Nestlé and food-brain research

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The link between nutrition and cognitive function is an area that has largely been overlooked. But recent studies looking at the potential protective role of foods like pomegranate and berries, green tea, and fish being against cognitive impairment and the on-set of Alzheimer's disease shows that this is slowly changing. And this, says Nestlé, offers opportunities.

"As we have seen in the past 20 years with the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, we will see, starting now, the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases in the next 20 years," said Dr. Sandrine Andrieu from the Toulouse University School of Medicine. The risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are metabolic, said Andrieu, and include cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, high homocysteine levels, and obesity. Another risk factor is oxidative stress, she said.

The opportunities appear to come from two approaches - improving the energy delivered to the brain (metabolism behind brain energy slows down during ageing and Alzheimer development) and improving the overall metabolic profile of the person (traditional ingredients, phytonutrients, bioactive lipids, pre- and probiotics) to reduce the risk of developing the disease.

Nestlé already has several proprietary ingredients that contribute to energy production, including the ActigenE mixture of micronutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, iron and calcium, and the Nutriactive B containing vitamins A, B, C, D, and E and minerals.

Aebischer said that no single compound or nutrient would be the focus of the study, because be doing such would enter the realm of pharma and produce toxicology issues. Dr. Aebischer said the formula would be "put together by nature." However, Prof. Van Bladeren told NutraIngredients.com that Nestlé would be looking at a range of new and existing ingredients and investigating novel ways of delivering and improving the bioavailability, thereby giving Nestlé a proprietary ingredient. "We can find a novel form of a natural ingredient," said van Bladeren.

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