Swedish News:

Swedes and Americans team up in Alzheimer's research. Waiting for a big celebrity reveal. Swedish White Guide lists top dining experiences. 

  • PET scans from a study at Sahlgrenska Academy in Stockholm identified the so-called tau-protein in the brain, tracking how the protein spreads as the brain ages — and revealing some answers for helping identify Alzheimer’s early in life. Still photo from SVT

  • Swedes, Americans team up in Alzheimer's research
    New research on Alzheimer's disease (AD) offers ground breaking progress on fighting the disease. Professor William Jagust, of UC Berkeley, led the research with brain researcher Michael Schöll at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Stockholm, where 53 Swedes participated in the study. It is the first study which surveyed brain changes in living people. PET scans identified the so-called tau-protein in the brains of sick and healthy people, from 20 to 90 years old. Scientists can now measure the exact accumulations of protein in memory centers and cognitive centers in the brain, tracking how the tau-protein spreads as the brain ages — and revealing that some answers about Alzheimer’s may appear early in life. “Now we can see in the living brain, even before people develop symptoms, where this protein accumulates,” says Schöll. "Imaging techniques such as PET will probably mean we can provide a much earlier diagnosis." The results are published in the scientific journal Neuron.

  • Swedish brain researcher Michael Schöll at the Sahlgrenska Academy in Stockholm. Image source LinkedIn

  • Waiting for a big reveal
    Swedish media was buzzing on Tuesday, March 8 when U.S. rapper Kanye West was spotted visiting the IKEA headquarters in Älmhult, Sweden. He got a tour of the famous furniture store, but no one was revealing the reason behind the mystery appearance. The hip hop artist and celebrity husband of Kim Kardashian didn’t leave with a blue and yellow bag; so it may be safe to say he was there on business as he is known for having a number of entrepreneurial ventures including a clothing line, a collaboration with Adidas and a burger chain. We're not sure of the common denominators between the traditionally grounded furniture retailer and the flamboyant hip hop artist, but maybe it’s just a matter of time before the two international sensations reveal a partnership ... A Kanye Kitchen maybe ... or, a Kardashian Bubble bath?

  • American rapper Kanye West recently visited IKEA, sending the media into a frenzy with speculation over a potential business partnership. It's not the first time the star was in Sweden - here he is visiting Stockholm’s Grand Escalier in 2012, where he couldn’t find anything he liked on the menu. No problem; the staff made the American superstar a burger he won’t forget anytime soon.

  • White Guide serves the list of top dining experiences
    Every year the Swedish White Guide is revealed with the top dining establishments in Sweden. On Monday, March 7, the 2016 list was announced, naming Sweden’s 34 best restaurants, including a record number of taverns. Stockholm’s Esperanto restaurant came in first place (again), just ahead of Fäviken in northern Sweden, which recently earned two Michelin stars. White Guide honored them both by appointing Fäviken the best restaurant while Esperanto wins for their art of cooking. “Esperanto has over the years refined its concept with Swedish ingredients with a Japanese touch in an amazing way. This past year, they have taken the food to new heights in flavor and visual interplay,” said Michael Mölstad, wine expert and White Guide representative. Otherwise, there are few surprises in this year's guide, though it is clear Sweden's pub life has been flourishing. “In the last 10 years there has been an incredible development ... this is now spreading out in the country as the younger generation embrace these more continental habits,” said Mölstad.

  • Sweden’s best restaurant according to the White Guide? Esperanto in Stockholm, which according to the website "(is) a treat for all senses. We strive to provide a whole - where food, drink and people work together, in the best possible way. We are inspired by all manner of things, from around the world. Gastronomically our tongue is universal, and the produce we favour is carefully selected, with a view to caring for, and respecting nature." www.esperantorestaurant.se