New Israeli trial to check if pomegranate oil could improve memory
Approximately 50 million Americans are affected by neurodegenerative diseases each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMANA vendor selling pomegranates looks on at a market in Srinagar February 1, 2019(photo credit: REUTERS)Rambam Medical Center’s Memory Clinic is kicking off a new clinical trial to test the impact of Omega 5 acid, extracted from pomegranate seed oil, on patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).MCI is the stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline of dementia. Specifically, the experiment will check to see if “GranaGard” pomegranate oil for preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases can slow down memory loss in 100 patients. The double-blind experiment will last 12 months. During that time, half of patients will be given the GranaGard and the other half will be given a placebo. Prof. Ruth Gabizon, a senior degenerative brain disease researcher in the Department of Neurology at Hadassah University Hospital who helped develop GranaGard, said that the patients will be given a series of standardized memory tests throughout the course of the trial and their improvement will be tracked. Approximately 50 million Americans are affected by neurodegenerative diseases each year, according to the National Institutes of Health. Omega 5 acid, also known as punicic acid, has long been known as one of the strongest naturally occurring antioxidants and is considered to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and immune-system strengthening effects. However, Gabizon explained, it cannot reach the brain or central nervous system to a sufficient degree without scientific intervention because the liver prevents it from being broken down and dissolved into the bloodstream.GranaGard was developed using a nanotechnology patent developed by scientists from the Israeli biotechnology company Granalix. The technology “cuts down” the omega 5 into smaller pieces or “nanodroplets” that dissolve in the stomach. Due to their small size, the omega 5 droplets can reach the brain.Gabizon and her team empirically tested and scientifically proved the effectiveness of GranaGard in the laboratories of Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.This new experiment comes on the backdrop of an ongoing trial of GranaGard at Hadassah's Multiple Sclerosis Center, which showed significant positive impact on preventing cognitive deterioration due to MS.Some 30 moderate phase patients participated in the trial. Those who received the nano-omega 5 supplement saw a 12% improvement in learning ability, text comprehension, word recall and categorization within just three months of treatment. This improvement has been maintained for at least three months; Gabizon said they are continuing to track the patients.Prof. Haim Ovadia, a senior researcher in the Neuroimmunology Lab at Hadassah Medical Center, is familiar with GranaGard and confirmed that it has been shown to prevent neurodegenerative diseases, first in mouse models and now in preliminary tests with humans.He said in mouse models with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, GranaGard was found to prolong their lives. An experiment with Alzheimer’s also found that their memory improved from use of the oil.
