Alzheimer's, Amyloid, Zinc And Copper

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease and the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. Yet the disease begins many years before the symptoms first appear. Certain substances in the brain, such as amyloid, are associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Zinc and copper also influence progression of the disease. Consult your doctor about Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid, zinc and copper.

Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia characterized by cognitive deterioration that affects your ability to think, reason, remember and fulfill normal activities. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease usually appear after 60 years of age. However, the life span after symptoms manifest is shorter for people who first experience symptoms when they are older than when younger. Scientists at the U.O. Alzheimer-Memory Clinic in Brescia, Italy, found that life span was three years or less in patients with Alzheimer’s symptoms beginning when they were in their 90s, while the life span was seven to 10 years in the patients who first experienced symptoms in their 60s, according to research published in the "Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics" in 2009.

Amyloid and Neurofibrillary Tangles

A key cause of Alzheimer’s disease is the formation and accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain that -- together with neurofibrillary tangles -- degrade the nerve cells in the brain. Beta amyloid, also called "Abeta," is a protein fragment your body normally produces and breaks down. In Alzheimer’s disease, however, it accumulates and forms hard, insoluble plaques. Neurofibrillary tangles are insoluble twisted fibers that contain a protein called "tau" which forms part of a microtubule structure that transports nutrients from one location of the nerve cell to another location. People with Alzheimer's disease accumulate abnormal tau protein and collapsed microtubules.

Trace Minerals and Amyloid

Zinc and copper are trace minerals that are essential in assisting numerous enzymes, including copper-zinc superoxide dismutase, a strong antioxidant. Zinc and copper accumulate in the brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists at the Biomolecular Research Institute in Victoria, Australia, reported that certain zinc and copper ions bind to Abeta and increase the aggregation of plaques in the brain of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, according to research published in the "Journal of Biological Chemistry" in June 2001.

Chelation

Chelation therapy is a potential method for reducing the formation of Abeta. Chelation is a process of introducing certain chemicals that attract metals, such as zinc and copper, and remove them from the body. Scientists at the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, found that Clioquinol, a bioavailable zinc copper chelator, decreases brain Abeta by 49 percent in the brains of mice, according to research published in "Neuron" in June 2001. The scientists report that the results demonstrate a novel approach for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.