Research into Alzheimer's disease has taken some big strides lately, with many studies shedding light on possible causes, treatments and even potential cures. Here are some recent research highlights:
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Possible causes of Alzheimer's disease
As the debate over what triggers or causes Alzheimer's disease continues to rage on, recent studies have come up with some interesting findings which may help shed light on this.
Short limbs: A US study found that people with shorter arms and legs may be more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease - and that poor nutrition in early life is the probable culprit for this. The study showed that arm span and knee height are indicators for how well nourished a person was in early childhood, and this led them to believe that factors involved with making a healthy baby could be important in dementia and Alzheimer's disease risk.
The researches found that among women, dementia and Alzheimer's disease risk decreased as knee height and arm span increased. For men, knee height wasn't related to dementia or Alzheimer's risk, but dementia risk fell by six percent for every additional inch in arm span. They concluded that, while genetics and environment influence limb length, the role of environment is generally a greater factor in developing nations.
Heavy drinking: Another good excuse to do everything in moderation, a study has shown that heavy drinkers and heavy smokers are likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease years earlier than people who don't drink or smoke.
Therefore, the researchers noted that it could be possible it to substantially delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease for people and reduce the number of people who have Alzheimer’s at any point in time if this trend was reduced or halted completely.
Depression: The debate over the link between depression and Alzheimer's disease rages on as a new study has shown that depression could even double the risk. The theory has been that depression shrinks specific areas, leaving the brain vulnerable to the development of Alzheimer's. However, this study found that's not the case.
However, researchers admit that whether depression contributes to the development of Alzheimer's disease or whether another unknown factor causes both depression and dementia, is still unclear.
A similar study also suggested that that depression may be a risk factor, and this study showed that among the 917 older men and women in the study group, those who had symptoms of depression at the beginning of the study were more likely to develop Alzheimer's.
Big belly: Another notable risk factor for developing the disease was having a big belly when one reached middle age. A study showed that this actually might triple the risk – which researchers admit is worrying given the prevalence of obesity.
It was found that overweight or obese people without a pot belly had an 80 percent increase in the risk of dementia compared to people with a normal body weight and abdominal fat level. But this risk increased to 230 percent for people with a large belly, and a whopping 360 percent among the obese with large abdomens.
Diabetes in men: Focusing again on middle-aged people, researchers also found that men who develop diabetes in middle age are at significantly increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. This study involved 2 269 men who underwent testing at age 50 for diabetes.
The researchers concluded that men with low insulin levels at age 50 were nearly 1.5 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than people without insulin problems, and that the risk remained significant regardless of blood pressure, body mass index and education level.
Gender: Surprising research also showed that the risks were found to differ between the sexes; with stroke in men, and depression in women, being critical factors.
It was found that men with mild cognitive impairment were more likely to be overweight, diabetic, and to have had a stroke – and men who had had a stroke were almost three times as likely to progress. Whereas women incapable of performing routine daily tasks were 3.5 times as likely to progress, and those who were depressed were twice as likely to do so. However stroke was not a risk factor for progression to dementia in women
Potential new treatments
Two new studies focus on possible treatments for Alzheimer's disease, and while both conclude that the findings are interesting, research in this field is ongoing.
Chinese moss: After multiple trials in China, researchers found that an extract from Chinese club moss shows promise as a treatment for people with Alzheimer's disease. However, they also noted that there's insufficient evidence to currently support routine use of the extract, known as Huperzine A.
Yet while data from studies done so far doesn't support the current use of this for Alzheimer's disease, findings from this and other studies warrant further research.
Vitamins: Despite all the controversy surrounding the benefits of vitamins, a US study showed that vitamin C or E supplements, either individually or in combination, did not appear to lower the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease in older adults.
The researchers stated that the evidence doesn't support the use of vitamin E or C supplements for the prevention of dementia in older adults – but they still advocated a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Is prevention possible?
Investigations into ways people could prevent Alzheimer's disease have shown that wine, painkillers and plenty of fruit and vegetables could play major roles.
Wine: One study showed that women who drink wine are less likely to develop dementia over time than their teetotalling peers – but warned that drinking hard liquor may actually boost dementia risk, as other studies have shown (see above).
Researchers claim this is because certain components in wine could protect against dementia. This study showed that the risk of developing dementia was 40 percent lower among wine drinkers, while women who drank wine and no other alcohol had a 70 percent lower risk. Conversely, women who drank spirits were at 50 percent greater risk of dementia. However, the findings were not generalised to men, who tend to have different drinking habits.
Painkillers: US researchers have claimed that people who take the painkiller ibuprofen for more than five years could have a 40 percent lower risk of developing the disease. They also found that certain other medicines in the same class, known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduced the risk of developing the illness by 25 percent.
Yet the researchers warned that despite the benefits, people shouldn't start taking ibuprofen in the hopes of staving off Alzheimer's disease as all NSAIDs have significant risks including ulcers, gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney dysfunction, elevated blood pressure and a cardiovascular risk.
Fruit and veg: It appears that flavonoids (compounds found in many fruits and vegetables), may be able to battle the ravages of Alzheimer's disease, a new study has suggested.
In experiments with mice, two flavonoids called luteolin and diosmin reduced levels of beta-amyloid, which forms the harmful plaques that build up in the brains of those with Alzheimer's disease. For the study, the team used luteolin and diosmin and were able to reduce the levels of beta-amyloid in the rodents' brains. They also found these two molecules were targeting a protein called presenilin-1, which has been linked to a genetic cause of Alzheimer's disease.
Possible cure on the horizon
The most groundbreaking news in the field of Alzheimer's research is that a potential cure for Alzheimer's disease has been developed in Germany. The bad news is that it may not be feasible for human patients for another 10 years.
Scientists say this new technique inhibits beta-secretase, an enzyme which is now known to be a main cause of senile brain decay. In a report in the journal Science, it was described how researchers in Germany used an 'anchor' to lodge the inhibitor in mice brains and prevent them succumbing to a mouse version of Alzheimer's.
Yet while the method has been hailed as a breakthrough in Alzheimer's research, researchers have warned against exaggerated hopes, saying it could take at least 10 years to develop a suitable therapy using this method.
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