These foods are said to protect against Alzheimer's disease?

Patients wanted for Berlin study
Scientists have found substances in food that can stimulate self-cleaning processes in the brain cells and possibly protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. One of them: spermidine. "Previous data suggest that so-called polyamines, especially spermidine, have a positive effect on brain function and mental ability," says Professor Agnes Flöel of the Department of Neurological University Greifswald. Currently, a study conducted at the Charité in Berlin under the direction of Professor Flöel is investigating the influence of the active substance from wheat germ on learning ability and memory.

The potential effects of nutrients and "smart drugs" on mental fitness are widely reported - and much speculation. The dementia researcher said today, at the beginning of the congress of the German Society of Neurology (DGN) in Leipzig, what modern neurological research knows about the influence of food on brain performance. Tomorrow, September 21, is World Alzheimer's Day.

Even years before the onset of the first symptoms, Alzheimer's shows an altered immune response in the brain, which can be detected by certain proteins in the nerve water. (Image: goa novi / fotolia.com)

With the Berlin "SmartAge" study, the researchers are investigating the effects of 12-month administration of natural spermidine from wheat germ on learning and memory as well as on the structure of the brain. The study will involve older, still healthy people whose memory has deteriorated in their own estimation. Study participants are still being sought (see below).

"It is known from other studies that people with subjective memory deterioration worried about dementia actually have an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease," explains Professor Flöel, director of the University Department of Neurology in Greifswald. The neurologist researches how dementia and cognitive limitations can be influenced by lifestyle. She recently moved from the Charité in Berlin to Greifswald, but still heads the Berlin study. Lifestyle studies are in the trend, because against the background of the aging society, the health of the brain is increasingly becoming the focus of science. Epidemiologists worldwide are forecast to double or quadruple the number of dementias by 2050, and previous efforts to find causal therapies for Alzheimer's dementia that have already erupted have been unsuccessful, despite global research and billions of dollars of investment. The search for prevention strategies therefore has high medical, health policy and economic relevance.

Spermidine reduces cellular scrap
Great potential to prevent mental breakdown, neuroscientists currently attributed spermidine. Spermidine is an endogenous product of cell metabolism and plays an important role in the maintenance of cell processes. External spermidine intake increases the lifespan of so-called model organisms such as yeasts, worms, and fruit flies and stops age-related memory loss in fruit flies - an effect researchers attribute to the increase in so-called autophagy processes. With this self-cleaning process, the cell digests and destroys its scrap, for example, pathogenic protein deposits. In 2016, the Nobel Prize in Physiology was awarded for research into the mechanisms of autophagy. These protein deposits are responsible for almost all neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease. Boosting this self-cleaning process could thus prevent these diseases.

Active ingredient from wheat germ
Spermidine in food also seems to be beneficial to the human brain. "In a separate small study funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as well as the larger study now underway, we examined the effect of natural spermidine obtained from wheat germ and packaged in capsules on learning and memory," explains Professor Flöel. "We were able to show that memory performance tends to improve after only three months of use, with very good compatibility of the capsules."

Scientists count spermidine as the so-called calorie reduction mimetics. "Calorie reduction mimetics are substances that mimic the effects of fasting. The body produces it when you lose weight, but you can also take it with food, "explains Flöel. A number of mimetics have already been investigated worldwide: for example, resveratrol, which can be obtained from grapes, and therefore, among others. can be found in red wine, or the so-called green tea extract, referred to by technical names as Epigallocatechingallat. "Resveratrol has been shown to have a positive effect on memory performance, while other groups have had an effect on the blood flow to the brain," says Professor Flöel.

Eat healthy and occasionally fast
Will the super-pill for the brain come soon? "Dietary supplements can never replace a balanced diet," says the professor. Basically, it would be beneficial to eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and unsaturated fatty acids and to save on sugar. "It also matters how much you eat," adds Flöel. "In studies, a calorie restriction, especially the allure of fasting, led to better memory."

In order to prevent dementia, the S3 guideline of the German Society of Neurology (DGN) recommends to keep an eye on diabetes, high blood pressure and overweight and to medically combat these risk factors at an early stage. In addition, an active social life, physical activity and an active and healthy lifestyle seem to reduce the risk of illness.

Patients wanted
For the "SmartAge" study, which is currently being conducted at the Charité in Berlin under the direction of Professor Agnes Flöel, other study participants between the ages of 60 and 90 are searched for, who in their own estimation are suffering from a memory impairment and are concerned about this do. Interested parties are welcome to contact us by e-mail at or phone +49 (0) 30 450660395.