Given that, worldwide, one in 10 people older than 65 has Alzheimer’s disease (the most common cause of dementia), it’s not at all surprising that scientists are researching every possible avenue for treatment and prevention. One area where they’re looking is supplements.
For example, a recent study found that taking vitamin B-12 as you get older could protect against dementia. And previous research has shown that magnesium may lower dementia risk and delay brain aging. Now, experts say that taking two supplements together can slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Researchers looked at how GTP levels influence Alzheimer’s disease.
A new study, published in the journal GeroScience, looked at how guanosine triphosphate (GTP) levels influence Alzheimer’s disease.
GTP is an energy molecule that helps build RNA, thereby allowing cells to grow and communicate with each other. Most importantly, when it comes to brain function, GTP “plays a central role in powering essential neuronal processes, including the transport and clearance of damaged proteins,” as an article in PsyPost explains.
As a person ages, their GTP and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels decline. Similarly, ATP is involved in “neurotransmission, DNA and RNA synthesis, intracellular signaling, and muscle contraction,” explains Verywell Health.
However, most previous Alzheimer’s research has focused on ATP, which has been dubbed the main “energy currency” of cells.
But declining GTP levels in the brain are known to slow down autophagy, a process in which neurons clear out waste, including the toxic amyloid plaques that contribute to Alzheimer’s.
Therefore, the researchers from the University of California, Irvine, analyzed the brain cells of mice that were bred to develop Alzheimer’s.
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They found that vitamin B3 and a green tea antioxidant can restore GTP levels.
“We saw in mouse neurons that GTP levels were lower in old age. This led us to try to raise GTP levels with an energy precursor molecule that’s very safe, nicotinamide [vitamin B3],” said study author Gregory J. Brewer, a professor of biomedical engineering at UC Irvine, in a statement to PsyPost.
“At the same time, as our bodies age, we build up damaged DNA, lipids, and proteins from oxidation (like rust of iron). This is worsened in Alzheimer’s,” he continued. “So I wondered if a wildly safe and known antioxidant compound found in green tea called EGCG would help with the oxidation problem.”
To test the theory, Brewer and his team treated mouse neurons with vitamin B3 and EGCG. They found that:
- GTP levels were restored
- Neurons stayed alive longer
- Neurons had reduced damage from oxidative stress
- Neurons were better able to clear out harmful plaques that lead to Alzheimer’s
“I was surprised how well the combination of nicotinamide and EGCG worked to clear an important protein in Alzheimer’s called amyloid and to lower oxidized proteins,” Brewer told PsyPost.
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How do these supplements work?
Nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B3, “boosts levels of NAD+,” states PsyPost.
If this sounds familiar to you, it’s likely because NAD+ has been making headlines over the past year as a miracle anti-aging supplement.
A 2018 study published in the journal Translational Medicine of Aging explained that, “Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an important cofactor in all living cells that is involved in fundamental biological processes, namely metabolism, cell signalling, gene expression, DNA repair, among others.”
“NAD+ depletion has been associated with hallmarks of aging and may underlie a wide range of age-related diseases, such as metabolic disorders, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases,” it continued.
EGCG is the major catechin found in green tea. Plenty of research has linked green tea consumption to reduced dementia risk, but EGCG, specifically, “activates Nrf2, a transcription factor that regulates antioxidant defenses and helps maintain redox balance in cells,” explains PsyPost.
“Together, these compounds aim to support both the production of cellular energy and the control of oxidative stress,” PsyPost adds.
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Should you take these supplements?
As is the case before starting any new supplement or medicine, you should speak to your doctor if you’re considering taking vitamin B3 or EGCG.
It’s also very important to note that the recent study was done in vitro, meaning it was not performed within a mouse, let alone a human.
“These studies were done in mouse neurons in a dish,” Brewer cautioned. “They need to be confirmed in human neurons and in randomized, placebo-controlled blinded trials. Also, these drugs have been given orally in human trials of Alzheimer’s and not succeeded because they were so quickly inactivated in the blood.”
Therefore, he and his team are planning to study these supplements further, including how to get them more directly to the brain.
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