Smoke More, Drink More, Get Alzheimer’s Sooner
A new study suggests that heavy smoking and drinking can hasten the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by several years. Eliminating smoking and drinking are considered the two most important steps to preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Ranjan Duara, MD, of Mount Sinai Medical Center’s Wein Center for Alzheimer’s Disease in Miami Beach, Florida, led a team of researchers who say its possible to delay the onset of the disease by as long as five years, if people would reduce or eliminate heavy smoking and drinking habits. Research suggests a five-year delay in the onset of Alzheimer’s would reduce the total Alzheimer’s population by almost half.
The researchers focused on three factors - smoking, drinking, and the APOE-4 gene variant - in a study that involved 938 people aged 60 and older who showed clinical signs of probable or possible Alzheimer’s disease. The study participants were tested for the APOE-4 gene and their family members were polled to determine the smoking and drinking habits of the study participants. The APOE-4 gene is associated with early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Heavy drinking (two or more beverages per day) accounted for 7% of the study group. Heavy smoking (at least one pack of cigarettes per day) accounted for 20% of the study group. The APOE-4 gene was present in 27% of the group. When comparing these three risk factors to people who did not smoke, drink, or carry the APOE-4 gene, researchers found:
- Heavy drinking hastened the onset of the disease by 4.8 years
- Heavy smoking hastened the disease by 2.3 years
- The APOE-4 gene hastened onset by 3 years
- All three factors together hastened onset by 8.5 years
Only 17 people in the study were found to have all three risk factors. They were 68.5 years old, on average, when they were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. The 374 people in the study who exhibited none of these three risk factors were an average of 77 years old when they were diagnosed with the disease.
Duara, a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, presented his findings to that organization’s 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago on April 16.
- HIV/AIDS May Have Originated in 19th Century
- Biden Views McCain Health-Coverage Plan with Negative Tunnel Vision
- Horny Goat Weed Vies With Viagra
- Avoid Vitamin C Supplements During Cancer Therapies
- Recent Mesothelioma Study Shows Promise for Patients
- Teens With Insomnia at Increased Risk for Depression, Suicide, Substance Abuse
- Gentlemen, Keep Those Cellphones Out of Your Pockets
Loading ...
The compound resveratrol has shown interesting neuroprotective properties in clinical trials. Drs. Anderson and Setia reported in a January 2008 paper that of 121 subjects with moderate to severe memory loss 94 of those patients given biotivia Transmax, an extract of red wine used by researchers, showed marked improvement in short term memory, improved motor skills and improved physical coordination. Resveratrol works by activating the human Sirt 1 gene much like caloric restriction does. Sirtris pharma is developing a synthetic version of transmax which it intends to have on the market in five years. In another study by Dr. Sinclair of Harvard published in the journal Nature in November transmax resveratrol was shown to increase the life span of obese mammals by 31%. This is an exciting area of research and could lead to some revolutionary new preventative strategies and safer less invasive treatments for Alzheimers disease. I Dr. Sinclair’s study of obese mice he found that those fed resveratrol lived 31% longer and were free of cardiovascular diseases.
Resveratrol can help you to lead a long and healthy life so says Dr. Oz.
Resveratrol Supplements can help you control your weight naturally
by increasing energy, reducing cravings, and limiting your appetite.
According to Wikipedia, Consumer Lab, an independent dietary
supplement and over the counter products evaluation organization,
published a report on 13 November 2007 on the popular resveratrol
supplements. The organization reported that there exists a wide range
in quality, dose, and price among the 13 resveratrol products
evaluated. The actual amount of resveratrol contained in the
different brands range from 2.2mg for Revatrol, which claimed to have
400mg of “Red Wine Grape Complex”, to 500mg for Biotivia.com Transmax,
which is consistent with the amount claimed on the product’s label.
Prices per 100mg of resveratrol ranged from less than $.30 for
products made by Biotivia.com, jarrow, and country life, to a high of
$45.27 for the Revatrol brand. None of the products tested were found
to have significant levels of heavy metals or other contaminants.