According to the Alzheimer’s association, around 200,000 people under 65 suffer from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Today, scientists are calling this disease “Type III Diabetes”. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and research has revealed that it is closely related to elevated blood sugar.
To date, there is no cure or any form of drug therapy that can slow the course of this disease. However, in 2016, a study was published in the journal of Neuroscience Bulletin about a dietary supplement identified as Benfotiamine. The study revealed that this supplement can not only improve cognitive function in the Alzheimer’s patients, but also target the glucose metabolism in the brain and prevent any harm that may be caused. After that, a number of other studies were conducted to figure out how the brain is affected by blood sugar and what role it plays in Alzheimer’s.
What is Benfotiamine?
Benfotiamine is a thiamine (Vitamin B1) derivative. It is found in many food items such as nuts, seeds, legumes, wheat germ, cereal, pasta, rice, bread and flour. Since this dietary supplement is fat-soluble, it has higher bioavailability and is easily absorbed by your body, as compared to thiamine.
A Brain-Protecting Dietary Supplement
Thiamine has been known to work quite well in boosting healthy brain function. Lack of thiamine impacts many parts of the body, most importantly the brain. This leads to a number of events that impact the chemical reaction in the body causing inflammation, stress and dementia-producing disorders.
After much research, it was found out that when thiamine levels are low in the body, people are more at risk of age related diseases. The same studies revealed that when it comes to Benfotiamine, it also has a strong connection with the body’s ability to metabolize sugar. This lead to the discovery that elevated blood sugar can cause brain dysfunction when it increases in the blood.
This revealed that some of the signs of this neurodegenerative disorder can be reversed or slowed down.
Uses of Benfotiamine
Apart from Alzheimer’s, Benfotiamine also aids in treating various other problems:
- Anxiety
- Diabetes
- Diabetic neuropathy
- Back pain
- Depression
- Fibromyalgia
- Thyroid disease
- Neuropathy disease
- Sciatica
How Benfotiamine Affects the Brain
- When glucose level in the blood gets too high, the blood vessel’s endothelial lining gets damaged. This lining contributes to Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline
- Through this connection, AGEs can be prevented from harming the brain and the blood vessels
- Due to its properties, Benfotiamine is recommended more than thiamine to older people, in order to maintain brain health
According to a study published in the journal of Neuroscience Bulletin, the effects of Benfotiamine need to be explored further. This study, which was conducted on a smaller scale compared to others, was published in 2016. Only 4 participants with moderate Alzheimer’s disease were monitored for 18 months. They were asked to take 300 mg Benfotiamine daily. At the end of the study, the participants showed great signs of cognitive improvement. The change in the brain was found out through PET scans rather than doing intellectual tests.
The good news is that a high dose of Benfotiamine not only acts as shield against AGEs, it also allows you to maintain your blood sugar level. So, get yourself Benfotiamine dietary supplements and consume them twice a day, before or after you have had your meal.
