Stockholm in July

Since we started our “Let us Know” feature on the HSI web site a few weeks ago we’ve received an enormous response, with a large number of you telling us that you want to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease (AD). And I’m not surprised – 12 million people worldwide are afflicted by this debilitating disease. When you take into consideration how their family members and friends are affected, it’s easy to imagine a geometric web of many millions of people whose lives are changed by the relentless onset of Alzheimer’s.

This week, several thousand researchers and health care providers are gathering for the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders in Stockholm, Sweden. And they’re all thinking about the same things: prevention, treatment, and the most elusive concept of all: a cure.Keeping the numbers down

That is, of course, IF present trends continue. Because 4,000 scientists attending the Stockholm conference this week have devoted their careers to the hopes that their efforts will reverse that upward trend. With that goal in mind I’ve searched through the abstracts of the six-day conference, looking specifically for studies that address prevention, and I’ve come up with a few that offer good practical advice and even some good news (especially for you java hounds out there).

Genetic destiny?

They found that the risk of Alzheimer’s was greater with the two treatable factors (high cholesterol and BP) than with the genetic factor. Furthermore, their study shows that a case of high blood pressure that doesn’t develop until later in life is probably not an AD risk factor.

Their conclusion: people who are able to control their cholesterol and blood pressure levels throughout their lives (especially middle age) are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, even if they are genetically inclined toward the disease.

Obviously a heart-healthy diet and exercise regimen are called for here. As well as a diet that’s high in the specific antioxidant identified by a team from Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

The JH researchers wanted to determine if there was an association with the antioxidant vitamins E and C and the risk of Alzheimer’s. They studied the dietary and vitamin supplement records of 579 volunteers, aged 60 or older, for a period of more than 7 years.

After adjusting for sex, education, and age (all factors that come into play with AD risk), a diet that that was high in vitamin E intake was strongly associated with a significant reduction of Alzheimer’s risk. Intake of vitamin C, however, while useful in reducing AD risk, was not nearly as effective as vitamin E.

Stay active!

At the beginning of the study, the Canadian team evaluated almost 6,500 cognitively normal subjects aged 65 and over, using a risk factor screening and a neuropsychological evaluation. Five years later the same group was evaluated again with the same screening process.

The researchers concluded that a significantly reduced risk of AD was related to regular physical activity and exercise as well as the moderate consumption of wine and coffee. The use of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) was also associated with reduced risk.Couple of cups of Joe

The results showed a significant inverse association between the amount of coffee consumed and a risk of Alzheimer’s disease. And as soon as I saw this conclusion I wondered about the results of the University of Kuopio that showed that lower blood pressure would reduce AD risk. Doesn’t coffee raise blood pressure? The answer is, yes, it does. But I did find another study from Hopkins from this past March concluding that moderate coffee drinking (two cups or less per day) is responsible for only a very slight rise in blood pressure.

As I’ve mentioned before when talking about coffee and wine, the key to their health benefits is moderation. Amounts that exceed moderation of any beverages that affect behavior will create health problems that far outweigh any benefits reached at the moderate level.

And a quick note for those of you who love your cup of Joe: avoid percolated coffee. The Johns Hopkins team reports that brewing coffee with a paper filter removes terpenes – chemical particles that can raise cholesterol levels.

 

 

In the meantime, if you haven’t yet seen the new “Let us Know” feature on the HSI web site, please take a moment to stop by and register your votes about what health issues you most want to learn about. And if there’s a topic that’s not on the voting list, you can enter any topic you like in a blank field at the bottom of the voting form.

Does your vote count? Just ask the people who told us they wanted more information about Alzheimer’s disease.