(NaturalNews) Two decades of dedicated research has clearly revealed that dementia and specifically the dreaded diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease can be prevented or even halted by making lifestyle modifications toward a natural food diet that excludes processed and refined junk foods as well as following a regular exercise regimen and limiting exposure to personal cosmetics and environmental toxins. While this sounds like a tall order for many, slow but steady progress toward a more natural lifestyle can be beneficial to many individuals who may be headed toward a host of chronic diseases associated with aging including Alzheimer's. An extensive body of research over the past five to ten years has validated certain natural compounds found in fruits and vegetables, specifically the delicious strawberry.

Researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has found that fisetin, a flavanol found in strawberries, mangoes, cucumber and other fruits and vegetables, may protect the brain against Alzheimer's, dementia and age-related memory loss. Publishing in the journal Aging Cell, scientists were able to show, using experiments on mice that normally develop Alzheimer's symptoms less than a year after birth, that a daily dose of fisetin prevents the progressive memory and learning impairments commonly associated with the disease.

Fisetin from fruits and vegetables calms brain inflammation to prevent Alzheimer's symptoms

Senior staff scientist Dr. Pamela Maher commented, "We had already shown that in normal animals, fisetin can improve memory. What we showed here is that it also can have an effect on animals prone to Alzheimer's."

Interestingly, the researchers determined that fisetin did not alter the formation of amyloid plaques in the brain, accumulations of proteins which are commonly blamed for Alzheimer's disease. The new finding suggests a way to treat Alzheimer's symptoms independent of targeting amyloid plaques.

The study team found that, in the brains of mice genetically modified to develop Alzheimer's, pathways associated with inflammation at the cellular level were activated. But in the brains of fisetin-treated mice, the scientists identified anti-inflammatory molecules that quieted the inflammation. In particular, scientists determined that fisetin affected a protein known as p35 that has been implicated in turning on inflammatory pathways. Dr. Maher noted, "What we realized is that fisetin has a number of properties that we thought might be beneficial when it comes to Alzheimer's. ... Even as the disease would have been progressing, the fisetin was able to continue preventing symptoms."

It is important to note that fisetin was found to help prevent Alzheimer's progression, and no determination was made that the compound can reverse the disease after it has initiated. As with many chronic disease processes, lifestyle modification is a critical component to prevention. Dr. Maher concluded, "It may be that compounds like this that have more than one target are most effective at treating Alzheimer's disease, because it's a complex disease where there are a lot of things going wrong."

Regular consumption of strawberries and cucumbers and other natural fruits and vegetables can provide a sufficient dose of fisetin to help fight inflammation-mediated diseases including Alzheimer's dementia.

Sources for this article include:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com

http://www.sciencedaily.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
John Phillip is a Certified Nutritional Consultant and Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. Visit My Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.