Alzheimer’s researchers at the UCLA Department of Neurology, in collaboration with Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, have discovered a possible mechanism for how red wine might help reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Polyphenols are a group of chemical substances found in plants, characterized by the presence of more than one phenol unit or building block per molecule. With more than 8,000 members in this chemical class, many of which are found in high concentrations in wine, tea, nuts, berries, cocoa and various plants, red wine polyphenols have been implicated in conferring resistance to the formation of the amyloid plaques that are thought to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease.

The researchers carried out some pretty fundamental analyses about how amyloid beta proteins – the building blocks of amyloid plaques – folded up and stacked together to produce the aggregates that are toxic to nerve cells. Then, they studied the effects of grape seed extract on this process. It was found that the polyphenols had a dual effect: the prevented the formation of the aggregates, and they decreased the toxicity of already-established aggregates when they were added to brain cells.

Human trials are next on the agenda for these research groups, and it’s hoped that administration of these compounds to AD sufferers might block the further development of amyloid plaques, thereby halting the disease, and in addition ameliorate their existing conditions.

This might be important news for those of you supplementing with chemically-pure resveratrol: There are potentially other beneficial, health-promoting components of red wine. So, don’t give up on your nightly glass!

Adapted from a Eurekalert! press release.