Common kitchen spice turns out to reverse dementia

Taiwanese scientists have conducted an intriguing study on the essential spice in sweets. They found that sodium benzoate, produced by the body's metabolism of cinnamic acid found in cinnamon, may improve cognitive function in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease. The results of the study were published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

It has been tested on many patients.

The study was conducted on 149 patients aged between 50 and 100 who had been diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's disease. The participants were found to have high levels of a protein called amyloid-beta, known to be the primary cause of the disease, in their blood.

Patients were divided into four groups and received placebo or 500 mg, 750 mg or 1,000 mg sodium benzoate capsules for 24 weeks.

Significant reductions in amyloid-beta 1-40 and total amyloid-beta levels were observed, particularly in the 750 mg and 1,000 mg groups.

Patients with higher baseline amyloid-beta 1-42 levels had greater improvement on cognitive tests.

The same improvement was not seen in the placebo group. Sodium benzoate was reported to have a side effect profile similar to placebo throughout treatment, indicating it was safe and tolerable.

ITS EFFECTS HAVE BEEN PROVEN BY TESTS

Participants' cognitive performance was measured with the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog). On this test, where a lower score indicates better function, patients receiving the higher dose performed significantly better after 24 weeks.

IS CINNAMON THAT EFFECTIVE?

The natural cinnamic acid found in cinnamon acts as an antioxidant in the body. This helps reduce the stress caused by damaging molecules entering the body from external factors. It also reduces inflammation and maintains insulin processing capacity.

It prevents DNA damage, supports fat breakdown, and activates enzymes. This also helps combat obesity. However, the sodium benzoate used in the study was administered at pharmaceutical doses. The amount naturally found in cinnamon is far below these levels. Therefore, relying solely on the spice alone cannot achieve the same effect.

NEW HOPE IN ALZHEIMER'S TREATMENT

Some currently approved intravenous treatments for Alzheimer's disease can slow cognitive decline by targeting amyloid-beta plaques. However, these drugs carry significant drawbacks, including high cost, the need for frequent infusions, and the risk of brain swelling or bleeding.

Therefore, experts believe that sodium benzoate, which can be taken orally, is safe and easily administered, could be the "amyloid-beta-reducing drug of the future."

WHAT WERE THE PREVIOUS FINDINGS?

The benefits of sodium benzoate have been researched before.

In 2016, Dr. Kalipada Pahan of Rush University in Chicago suggested that cinnamon may support learning and memory.

In mouse studies, cinnamon consumption reversed harmful changes in the hippocampus, the brain's memory center.

In 2023, teams from China and Brazil reported that sodium benzoate reduced the accumulation of amyloid-beta and tau proteins in the blood of Alzheimer's patients.