Dietary intervention with edible medicinal plants and derived products for prevention of Alzheimer's disease: A compendium of time-tested strategy

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is acccounting for over 50% of all cases of dementia worldwide. Currently there are no effective treatments available for AD. Plant-based medications and dietary interventions have attracted increasing research interest as an alternative strategy for the protection and treatment of AD. Thereby, this review aims to summarize different medical interventions with dietary materials such as edible medicinal plants and ways to capitalize on the therapeutic advantages of their components to provide an alternative approach to enhance their long-term pleiotropic benefits in AD. Given the established mechanisms in AD pathogenesis, we elucidate different pathophysiological changes associated with lowering the disease incidence with these mainly plant-based dietary materials, providing laboratory evidence on the feasibility and potential of dietary intervention in the prevention and treatment of AD. In particular, we highly recommend the concept of dietary intervention as an alternative or supplementary therapeutic strategy.

Keywords

• Alternative medicine
• Alzheimer's disease
• Dementia
• Dietary intervention
• Pleiotropic benefit