High Dose CBD Study Finds Stunning Potential For Treating Alzheimer's

A new study from Augusta University's Medical College of Georgia has linked high-dose CBD to multiple benefits associated with early-onset familial Alzheimer's disease, including improved cognition and restored function in proteins responsible for clearing plaque from the brain. In addition, the CBD was found to reduce levels of a protein linked with the excessive inflammation found in Alzheimer's patients.

Alzheimer's disease is a growing public health issue that is expected to become a major problem as the world's populations live to older ages. The disease is linked to a build-up of beta-amyloid plaques and other 'debris' in patients' brains, the reasons for which may be due to a variety of genetics, lifestyle factors, and more.

Two proteins in particular play a key role in clearing the brain of the plaque and dead cells; they're called IL-33 and TREM2, both of which are found at lower levels in the case of Alzheimer's disease. The new study has found that high-dose CBD may be able to normalize the level of IL-33 protein in the brains of Alzheimer's patients while reducing levels of the inflammation-promoting IL-6 protein.

In addition, the CBD was linked to benefits associated with TREM2, which is found in lower levels in Alzheimer's patients. Overall, the CBD protocol was linked to a sevenfold and tenfold increase in IL-33 and TREM2 protein levels — at least in mice. Beyond that, the mice were found to exhibit improvements in their mobility when given the CBD.

More research is necessary, including work on determining the ideal dosage and evaluating the effects on CBD when given in the earlier stages of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The findings pave the way for a potential future novel treatment for Alzheimer's disease that may help address the underlying changes that lead to the disease's development.