From foodconsumer.org
How to prevent Alzheimer’s disease – part 1
By David Liu Ph.D.
Nov 21, 2008 - 12:44:55 PM
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Alzheimer’s disease is a serious yet incurable brain disease affecting an estimated 4.5 million Americans. A recent study suggests that taking ginkgo biloba supplements is useless in helping the elderly prevent the disease.
The finding does not apply to all people at all ages although it does suggest that ginkgo may not be effective against the development and or progression of Alzheimer’s disease in people age 75 or older, at least at the dose of 120 mg a day.
ginkgo has been used by many believers in natural remedies or alternative treatments and the herbal industry have said in response to the study that the finding does not undermine previous evidence suggesting that use of ginkgo supplements help Alzheimer’s patients.
In any case, Dr. Steven DeKosky, dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine reported the study of 3,000 apparently healthy people age 75 or older in the Journal of the American Medical Association saying that use of 120 mg per day for about 6 years makes no difference in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Daniel Fabricant of the Natural Products Association was cited as saying that studying people younger than about 80 years old may be the best way to examine the efficacy of ginkgo on Alzheimer’s prevention.
Does this study have a final say about the efficacy of ginkgo on Alzhemier’s disease? Probably not. At least the study does not imply that the results apply to people younger than 75. Another issue is the dose. Many people believe that 120 mg per day is not higher enough to have an effect.
For most of us, what can we do about prevention of Alzheimer’s disease? Good news is that we can do a lot of things to reduce the risk. Below are some studies giving us some ideas about what we can do.
Control your blood sugar: Researchers from Stockholm's Karolinska Institute reported that people with high blood sugar levels may be at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. They say you don’t have to get diabetes to get Alzheimer’s. The study was presented at on the opening day of the 10th International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders held in 2006 in Madrid.
Avoid high fat diet: A study led by researchers at Université Laval in Canada and published in the Oct 14, 2008 issue of Neurobiology of Aging suggests that eating high fat diet with low amounts of omega 3 fatty acids commonly found in most industrialized countries may increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease.
The animal model study showed that a diet with high amounts of animal fat and low amounts of omega-fat exacerbated the main neurological markers for Alzheimer's disease in the brains of mice fed the diet for nine months.
The researchers found that the mice fed low omega-3s and high in fat had 8.7 and 1.5 times higher levels of amyloid-beta and tau protein respectively than those fed low fat (7 times lower). Tau proteins prevent proper neuron functioning and amyloid-beta is associated with the formation of plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
The high fat diet also reduced the level of drebrin protein in the brain, which is another characteristic of Alzheimer's disease, according to the study.
Living with a partner: One Finnish study of 2,000 people by Krister Håkansson, researcher in psychology at Växjö University and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden found living with a spouse or a partner decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer's and other dementia diseases. The results were presented for the first time at the world's largest dementia conference held in July 2008.
Previous research has shown that an active lifestyle, both intellectually and socially, can reduce the risk of developing dementia.
Take Grape seed extract: A new study published in the Nov 21, 2008 issue of Journal of Biological Chemistry suggests that patients with Alzheimer's disease may be better off taking grape-seed extract supplements.
Epidemiological studies have found that moderate consumption of red wine rich in polyphenols were associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease, prompting some researchers to speculate that polyphenols in grape seeds may provide similar benefits.
The current study led by Ono K and colleagues from the University of California in Los Angeles provided some detailed laboratory evidence suggesting that grape seed-derived polyphenols help prevent the two predominant disease-related amyloid beta protein alloforms.
Take Resveratrol supplements: Resveratrol found in red grapes and red wine, may help fight Alzheimer's disease, and possibly other amyloid-related diseases such as Huntington's, Parkinson's and prion diseases, according to a study published in the Nov. 11 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
The study showed that resveratrol lowers the levels of amyloid-beta peptides in cells, which along with other evidence, led the researchers to believe that resveratrol may help Alzheimer's disease. The study was conducted by Philippe Marambaud and his colleagues at the Litwin-Zucker Research Center for the Study of Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders in Manhasset, New York.
Spice your food with curry: Curcumin, a component of curry and turmeric, seems to help the immune system get rid of amyloid beta -- the protein that builds up to form damaging plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients, according to a study in the July 2007 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. The study was conducted by Dr. Milan Fiala Medicine at UCLA and the VA Greater Los Angeles Health Care System.
Take ginkgo supplements: Although the recent study disproved the efficacy of this herb in preventing Alzheimer's in people age 75 or older, younger people may benefit from the supplement. Start taking it while you are young enough. And also adopt a healthier lifestyle including diet.