New Findings in Alzheimer’s Prevention
According to recent findings presented at the International Alzheimer’s Association Conference last summer, scientists remain confident that they’re closer to finding solutions that both identify the cause, and can help prevent the onset, of Alzheimer’s disease.
One new way that scientists are starting to understand the science of Alzheimer’s includes brain plaques. These are the clumps and strands of protein that form when the brain cells die. Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have begun to use newly discovered tracers to pinpoint genetic variations in the development of brain plaque. These variations may help doctors indentify which drugs will work better on Alzheimer’s patients with a certain genetic makeup.
Also, as scientists continue to make sense of the complicated chemistry of the Alzheimer’s brain, they have identified the following forms of prevention to help ensure that this devastating disease does not affect more than the current 5.3 million Americans with the disease.
Forms of prevention identified at the conference include:
Vitamin D: Another important way to help protect against late life dementia may be to get adequate levels of Vitamin D. According to an English study, which examined 3,000+ adults age 65 and older, individuals with low levels of Vitamin D may have their logic, attention and memory affected. When given a memory test, the study found that people who were severely deficient in the vitamin did four times worse than those who had adequate levels of the vitamin.
Adequate exercise: Studies also show that physical activity may have a hand in reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s in men. A Harvard University study showed that older men who worked out regularly, on a moderate to heavy level, lowered their risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s by 40 percent. Therefore, even people as old as age 80 may lower their chances of getting dementia through moderate exercise.
Drinking Tea: According to a study that followed 4,800 men and women over age 65 for 14 years, drinking tea could cut the risk of dementia by almost a third. Compared to non-tea drinkers, people who regularly drank tea had a lower decline in their cognitive abilities. Researchers don’t believe that caffeine is related to the benefit, since coffee has twice as much caffeine as tea – and did not produce a similar benefit.
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Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She writes for the Online Schools Site, where recently she’s been researching different online pharmacist degrees and blogging about student life. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
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