In a recent study published in the Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring, researchers found that an oxidation-antioxidant imbalance in the blood is an early indicator of Alzheimer’s disease, rather than a consequence.
They showed that oxidative markers, known to be involved in Alzheimer’s disease, show an increase up to five years before the onset of the disease.
The findings suggest that oxidation may be an early marker of this disease that affects more than 500,000 Canadians. They provide an avenue for preventive intervention: antioxidants intake.
The study is from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique. One author is Mohamed Raâfet Ben Khedher.
Unlike the current set of invasive and expensive tests used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, the oxidative markers discovered by the team can be detected by a blood test.
These markers are found in plasma extracellular vesicles, which are pockets released by all cells in the body, including those in the brain.
In the study, the research team focused specifically on the “sporadic” Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of the disease which results primarily from the presence of the APOE4 susceptibility gene.
This same form of the disease had been studied by the team for other early markers.
The team says by identifying oxidative markers in the blood of individuals at risk five years before the onset of the disease, they could make recommendations to slow the onset of the disease and limit the risks.
This breakthrough brings new hope to Alzheimer’s research. Once the disease is symptomatic, it is difficult, if not impossible, to reverse it.
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