Plaque attack

Your teeth and your arteries aren't the only places you have to worry about plaque. Build-up of beta-amyloid in your brain is also a well known hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). But a new pilot study is shedding some light on how two simple nutrients can help to keep this deadly development at bay. Researchers took blood samples from both AD patients and healthy controls. They isolated a group of immune cells called macrophages--which are responsible, among other things, for eating up plaque. The scientists found that exposure to both D3 and omega-3 improved the ability of the AD patients' macrophages to break up amyloid beta deposits. The two nutrients also blocked plaque-related cell death. Obviously, these are still early findings. And more intensive clinical study will be necessary before we know exactly how these nutrients might help in the fight against Alzheimer's. But in the meantime, you can't go wrong by adding a dose of both omega-3s and vitamin D to your supplement regimen. In fact, I recommend that everyone take these two supplements, every day. They're just that important. Until next time, Dr. Fred