CBD Research - How CBD Works
HOW DOES CBD WORK FOR DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER'S?
We better get a handle on this soon.
The populations around the world are aging quickly.
That's not good news for Dementia and Alzheimer's.
For the 5.5M Americans who are diagnosed per year, 5.3M are over age 65!
Interestingly, 2/3rds are women.
This may be a function of women living longer or something else (very interesting...we'll touch on that below).
- Why is there a tie between hysterectomies (so-call forced menopause) and Dementia risk later in life?
- Why do people who take NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) in mid-life have a reduced risk for Dementia later on?
- Why do people with immune diseases have a 20% increase in the risk of Dementia?
- How does having Herpes Simplex I virus raise Dementia risks?
We'll see what the research says.
Speaking of which...the latest research shows that gum disease is significantly tied to Dementia and Alzheimer's.
That may sound surprising but won't be after what you read below on the immune system, inflammation, and dementia.
The landscape has shifted significantly on how we view these diseases.
New evidence points to the role of inflammation in the brain and even an autoimmune aspect.
In case you haven't read any other articles on this site, inflammation and autoimmune are right in CBD's wheelhouse.
In fact, the system that's tasked with maintaining homeostasis (balance) of the immune system is the endocannabinoid system in our bodies!
We'll get into that specifically but if you want to jump right to the safety screened CBD here:
Otherwise, you can jump to any section here:
- Quick intro to CBD and Endocannabinoid system for Alzheimer's and Dementia
- What's the difference between Alzheimer's and Dementia
- Are Dementia and Alzheimer's diseases of brain inflammation
- Are Dementia and Alzheimer's autoimmune diseases
- How do hormones affect Alzheimer and Dementia (for lady readers)
- Research on CBD and Dementia and Alzheimer's
- Can CBD reverse Dementia and Alzheimer's
- Best CBD for Dementia and Alzheimer's
- What dosage of CBD for Dementia and Alzheimer's (based on research)
- Where to buy CBD for Dementia and Alzheimer's
Lot's to cover...let's get started.
Quick Intro To CBD And Endocannabinoid System For Alzheimer's And Dementia
Let's first look at the aspects of the disease that might be affected by the endocannabinoid system and CBD specifically.
You can check out the How CBD Works and Beginner's Guide here.
Let's acquaint ourselves with the actors first.
- Amyloid Plaques – This is a protein that builds up and may interfere with neuron communication
- Microglia – The immune response agents in our brain on the lookout for bad things
- Neurons – most prominent cells in the brain which communicate with each other
- Astrocytes – supportive cells in the brain
All of these actors are integral to Dementia and Alzheimer's.
With Dementia and Alzheimer's, they all share one thing in common...
Inflammation!
We'll look at that later but important new research is pointing to our brain's inflammatory response system as tied to the disease.
A very quick summary of the disease progression since we want to jump to the endocannabinoid system's role.
The symptoms generally show the following:
- Impairment of episodic memory
- The decline in language or the ability to recognize familiar things
- Apathy or changes in behavior
Inside the brain, microglia are responsible for warding off intruders.
They look for foreign entities and if need be, attack and destroy them.
As with the immune system in the body, they should then settle back down from attack mode.
If they don't, we have chronic inflammation (their primary response to intruders) and the collateral damage of this war is our own tissue.
In the brain, this tissue would be our neurons, astrocytes, and other important cells.
The plaques appear to be a residual artifact from this process.
A new medication was just dropped by the pharma company is it reduced plaques but didn't improve cognitive impairments.
The body and brain use these same microglia to "eat" up bad or dead tissue and dispose of it.
The ultimate effect of this is that brain cells stop communicating with each other and die off.
Okay...we know the bad news.
Let's look at forward motion on our understanding of the disease.
Below, we're going to get into a lot of research on inflammation, auto-immune, and these diseases.
Let's first introduce the endocannabinoid system.
You have a natural system in the body that spans most tissue including the brain.
Here's a quick look at it
This system is generally in charge of balancing these systems:
- Nervous system – neurotransmitter
- Endocrine system – hormones
- Immune system – immune response including microglia (hm hm....remember THIS one!!)
CBD appears to aid this system when it gets overworked.
You could say that this is the weak chain in our body's ability to deal with the modern, very chemical world that we live in.
- 10's of 1000's of chemicals
- Hormone mimickers and disruptors in our food, cosmetics, and more
- Plastics that interfere with endocrine systems
- Toxins, poisons, pesticides
We're swimming in it.
Our immune system is tasked with protecting the brain from this onslaught.
Can you really fault it for flipping out!
Let's now jump into actual research.
First, one housekeeping question.
Are Alzheimer's and Dementia different?
What Is The Difference Between Alzheimer's And Dementia
Dementia is a wide umbrella of diseases that reflect cognitive decline.
There can be different causes.
Alzheimer's is the most common type of Dementia and generally makes up 50-70% of all cases.
Are Dementia And Alzheimer's Diseases Of Brain Inflammation
Research has long shown a connection between these diseases and inflammation.
They just found signs of gum bacteria in the brains of people with Alzheimer's which would cause an inflammatory response:
Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer�s disease brains: Evidence for disease causation and treatment with small-molecule inhibitors
There is some debate on when inflammation is detrimental or beneficial, however.
When looking at anti-inflammatories...
They might be helpful as preventive agents but actually hurtful if used later in the course of AD when their anti-inflammatory effects might interfere with the body's self-protective response.
That being said, there is a documented tie between anti-inflammatory use earlier in life and reduced risk for Dementia:
considerable reduction in risk of Alzheimer's disease in those who had taken these drugs for two years or longer
New evidence ties in with genetic research showing that genes linked to Dementia risk function in the microglia cells responsible for inflammatory response:
The genetic evidence also helps support an essential, rather than secondary role, of the inflammation and several genes involved in the immune pathway have been associated with AD.
Here, genes which affect microglia cells get implicated:
Genome-wide analysis suggests that several genes, which increase the risk for sporadic Alzheimer's disease en-code for factors that regulate glial clearance of misfolded proteins and the inflammatory reaction.
That may explain why some people are untouched by the ravishes of Dementia.
Earlier, researchers were not sure if inflammation was a result of the disease or a cause.
New studies are shedding a light on this:
inflammatory mechanisms caused by the brain's immune system drive the progression of Alzheimer's disease)
It appears that microglia cells get stuck "on" and actually create more harm than good
But in Alzheimer's, research suggests microglia become overactive, increasing their production of cytokines and simultaneously clearing less.
If you really want to dive into the weeds of Dementia and inflammation, here's a good summary (not lite reading but very interesting)
Keep in mind that inflammation is just a process that's carried out by the immune system in our body.
Let's look at that piece now.
Are Dementia And Alzheimer's Autoimmune Diseases?
We might need to add Dementia and Alzheimer's to the growing list.
Autoimmune diseases!
They just found that a certain protein triggers off an immune response which is critical to the disease:
When fibrinogen leaks into the brain they activate and program immune cells that severe neuron-to-neuron synapses, leading to memory loss, according to a study published Tuesday in Neuron.
We discussed what the research above says about inflammation and diseases.
Inflammation is just a response by our immune system.
There are important chemicals in that inflammatory response which must be delivered to sites for the attack, repair, and healing!
An interesting study showed that NSAIDs (common anti-inflammatory like Ibuprofen) disrupt the rebuilding matrix of damaged tissue.
Inflammation isn't bad.
Chronic inflammation is!
Inflammation is important but it can be tricky in the brain which such complicated chemistry and process.
It needs to turn on in response to a threat but also turn off when completed.
New studies on genes tied to the disease are pointing to issues with this "resolution" – the wrap-up process of inflammation.
Not only the polymorphisms TREM2, CD33, or CR1 but several other missense mutations on genes encoding for immune factors have been identified as influencing the risk of developing AD.
The important word there..." immune factors".
The TREM2 gene is mainly expressed in microglial cells!
Speaking of the resolving effect, from the same article...
Apparently TREM2 can drive the microglial state from the inflammatory (M1) to anti-inflammatory condition (M2);
This is very similar to the T1 to T2 transition we've seen directly with CBD in the rest of the body and the gut!
The first hints at Dementia and Alzheimer's potential as an autoimmune disease came from detecting higher levels of immune response actors in the brains of sufferers.
subsequent studies detected classical complement components, C1q and C5b-9, in these Ig-positive neurons, which also were spatially more associated with reactive microglia over the Ig-negative neurons.
What about the direct tie between people with other immune diseases and Dementia and Alzheimer's:
People who have autoimmune disorders maybe 20 percent more likely to develop Dementia. That's according to an analysis of 1.8 million hospital cases in England.
They go on to say...
Based on data collected between 1999 and 2012, the study's findings add to mounting evidence that chronic inflammation "a common feature of many autoimmune disorders" may be a trigger of Dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Keep in mind that the TREM2 gene above (and others) operates in the brain microglia so it might be distinct from how autoimmune affects other areas of the body where T-cells are king (hence the T1 and T2).
You also have an interesting correlation between autoimmune and Dementia based on gender.
Women are harder hit by both at comparable ratios:
Alzheimer's resembles the autoimmune inflammatory disease rheumatoid arthritis, which has a female to male ratio of 2.7
What about the tie between prior experience and DNA expression?
This is very exciting (and new).
They are called epigenetic tags.
Little pieces of info from a prior immune response that get added to our microglia cells.
This may help explain the connection between Dementia/Alzheimer's and prior infection, gum disease, other auto-immune illnesses, etc.
There is even the study where symptoms were reversed in mice by blocking a specific part of the immune system with a common anti-inflammatory, mefenamic acid.
"Our research shows for the first time that mefenamic acid, a simple Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug can target an important inflammatory pathway called the NLRP3 inflammasome , which damages brain cells."
Brand new research shows a link between Herpes I and dementia now:
When the Taiwanese authors looked at subjects who suffered severe herpes infection and who were treated aggressively with antiviral drugs, the relative risk of dementia was reduced by a factor of 10.
Inflammation and Autoimmune are intimately tied. One is the response of the other.
Let's look at another important factor...especially for women.
How Do Hormones Affect Alzheimer's And Dementia (For Lady Readers)
As we mentioned, there's a powerful correlation between gender and risk for autoimmune diseases and Dementia/Alzheimer's.
How about the interesting connection between hysterectomies and Dementia risk.
Current evidence suggests that estrogen may have beneficial, neutral, or detrimental effects on the brain depending on age, type of menopause (natural versus induced), or stage of menopause (early versus late)
Furthermore...
Three studies have now compared women who underwent bilateral oophorectomy before menopause with referent women and consistently showed an increased risk of cognitive decline and Dementia.
Estrogen and progesterone are incredibly important to a woman's body and brain!
They also decline with age and significantly so after perimenopause.
But the decline starts much earlier than that.
Evidence is pointing to this tie with more clarity:
There's new evidence that a woman's levels of female sex hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, can influence her risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of Dementia.
The age of surgical menopause also plays into risk which shows the protective role of hormones over a lifetime:
Early age at surgical menopause was associated with cognitive decline and AD neuropathology. Ongoing studies should clarify the potential effect of HRT on this relationship.
This is pointing to hormone replacement therapy.
Make sure to look at bio-identical and get your Dutch test to see all the estrogens (yes, there are three different types and one of them is very protective!) and how they are metabolizing.
It's a shame women are not offered this test annually!
The synthetic hormones can actually carry risk so make sure to research this whole point and be your own advocate!
Many doctors are still recycling old information tied to synthetic and horse hormones!
Lot's of great information here:
- So...we've looked at inflammation.
- We've looked at the autoimmune research.
- We even touched on hormones!
What about CBD?
Isn't this article about CBD and Dementia/Alzheimer's?
Let's get into it!
Research On CBD And Dementia And Alzheimer's
The interest started with some early research into the components of Dementia disease progression.
We've seen many of the main actors in above.
First, there was a study which showed cannabinoids as a blocker of amyloid plaque buildup:
competitively inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) as well as prevents AChE-induced amyloid-peptide aggregation, the key pathological marker of Alzheimer's disease
This was for THC but as a cannabinoid, it was an interesting find since the endocannabinoid system is at play!
More on this cannabinoid's effect here:
We did discover that THC directly interacts with A� peptide, thereby inhibiting aggregation
Keep in mind that these amyloid plaques are toxic to brain cells.
That's a primary way the disease causes the symptoms associated with Dementia and Alzheimer's.
It destroys surrounding tissue and eventually brain mass disappears.
CBD was shown to offset this toxic effect:
Treatment of the cells with cannabidiol (10(-7)-10(-4)m) prior to beta-amyloid peptide exposure significantly elevated cell survival while it decreased ROS production, lipid peroxidation, caspase 3 levels, DNA fragmentation, and intracellular calcium.
Those are all nasty results of toxicity in the brain.
CBD reduced them!
Researchers are investigating the role of the endocannabinoid system itself in moderating the disease:
In fact, exogenous and endogenous cannabinoids seem to be able to modulate multiple processes in AD,
Some of the earliest research looked to see if CBD could reduce the inflammation that is associated with the diseases progression.
CBD dose-dependently and significantly inhibited GFAP mRNA and protein expression in Abeta injected animals. Moreover, under the same experimental conditions, CBD impaired iNOS and IL-1beta protein expression, and the related NO and IL-1beta release.
Okay, so now we're seeing CBD itself as a way to bring down inflammatory agents associated with the disease in living organisms.
There's a pretty extensive review of CBD and neuroprotection here:
The beneficial effects of CBD were also confirmed in a mouse model of AD-�related neuroinflammation induced by the intrahippocampal injection of the human Amyloid fragment, where CBD inhibited reactive gliosis by attenuating glial cell activation and pro-inflammatory mediator release in a dose-�dependent manner [70].
It's getting more interesting than that.
When researchers disrupted a CB1 receptor (the place where CBD and other cannabinoids do their work whether natural or from outside), the symptoms of Alzheimer's worsened EVEN though the amyloid plaques were the same!
Cannabinoid receptor 1 deficiency in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease leads to enhanced cognitive impairment despite of a reduction in amyloid deposition.
This is in a mouse model but it did two things:
- It implied that amyloid plaques might partially be a sign and not a cause.
- It's also started to tie the endocannabinoid system into the picture.
These data argue against a direct correlation of amyloid plaque load with cognitive abilities in this AD mouse model lacking CB1.
The plot thickens!
We're looking at the components of the disease because most of the research has been done there.
Keep in mind that endocannabinoids are only recently open for study.
We didn't even understand the endocannabinoid system until very recently!
For a good review of all this data, go here:
We're still early in the process of studying its effects in people with the disease.
Let's get to a question that comes up often.
Can CBD Reverse Dementia And Alzheimer's
Most studies have investigated CBD's effects on the pathways of Dementia and Alzheimer's.
- Inflammation
- Autoimmune
- Amyloid Plaques
Follow up studies have looked at mice models which offered some promising results.
There are dozens of studies on CBD's effect with mice genetically altered to get Dementia/Alzheimer's here:
What about people?
Look...we're too early in the process to give answers on CBD in people.
Much less a cure.
The pathways that contribute towards Dementia are very much affected positively by CBD (inflammation, autoimmune, homeostasis, etc).
Here's what is available and we'll add to it as we get new research.
CBD is showing the ability to down-regulate genes tied to Dementia and Alzheimer's progression:
pre-treatment with CBD prevented the expression of proteins potentially involved in tau phosphorylation and Amyloid production in GMSCs.
An analysis of studies on the effectiveness of CBD shows benefit:
Pre-clinical evidence largely shows that CBD can produce beneficial effects in AD, PD, and MS patients
The increase of activity into CBD's ability to potentially reverse the symptoms of Dementia can be found here:
Perhaps the most important finding brought to light by the 2017 report was the fact that past studies have proven again and again that CBD can prevent and even reverse "the development of cognitive deficits" that have already occurred.
Here an early example of many studies yet to come:
Ten patients completed the trial. Significant reduction in CGI severity score (6.5 to 5.7) and NPI score were recorded (44.4 to 12.8). NPI domains of significant decrease were: Delusions, agitation/aggression, irritability, apathy, sleep, and caregiver distress.
That one is for THC but the endocannabinoid system is shared by CBD.
There are many studies being conducted right now for CBD's effect on people.
If any of the relationships and aspects of the disease reflected above bear out, we expect to see some good news.
Of course, we'll update that here.
With relish!
Best CBD For Dementia And Alzheimer's
There are a few key concerns when choosing a CBD product for Dementia and Alzheimer's.
We want to screen CBD products for the following:
- 3rd party testing for pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, bacteria, and contaminants
- Best cost per mg of CBD
- High enough dosages (1000mg + bottles)
- Organically grown in the U.S. or Europe
We screen for these requirements here:
The oil is the most popular.
Start with a CBD isolate to test your response.
Many people have histamine issues (and don't know about it).
It's estimated that roughly 30-40% of the population (more prevalent with women) have histamine issues.
The other plant material in full-spectrum might cause a histamine response (an immune-inflammatory response) which is the opposite of what we're trying to accomplish!
Start with isolate and get up to a strong dose before looking at full spectrum if at all.
See the full spectrum versus isolate for more detail here.
We may need fairly high doses depending on the severity of the issue.
Let's look at that now.
What Dosage Of CBD For Dementia And Alzheimer's (Based On Research)
Most of the research for more serious issues test dosages of 300-600mg of CBD.
This is a larger dose.
Of course, there are studies up to 1500mg for very serious issues (psychosis, etc) with strong safety profiles.
Recommendation:
Start at 25-30mg of CBD per dosage to see how your body responds.
This is good for general maintenance and even Dementia and Alzheimer's prevention (see anti-inflammatory tie above).
If well tolerated (which is to be expected), slowly increase the dosage up to 300mgs.
If you see help with this level, we then need to look at how to afford CBD!
Where To Buy CBD For Dementia And Alzheimer's
Our goal is simple.
We need the best quality CBD with the best price per MG of CBD!
The total mg in the bottle (1500, 2500, etc) doesn't matter.
We want the cost per milligram of CBD.
That's why we created the CBD comparison here.
You can also find the best priced CBD oils for Dementia and Alzheimer's here
Let us know what works, at what dosage, and with what results.
Let's help others learn from your experience!