Hey!

One of the potential consequences of chronic cortisol elevation is an increase in amyloid beta formation that is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Amyloid beta formation is upregulated by cortisol. Puccio, et al (PLoS One, 2011) describes high circulating glucocorticoid levels as a characteristic of Alzheimer’s Disease. They go on to describe their finding that inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) prevents the glucocorticoids from upregulating amyloid beta.

The implication is that, in patients with chronic stress, for whom chronic elevation of cortisol is a likelihood, it might be important to employ a 5-LOX inhibitor. Boswellia is a known 5-LOX inhibitor. The two papers (Molecular Neurobiology, 2018 and Seminars in Cancer Biology, 2022) are two of the main papers discussing Boswellia’s inhibitory effect on 5-LOX.

The functional medicine approach to AD prevention goes beyond using Boswellia to inhibit cortisol-mediated upregulation of amyloid beta production. Still, Boswellia is well worth considering, especially for patients with cortisol elevation from chronic stress, particularly those with family history of AD or other case components suggesting higher risk, like chronic CNS inflammatory activation.