Researchers explore an unexpected path to support brain health in early Alzheimer’s disease.
A food preservative used in sodas and thousands of other products may help improve memory and thinking skills in people with Alzheimer’s disease, raising the possibility that an inexpensive household chemical could help combat the nation’s sixth-leading cause of death.
A recent analysis of clinical trial data from 149 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease found that taking sodium benzoate daily for 24 weeks was linked to better thinking skills and lower levels of abnormal proteins in the blood—one of the disease’s hallmarks.
What the Study Found
Current Alzheimer’s treatments are costly and can come with serious side effects, so researchers tested whether sodium benzoate—a pantry preservative—might do more than fight spoilage.
