A groundbreaking new study revealed that a common herb extract used to flavor many snacks and candies could improve some of the worst symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
The extract in question is Menthol. The study, conducted by a diverse group of neurological experts from around the world, studied the impact of mice that smelled menthol.
When the mice inhaled the extract, their cognitive abilities improved, especially in those suffering from the mouse equivalent of Alzheimer's. It also improved their olfactory, immune and central nervous system responses, a previous study found.
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The mice were exposed to menthol repeatedly for six months, and during that time, their memory, learning capabilities and even their immune systems improved as their cognitive deterioration slowed.
"We first found that repeated short exposures to menthol odor enhanced the immune response against ovalbumin immunization," the authors of the study wrote. Their work was published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology . "Menthol inhalation also improved the cognitive capacity of immunocompetent mice but not in immunodeficient NSG mice, which exhibited very poor fear-conditioning."
Specifically, menthol reduced levels of interleukin-1 beta, a protein that works with the immune system and can cause fever in some immune responses, according to the National Cancer Institute .
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The authors of the study warned, however, that while the effects of menthol on mice were promising, the study can't yet be generalized to human Alzheimer's patients. It's nonetheless a huge step in developing a cure for the disease or treatments.
Previous research in both mice and humans established links between smells and the immune and nervous system, as well as memory and emotional responses to things. It's also known that Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases impacting the central nervous system can result in the loss of smell, and while more research must be done, there's a chance menthol could help delay or mitigate that.
Further research will be conducted. Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia that affects memory, learning and behavior, according to the Alzheimer's Association , and it's the most common type of dementia. It's not entirely clear what causes it, but it seems to be caused at least in part by a buildup of proteins or other biological molecules in the brain that cut off circulation or neurons from each other, resulting in brain cell death.
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