Tomatoes vs Alzheimer's Disease

clipped from www.sciencedaily.com The humble tomato could be a suitable carrier for an oral vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease Although their research is still in the early stages, it is a promising first step towards finding an edible vaccine against the neurodegenerative disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and it progresses over a long period of time. It is thought to be caused by the accumulation of human beta-amyloid, a toxic insoluble fibrous protein in the brain, which leads to the death of neurons. Reducing the accumulation of beta-amyloid may inhibit the degeneration of the nervous system and therefore prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. One approach is to stimulate the immune system to reduce beta-amyloid in the brain. Tomatoes are an attractive candidate as a vaccine carrier because they can be eaten without heat treatment, which reduces the risk of destroying the immune stimulation potential of the foreign protein.