In a recent webinar, Food Business News discussed new developments in the plant-based market. One OU kosher-certified company mentioned in the forum was MOSH PBC that produces a wide array of protein bars, some exclusively plant-based. The name stands for Maria Owings Shriver Health, as Maria Shriver and her son, Patrick Schwarzenegger are co-founders.
Though a for-profit company, its mission is to combat Alzheimer’s. This explains the brain-tailored ingredient panel on the bars. Shriver lost her father to Alzheimer’s and she referred to him as “the smartest human being I have ever met.” Her quest is to understand “how…a brain that smart…[can] actually disintegrate like that in real time.”
The flavors are undeniably enticing. They range from cookie dough, butter crunch, lemon white chocolate and a host of others. They have an icon on their site, “the mosh pit” which gives an extensive amount of information relating to food, brain wellness, exercise and other significant aspects to leading a healthy life.
Who can say they don’t know someone suffering from Alzheimer’s, whether a family member, friend or acquaintance? According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “About 1 in 9 people age 65 and older (10.7%) has Alzheimer’s.” It affects 55 million people worldwide.
Science has not come to fully understand this devastating disease, but there has been some progress made. In a recent presentation from the Michigan Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, many updates were discussed.
In Alzheimer’s, abnormal accumulations of protein clump together to form plaque which causes neurodegeneration. This is where neurons, which allow brain function, become weakened or die out. The gene apolipoprotein (APOE) is a strong indicator whether one will develop Alzheimer’s.
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard that studies diseases have issued new findings based on a study of living Alzheimer’s patients, a breakthrough, because most studies until now were only conducted on the brains of patients that already perished. They found that a new kind of cell type, oligodendrocytes, can also be responsible for the growth of plaque.
Aducanumab (Aduhelm®) and Lecanemab (Leqembi®) are two FDA drugs that have been approved for treating Alzheimer’s. Of course, any intake of medication or course of treatment must be discussed with one’s doctor.
MOSH PBC bars are designed to offset Alzheimer’s symptoms as the ingredients are aimed at preserving optimum brain function. One raw material that MOSH PBC uses is flaxseed. As the online site, Inc. notes, “Not only does flax improve brain function, but it helps reduce inflammation and improve circulation.” Ashwagandha root powder, another ingredient used by MOSH PBC, has been noted by BrainMD to improve brain function as well.
This all points to the fact that Maria Shriver and her son are trying to deflect the onset of a debilitating disease with a brain-focused flavorful product. This will bring greater awareness on the need for food to address potential illnesses.