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New test to detect Alzheimer's disease, modified lifestyle to prevent it

03/13/2010 16:26:00 admin

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University of Tennessee researchers Dr. Rex Cannon and Dr. John Dougherty said in a study report that they have developed a computerized self test to help people detect cognitive abnormalities linked to Alzheimer's disease.

The test called CST was developed in hopes that it can help detect Alzheimer's disease early. The study published in the April issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease shows that this new test can be 96 percent accurate in detecting the presence of Alzheimer's and other forms of cognitive impairment in patients compared to about 70 percent for the existing tests.

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia among older adults, affects parts of the brain that are linked to thinking, remembering and making decisions. It can affect a person's everyday life. There is no cure for the disease.

An estimated 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease, which occurs often in people aged 60 or older. About 5 percent of men and women aged 65 to 74 in the United States suffer Alzheimer's disease.

Doctors don't know what cause Alzheimer's disease. But some believe that genetics may play a role in the disease and high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes may also have something to do with the disease.

Alzheimer's disease symptoms include memory loss, difficulty planning or solving problems or completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure, confusion with time or place, difficulty understanding visual images and spatial relationships, problems with speaking or writing words, misplacing things, poor judgement, withdrawal from work or social activities, and changes in mood and personality among others.

Don't wait to get Alzheimer's disease and then try to treat it. The disease is irreversible. Once you get it, all you can do is palliative. So an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Luckily, there is something you can do to minimize your risk even though you can't alter your genetics. Some environmental parameters have been linked to the risk of the disease, some raise the risk and others decrease it.

Some lifestyle parameters that reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease include exercise, drinking coffee, dietary supplement including choline, uridine, docosahexaenoic acid or DHA; green tea, curry, calorie restrction, Grape seed extract , red wine compound known as resveratrol, mediterrnean diet, Vitamin D, curcumin , and eating garlic.

Some risk factors for the disease include Diet rich in methionine, concussions, Obesity and overweight, High blood sugar , and aluminum sulfate among others.

By David Liu

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