Red wine may reduce Alzheimer's risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Mice given a daily drink of red wine in the form of Cabernet Sauvignon are less likely to get Alzheimer's disease, according to new experiments.
It is already known that red wine - in moderation - offers some protection from heart disease and there's some debate over whether this might be applicable to Alzheimer's disease as well. Now researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center offer some interesting new evidence.

They've been working with mice genetically modified to develop Alzheimer's disease, with the accompanying brain changes - which are chiefly the accumulation of amyloid protein deposits. In this new study, the mice were given red wine in the form of Cabernet Sauvignon in their drinking water. The red wine proved to ward off the expected memory deficits and also reduced amyloid pathology in the brain. This was compared to mice given either water alone or alcohol alone. Clearly there is some protective component in the Cabernet Sauvignon grape which may be able to protect against Alzheimer's disease. A daily glass of red wine might prove helpful in this respect.

Source
Society for Neuroscience Meeting October 14-18 2006

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