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.