Just saw this article, posted May 4th, 2011.
Can Tobacco Help With Alzheimer's Disease? Although it's nothing that we don't already know, it's nice to see it 'out there' for the rest of the world to see!
by Doug DiPasquale May 4th 2011 7:00AM
Categories: Health, Healthy Eating
I was watching a talk given by a master herbalist not too long ago and for one of his protocols he mentioned decocting tobacco (extracting medicinal properties from plant material or herbs). Some members of the audience expressed surprise -- surely tobacco, the most evil of evil plants would have no place in a healing protocol.
The herbalist made a good point, however. He said tobacco is a medicinal plant and has been used as such for thousands of years. It's only in recent decades -- after being sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, flavoured with chemicals for consistency, doused in anti-fire chemicals to make it burn evenly, rolled up in bleached papers and stuck with a fiberglass filter -- that it's started to have a negative effect on our health. He made the distinction: Cigarettes are bad, natural tobacco is medicinal.
This thought stuck with me. It's probably why I wasn't surprised when researchers at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida discovered a compound in tobacco was able to prevent memory loss from Alzheimer's in an animal study. The findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, showed a compound called "cotinine," derived from tobacco, was able to reduce amyloid plaques in the brain associated with dementia by 26 per cent.
"We found a compound that protects neurons, prevents the progression of Alzheimer's disease pathology, enhances memory and has been shown to be safe," says Valentina Echeverria, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of Molecular Medicine at USF Health.
Past epidemiological studies have shown smokers tend to have lower incidences of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. These effects have been widely attributed to nicotine itself, which is purported to improve memory and reduce Alzheimer's-like plaque in mice. The researchers decided to look specifically at cotinine, which is the major byproduct of nicotine metabolism, being both non-toxic and longer lasting than nicotine itself.
At the conclusion of the five-month study, Alzheimer's mice who received cotinine were better able to think and perform certain acts when compared to a control group. Using the cotinine long-term apparently provided complete protection from deterioration of spatial memory, as the treated mice performed at the same level as mice without dementia. Researchers also noticed the tobacco-derived compound stimulated a signaling factor called Akt which enhances memory and promotes the survival of neurons (brain cells).
Interestingly, the research team is studying the potential of the cotinine compound to relieve fear-induced anxiety and help attenuate traumatic memories involved in post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Healthy Foodie is Doug DiPasquale, a Holistic Nutritionist and trained chef living in Toronto. You can email him with questions at dougthehealthyfoodie@gmail.com.
Here are some more ways tobacco may help health certain medical conditions.
Can Tobacco Help With Alzheimer's Disease? Although it's nothing that we don't already know, it's nice to see it 'out there' for the rest of the world to see!
by Doug DiPasquale May 4th 2011 7:00AM
Categories: Health, Healthy Eating
I was watching a talk given by a master herbalist not too long ago and for one of his protocols he mentioned decocting tobacco (extracting medicinal properties from plant material or herbs). Some members of the audience expressed surprise -- surely tobacco, the most evil of evil plants would have no place in a healing protocol.
The herbalist made a good point, however. He said tobacco is a medicinal plant and has been used as such for thousands of years. It's only in recent decades -- after being sprayed with pesticides and herbicides, flavoured with chemicals for consistency, doused in anti-fire chemicals to make it burn evenly, rolled up in bleached papers and stuck with a fiberglass filter -- that it's started to have a negative effect on our health. He made the distinction: Cigarettes are bad, natural tobacco is medicinal.
This thought stuck with me. It's probably why I wasn't surprised when researchers at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida discovered a compound in tobacco was able to prevent memory loss from Alzheimer's in an animal study. The findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, showed a compound called "cotinine," derived from tobacco, was able to reduce amyloid plaques in the brain associated with dementia by 26 per cent.
"We found a compound that protects neurons, prevents the progression of Alzheimer's disease pathology, enhances memory and has been shown to be safe," says Valentina Echeverria, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of Molecular Medicine at USF Health.
Past epidemiological studies have shown smokers tend to have lower incidences of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. These effects have been widely attributed to nicotine itself, which is purported to improve memory and reduce Alzheimer's-like plaque in mice. The researchers decided to look specifically at cotinine, which is the major byproduct of nicotine metabolism, being both non-toxic and longer lasting than nicotine itself.
At the conclusion of the five-month study, Alzheimer's mice who received cotinine were better able to think and perform certain acts when compared to a control group. Using the cotinine long-term apparently provided complete protection from deterioration of spatial memory, as the treated mice performed at the same level as mice without dementia. Researchers also noticed the tobacco-derived compound stimulated a signaling factor called Akt which enhances memory and promotes the survival of neurons (brain cells).
Interestingly, the research team is studying the potential of the cotinine compound to relieve fear-induced anxiety and help attenuate traumatic memories involved in post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Healthy Foodie is Doug DiPasquale, a Holistic Nutritionist and trained chef living in Toronto. You can email him with questions at dougthehealthyfoodie@gmail.com.
Here are some more ways tobacco may help health certain medical conditions.
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