Diabetes, Cashews & Dementia

What do cashews and dementia have in common? They are commonly linked with diabetes. The first as a preventative aid and the second a byproduct of uncontrolled diabetes.
According to TopNews, “A new study by the researchers from Universities of Montreal, Canada and de Yaounde Cameroun has indicated towards the effectiveness of the cashew seed extract against diabetes.”
Pierre Haddad is a professor of pharmacology in Montreal who indicated, “Cashew seeds extract have effectively stimulated the absorption of blood sugar by muscle cells, among all the extracts tested.”

The reason the research is significant is because the cashew is a natural and sustainable resource that can be used in cost effective treatment of diabetes. Obviously more research will be needed, but the use of cashews in the care of diabetes may be viewed as another positive in the ongoing quest to find treatments and an ultimate cure for diabetes.
Haddad is quoted by TopNews as saying, “Our study validates the traditional use of cashew tree products in diabetes and points to some of its natural components that can serve to create new oral therapies.”
Cashews come from a fruit known as cashew apples. The apple is small and typically rots within 24 hours of picking. The research extended to the apple, the leaf and the bark of the cashew apple trees. Cashews are said to be anti-inflammatory and can be used to control the blood sugar levels in those living with diabetes.
Meanwhile, TopNews also reported, “Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus and the University of California have conducted a research on whether dementia varies with people having diabetes or not. Blood samples of 211 people with dementia and 403 without dementia were collected to compare the ratio of two dissimilar types of amyloid beta proteins in blood.”
It has been said that Alzheimer’s is a form of diabetes because insulin levels are extremely low in patients with Alzheimer’s. However, the report suggests that dementia in diabetes is different than Alzheimers, “The findings show that people who have diabetes are more likely to get affected by vascular disease, which affects blood flow in brain vessels causing dementia. People who suffer from dementia without diabetes are affected by brain plaque deposits, which are generally found in Alzheimer patients,” said TopNews.
The study was published in the Archives of Neurology. TopNews reports, “Those having dementia without diabetes can cure the same by taking high levels of vitamin E in their meals, as Vitamin E guards the brain against oxidative stress, which causes Alzheimer.”
To avoid dementia in adults the findings suggest that, “The intake of four antioxidants — vitamin E, vitamin C, beta carotene and flavanoids — can improve the function of the memory.”
In diabetes, dementia is often the result of vessel damage between the heart and brain. By understanding the cause medical practitioners may be able to better guard against the instance of dementia by assisting their diabetic patients with information and medication that may prove helpful.
These two stories continue to point to the wide variety of tools researchers are using in order to gain a better understanding of diabetes and how it affects patients. Similarly they are also working to use every available resource to better the lives of their patients.
The overall care of those with diabetes continues to improve with each passing year and research findings like these assist in advancing the cause of care.