Beetroot Prevents a rare disease

New Delhi, Mar 21: A compound in beet plant that gives the vegetable its distinctive red colour may help slow the progression of Alzheimer s disease, a study claims. The findings showed that the compound betanin in beetroot extract could eventually help slow the accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain, a process that is associated with Alzheimer s disease. "Our data suggest that betanin shows some promise as an inhibitor of certain chemical reactions in the brain that are involved in the progression of Alzheimer s disease," said Li-June Ming, from the University of South Florida. "This is just a first step, but we hope that our findings will encourage other scientists to look for structures similar to betanin that could be used to synthesise drugs that could make life a bit easier for those who suffer from this disease," said Ming.