There is a claim that lycopene, the reddish substance in tomatoes and peppers, is of value in protecting people from Alzheimer Disease, a neurological condition. How would you, as a Biomedical Research Scientist, go about to refute or substantiate this suggestion?

Conduct a study to determine if lycopene obtained from tomato and pepper consumption is significantly associated with a decreased level of abnormally folded proteins in neurons of the cerebral cortex

Explanation:

Alzheimer's disease is an irreversible, progressive, brain disorder characterized by the loss of neurons (the main brain cells) and synaptic connections in the cerebral cortex and specific subcortical regions. It has been shown that Alzheimer's disease is associated with an abnormal folding of proteins such as amyloid and tau proteins in neurons, thereby leading to the loss of communication between brain cells. In consequence, in this case, it should be interesting to design a study in order to observe if lycopene obtained from tomato and pepper consumption can decrease the levels of abnormally folded proteins in neurons of the cerebral cortex, which is a pathologic hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. For this purpose, it is expected to form two groups of study: 1-one group composed of individuals that regularly consume tomatoes and peppers and 2-one group composed of individuals that do not consume these fruits, as well as a third 'control' group composed of individuals that obtain lycopene by consuming other plants (e.g., watermelon, pink grapefruit and redd carrots which are also high in lycopene). Subsequently, it should be necessary to experimentally determine if lycopene is significatively associated with a decreased level of abnormal amyloid and tau proteins in neurons of the cerebral cortex. Finally, the comparison between individuals that regularly consume tomatoes and peppers with the control group may result useful to determine if different lycopene sources may affect protein folding.

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