Keeping our bodies more alkaline might reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

One problem with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is that neurological damage is done and may not be reversible by the time it is diagnosed correctly.

Five years ago, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists discovered the role of pH in the risk of AD. pH is the quantitative measure of acidity or alkalinity. A neutral pH is 7.0. Anything lower is acidic – getting more acidic as the number approaches 1.0. Alkalinity starts at 7.1 and goes to 14.0 with increasing alkalinity as the numbers rise.

Brain pH

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/ph-imbalance-in-brain-cells-may-contribute-to-alzheimers-disease. Laboratory animals were engineered to have AD. Manipulating the brain’s pH, they could reverse amyloid-beta plaque buildup – a significant cause of AD.

The Study

https://www.pnas.org/content/115/28/E6640.short. Scientists know that amyloid-beta accumulates around neurons. Left unchecked, these proteins aggregate and form plaques that kill the neurons. Astrocytes in our brains (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2019.01114/full) are responsible for cleaning up the piles of amyloid-beta proteins around neurons.

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are drugs used to treat cancer and are not approved for AD or other dementias. Scientists used HDAC inhibitors to change the pH from acidic to more neutral. As a result, astrocytes that were impaired from cleaning up amyloid-beta proteins began to work as expected. Very quickly, the debris and amyloid-beta accumulations were removed from the area around the neurons.

HDAC and Alzheimer’s

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2011/143269/ HDAC inhibitors cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, which makes this discussion mute at present. Medical researchers are testing other HDAC inhibitors to determine which can enter the brain’s inner sanctum. Tau protein tangles are another cause of Alzheimer’s. The buildup of amyloid-beta plaques causes hyperphosphorylation of the tau protein. HDAC inhibitors shut down that pathway and reduced the levels of tau tangles in laboratories.

Conclusion

The brain’s pH is less than our blood. It changes because of temporary increases in the amount of carbon dioxide gas in the brain, which metabolizes sugar for energy. Foods high in carbohydrates increase blood sugar which adds to the conundrum of getting energy to run brain operations and preventing massive changes in pH that could shift the risk of AD higher.

pH balance in the body and brain is an exciting field of study. For example, I have written and spoken often about how calcium in the bones is leached into the bloodstream to maintain blood pH. Unfortunately, over time, this results in weak and brittle bones.

Our breathing, kidney function, and more collectively keep our brain chemistry normal, but pH imbalances can occur.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

 

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