Beauty Health for Life

Cinnamon: Can the red-brown spice with the unmistakable fragrance and variety of uses offer an important benefit? The common baking spice might hold the key to delaying the onset of –– or warding off –– the effects of Alzheimers disease.

That is, according to Roshni George and Donald Graves, scientists at UC Santa Barbara. The results of their study, "Interaction of Cinnamaldehyde and Epicatechin with Tau: Implications of Beneficial Effects in Modulating Alzheimers Disease Pathogenesis," appears in the online early edition of the Journal of Alzheimers Disease, and in the upcoming Volume 36, issue 1 print edition.

Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia, a neurodegenerative disease that progressively worsens over time as it kills brain cells. No cure has yet been found, nor has the major cause of Alzheimers been identified.

However, two compounds found in cinnamon –– cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin –– are showing some promise in the effort to fight the disease. According to George and Graves, the compounds have been shown to prevent the development of the filamentous "tangles" found in the brain cells that characterize Alzheimers.

Responsible for the assembly of microtubules in a cell, a protein called tau plays a large role in the structure of the neurons, as well as their function.

"The problem with tau in Alzheimers is that it starts aggregating," said George, a graduate student researcher. When for the protein does not bind properly to the microtubules that form the cells structure, it has a tendency to clump together, she explained, forming insoluble fibers in the neuron. The older we get the more susceptible we are to these twists and tangles, Alzheimers patients develop them more often and in larger amounts.

The use of cinnamaldehyde, the compound responsible for the bright, sweet smell of cinnamon, has proven effective in preventing the tau knots. By protecting tau from oxidative stress, the compound, an oil, could inhibit the proteins aggregation. To do this, cinnamaldehyde binds to two residues of an amino acid called cysteine on the tau protein. The cysteine residues are vulnerable to modifications, a factor that contributes to the development of Alzheimers.

"Take, for example, sunburn, a form of oxidative damage," said Graves, adjunct professor in UCSBs Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. "If you wore a hat, you could protect your face and head from the oxidation. In a sense this cinnamaldehyde is like a cap." While it can protect the tau protein by binding to its vulnerable cysteine residues, it can also come off, Graves added, which can ensure the proper functioning of the protein.

Oxidative stress is a major factor to consider in the health of cells in general. Through normal cellular processes, free radical-generating substances like peroxides are formed, but antioxidants in the cell work to neutralize them and prevent oxidation. Under some conditions however, the scales are tipped, with increased production of peroxides and free radicals, and decreased amounts of antioxidants, leading to oxidative stress.

Epicatechin, which is also present in other foods, such as blueberries, chocolate, and red wine, has proven to be a powerful antioxidant. Not only does it quench the burn of oxidation, it is actually activated by oxidation so the compound can interact with the cysteines on the tau protein in a way similar to the protective action of cinnamaldehyde.

"Cell membranes that are oxidized also produce reactive derivatives, such as Acrolein, that can damage the cysteines," said George. "Epicatechin also sequesters those byproducts."

Studies indicate that there is a high correlation between Type 2 diabetes and the incidence of Alzheimers disease. The elevated glucose levels typical of diabetes lead to the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, resulting in oxidative stress, which is a common factor in both diabetes and Alzheimers disease. Other research has shown cinnamons beneficial effects in managing blood glucose and other problems associated with diabetes.

"Since tau is vulnerable to oxidative stress, this study then asks whether Alzheimers disease could benefit from cinnamon, especially looking at the potential of small compounds," said George.

Although this research shows promise, Graves said, they are "still a long way from knowing whether this will work in human beings." The researchers caution against ingesting more than the typical amounts of cinnamon already used in cooking.

If cinnamon and its compounds do live up to their promise, it could be a significant step in the ongoing battle against Alzheimers. A major risk factor for the disease –– age –– is uncontrollable. In the United States, Alzheimers presents a particular problem as the population lives longer and the Baby Boom generation turns gray, leading to a steep rise in the prevalance of the disease. It is a phenomenon that threatens to overwhelm the U.S. health care system. According to the Alzheimers Association, in 2013, Alzheimers disease will cost the nation $203 billion.

"Wouldnt it be interesting if a small molecule from a spice could help?" commented Graves, "perhaps prevent it, or slow down the progression."

Low levels of vitamin D have been implicated as a potential cause of diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes. Now an extensive review suggests its really the other way around: Low levels of the "sunshine vitamin" are more likely a consequence -- not a cause -- of illness.

In their review of almost 500 studies, the researchers found conflicting results. Observational studies, which looked back at what people ate or the kinds of supplements they took, showed a link between higher vitamin D levels in the body and better health.

But, in studies where vitamin D was given as an intervention (treatment) to help prevent a particular ailment, it had no effect. The one exception was a decreased death risk in older adults, particularly older women, who were given vitamin D supplements.

"The discrepancy between observational and intervention studies suggests that low [vitamin D] is a marker of ill health," wrote review authors led by Philippe Autier, at the International Prevention Research Institute, in Lyon, France.

Vitamin D is known to play a key role in bone health. Low levels of vitamin D have been found in a number of conditions, including heart disease, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, cancer and Parkinsons disease. These findings may explain why so many Americans are currently taking vitamin D supplements.

Its nicknamed the sunshine vitamin because the body produces vitamin D when exposed to the sun (if someone isnt wearing sunscreen). Its also found in some foods, such as egg yolks and fatty fish, and in foods that have been fortified with vitamin D, such as milk.

The current review, published online Dec. 6 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, looked at 290 observational studies. In these studies, blood samples to measure vitamin D levels were taken many years before the outcome of the study occurred. The review also included results of 172 randomized clinical trials of vitamin D. In randomized trials, some people receive a therapy while others do not.

The observational studies showed a potential benefit from vitamin D. For example, vitamin D was associated with a 58 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular events, a 38 percent decreased risk of diabetes and a 34 percent decreased risk of colon cancer in these studies.

But, when the researchers looked to the randomized clinical trials that used vitamin D as a treatment, they failed to find any effect on disease occurrence or severity from raising vitamin D levels.

However, vitamin D did reduce the risk of dying from any cause in older people taking 800 international units a day, according to the review.

Dr. Shaun Jayakar, an internal medicine and geriatric specialist from St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, said the findings in elderly people "are likely due to a reduction in falls and fractures. Supplementing with vitamin D would lead to stronger bones, which would reduce falls and factures."

Because the majority of interventional trials failed to find any benefit from vitamin D, the reviews authors conclude that low vitamin D levels dont lead to ill health, rather theyre caused by ill health.

They theorize that inflammation that occurs in many illnesses may be what depletes vitamin D levels.

Dr. Robert Graham, an internist from Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said, "This comprehensive review did a really good job at trying to tease out the effects of different study designs, and the findings will be controversial."

He said there are currently five, large ongoing interventional trials that will help to better define vitamin Ds role in disease. However, the results of those studies wont be available for a number of years. Until then, he recommended, "Try to achieve homeostasis [equilibrium]. You dont want to get to a low level of vitamin D."

The Institute of Medicine recommends 600 international units of vitamin D for adults, and 800 international units for people over 70.

Both Graham and Jayakar agreed that those are reasonable supplement levels. Jayakar said that for most people, vitamin D supplements are harmless, but added that "its a pocketbook issue. Almost 50 percent of the population is taking vitamin D supplements. Thats a lot of money for something that likely has no benefit," he said.

Jayakar added that this reviews findings suggest that low vitamin D levels could be used as a marker -- a sign -- of disease in younger people. "If someone isnt feeling well and they have low vitamin D, maybe we should use that to start searching to see if something else is going wrong," he said.

Consuming omega-3 fish oils can help to prevent skin cancer, according to the first clinical trial exploring the influence of fish oils on the skin immunity of humans.

The study was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Manchester and funded by the Association for International Cancer Research, and examined the effect of taking omega-3 on 79 healthy participants.

Findings of the study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, revealed that consuming regular doses of fish oils increases immunity to sunlight.

It directly decreases sunlight-induced immunity suppression - called immunosuppression - which affects the bodys power to combat skin cancer and infection.

Professor Lesley Rhodes, Professor of Experimental Dermatology from the Photobiology Unit Dermatology Centre at the Universitys School of Medicine and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, said their study was the first of its kind conducted using humans:

"There has been research in this area carried out on mice in the past but this is the first time that there has been a clinical trial directly in people. It has taken a number of years to get to this stage and the findings are very exciting. This study adds to the evidence that omega-3 is a potential nutrient to protect against skin cancer. Although the changes we found when someone took the oil were small, they suggest that a continuous low level of chemoprevention from taking omega-3 could reduce the risk of skin cancer over an individuals lifetime."

The volunteers consumed a 4g dose of omega-3 - approximately one and a half portions of oily fish each day. Then they were exposed to either 8, 15, or 30 minutes of summer midday sun in Manchester using a specific light machine.

A number of other participants took a placebo before being exposed to the sunlight machine.

Immunosuppression was shown to be 50 percent lower in the subjects that took the omega-3 and were exposed to 8 and 15 minutes of sunshine compared with the volunteers who did not take the supplement. Little to no impact on those in the 30 minute group was shown.

The conclusions from this study are significant in the battle against skin cancer, because earlier studies have always shown that sunscreens are frequently applied incorrectly and only worn on vacation.

However, Professor Rhodes points out omega-3 is not a substitute for suntan lotion or physical protection, and that it should be seen as additional protection factor to help keep the skin from burning.

Historically, fish oil has already been associated with health benefits like protecting against cardiovascular disease, helping prevent age-related vision loss, and even slowing the growth of prostate cancer cells.