Researchers found that a compound called resveratrol, which is present in red wine and chocolate, might be able to delay the progression of Alzheimer's disease and prevent dementia, Live Science reports.
In a study involving 119 people with Alzheimer's disease, the researchers gave a concentrated form of resveratrol to one group and a placebo to another group every day for one year to determine how the compound would affect them. The high dosage of resveratrol used was equivalent to the amount one can get from approximately 1,000 bottles of wine.
At the end of the study, the researchers observed that the level of amyloid-beta40 in the spinal fluid of those who took resveratrol did not change, but the level decreased in those who took the placebo. The amount of amyloid-beta40 protein in the spinal fluid normally drops as Alzheimer's disease progresses.
The daily activities of those who were administered with the compound also did not decline as much as those in the placebo group.
One of the surprising findings in the study is that the resveratrol group showed greater brain shrinkage compared to the placebo group based on MRI scans. Although researchers could not explain fully why this occurred, R. Scott Turner, study author and director of the Memory Disorders Program at Georgetown University Medical Center, believes that it may be caused by the loss of brain inflammation that typically accompanies Alzheimer's disease, according to The Washington Post.
The researchers caution that people should not hastily take resveratrol in the hope of slowing down Alzheimer's progress. They further noted that the study did not look into the effect of resveratrol on Alzheimer's symptoms.
"I'm not recommending that people go out and buy resveratrol and start taking it," Turner said. "We need further studies to see if it really does have a benefit."
The study was published in the Sept. 11 online issue of the journal Neurology.
