Gosh, we'll try anything, won't we? I heard that cinnamon capsules would help. I bought some and I think they really did help. 2000 mg a day. After 6 weeks I cut down to 1 capsule a day instead of two....afraid they might be toxic. DH was having episodes of being nauseated, weak and a little disoriented. Almost all those spells went away with the cinnamon. Could have been a rush of insulin that caused them. Cinnamon is supposed to help regulate blood sugar. Has anyone else tried this. I read about it on the Alz site message boards.
I also have heard cinammon is good for regulating blood sugars and i always put in our oatmeal now since DH had issues a while back with sugars. plus i know it helps for nausea as well. not sure what the recommended dosage is though. i esp heard it works for morning sickness for preggers. divvi
divvi-is there something you're not telling us. About the Cinnamon-I have read that depending of the source it can be contaminated and harmful. Like you I do put some in my morning coffee. Got to die of something. I'd rather it be Cinnamon overdose than AD
AD patients have a marked reduction in cortical nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The association between nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) dysfunction and cognitive decline in Alzheimer's has been widely studied in the hopes of finding drugs that can treat AD. Studies on the possible use of nicotine itself for treating AD were initiated a very long time ago, at least twenty years. Studies have found that nicotine can upregulate nicotinic receptors, and strong nicotine binding to the receptors in patients with mild AD corresponds to better results in attention testing. However, chronic nicotine exposure also exacerbates tau pathology.
Short answer to whether Nicorette will help: researchers are looking for compounds that are chemically similar to nicotine that might be effective treatments for AD, but nicotine itself is unlikely to be useful.
See, for example:
Picciotto MR, Zoli M. 2008. Neuroprotection via nAChRs: the role of nAChRs in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Front Biosci 13:492-504. Epidemiological studies have identified a negative correlation between smoking and the development of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease, and in some studies, Alzheimer's disease. These findings have been attributed to the ability of nicotine to act as a neuroprotective agent. A large number of studies demonstrate that nicotine can protect against neuronal death in vitro and in vivo, and the mechanisms underlying the ability of nicotine to protect against excitotoxicity and amyloid-beta toxicity are beginning to be elucidated. Despite the compelling evidence that nicotine is neuroprotective, it is clear that nicotine can be toxic under some circumstances. The balance between nicotine neuroprotection and toxicity depends on dose, developmental stage and regimen of administration. Therefore, a full understanding of the molecular and cellular effects of nicotine on signaling pathways relevant to neuronal survival is critical for informed drug discovery of nicotinic compounds to combat human neurodegeneration. This review summarizes recent studies related to the mechanisms underlying nicotine-mediated neuroprotection, and addresses issues that are relevant to use of nicotine as a neuroprotective agent in vivo.
The review is not readily available on-line. I've sent an email to the corresponding author, to see if I can get a .pdf.
Our capsules are Nature's Bounty. Hope that's a reliable uncontaminated source. Yes, Bluedaze, I'd rather die of cinnamon overdose than AD. Maybe I'll go back to giving DH two capsules a day.
i dont know about contamination, esp now seems meats/veggies/just about anything can have salmonell or ecoli! i use cinamon stix in my filter with coffee too, and use powdered in our cereals and french toast, etc. thank goodness its surely not me, preggers:) if i was, i would be megarich having a complete hysterectomy many yrs ago:)fish oils, cinnamon, vit E/who knows if it helps or not, but gotta try regardless. divvi
I'm having trouble finding any substantive information on cinnamon for treating AD, although it is being studied for diabetes.
Current rumor and gossip were set off when UC Santa Barbara recently released a request for partners for licensing/collaboration which says, "Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara have discovered an extract of common cinnamon that contains a class of small organic molecules that inhibit several key processes in Alzheimer’s disease. The cinnamon extract inhibits the aggregation of tau and disassembles fibers that have already formed, suggesting that neurofibrillary tangles can possibly be reversed by these compounds. The extract exhibits potent inhibitory activity, is orally available, water-soluble, non-toxic, and the bioactive molecules are likely brain permeable. The extract is readily produced in large quantities and can be encapsulated in powder form for oral administration. These properties make the cinnamon extract a highly favorable substance for development into an effective therapeutic to slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease."
Apparently, cinnamon oil contains trace amounts of coumarin, a blood thinner. The amount that is present depends on the source of the cinnamon. True cinnamon from Ceylon has very little coumarin, but the cassia variety, which is the most common variety of cinnamon sold in grocery stores in the USA, contains considerably more.
Used in small amounts as a spice and as a fragrance, cinnamon is safe. There is not enough coumarin in the usual use of cinnamon to create a risk for bleeding, but excessive consumption of cinnamon of the cassia variety should be avoided by those with blood disorders and especially those on blood thinners such as Coumadin or Plavix. European health agencies have issued an alert to avoid excessive consumption of the cassia variety of cinnamon due to reports of liver and kidney toxicity.
Marina just sent me the 2008 Frontiers in Bioscience paper that reviews what is known about nicotine and AD, if anyone is interested in receiving a copy. (The internet is a wonderful thing.)
We first starting using fish oil 11 years ago for our dog that suffered with seborrhea. It works wonders for him! My little niece is diabetic, we use cinnamon daily. Natural is the way to go. IMHO
dangit Sunshyne, your science contributions always make me lookup what you are saying. unfortunately, i always find you are right, and usually something i didnt want to read:) but good to know! coumarin is found in some brands of cinnamon, like you say can be toxic in quantity. also i didnt know coumarin is also used as a rodenticide!UGH. plus in cigarretes it was banned in 1997, which may be why some are asking about nicorrette as it probably has something to do with this too then. courmarin? cinammon? its used in perfumes too, and a slew of other stuff. i will be looking for cinammom from ceylon in whole foods if i can find it now.it is supposed to be the purest..i am deciding there is nothing we can eat or put into our bodies that is safe anymore. know wonder we have these diseases and have no clue where they manifest from -divvi
Just hang in there, divvi. What they tell us is bad for us today will be found to be good for us in a year or two. Remember eggs? Red meat? I've pretty much given up on believing anything they tell us about diet any more, and just try to eat a balanced diet. Wine and chocolate.