to take care of our brains in the meantime.
You can try and have a balanced diet full of fruit and vegetables, avoiding consuming huge amounts of sugar. Another activity is to use your brain for reading, strategy games or anything that keeps your brain active. Exercise is also an important tip because the blood flow in your brain will be much better. Last but not least, sleeping is key for everything because the brain is in charge of our bodies activities and it needs a lot of rest.
You might think this discovery means not that much, but it means a lot for the future of diseases like Alzheimer’s and preventions. Imagine how good it would be living in a world with treatment capable of preventing common diseases with no cure in the present. We are closer to that thanks to scientists.