What You Need to Know About Alzheimer’s

Posted on May 20, 2013 by admin

Alzheimer’s disease is disproportionately affecting ladies—and not just the older female population. WomenAgainstAlzheimers, a new network that’s part of USAgainstAlzheimer’s, is currently holding a summit in Washington, D.C. with activists, researchers, and policymakers to raise awareness and encourage more research. Here’s how the disease affects you—and what you can do about it:

What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia; it affects memory function and gradually gets worse over time, eventually impeding day-to-day functioning, says Sarah K. Tighe, MD, a clinical and research fellow in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who sees patients in the Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center. More than five million Americans have the disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Unfortunately there’s no cure at this time.

What are the symptoms?
“Alzheimer’s affects people in different ways, so not everyone has the same presentation,” says Tighe. One of the earliest symptoms of an Alzheimer’s patient, though, is having trouble remembering new information—forgetting a recent conversation or current events—and having that difficulty get progressively worse.

Other symptoms include trouble remembering a name they should know or a word they want to use—the “tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon,” as Tighe refers to it—and problems with tasks, like following a recipe. People with Alzheimer’s may also not recognize people they should know (such as a grandchild), or be able to navigate areas they should be familiar with.

If you’re seeing these symptoms in, say, a grandparent, how do you know when it’s just forgetfulness versus when it’s a real concern worthy of a doctor’s visit?

“We all have times where we might misplace our keys, we might forget where we parked our car,” says Tighe. “But if it’s happening consistently or to the point where the person cannot problem-solve and deal with that situation, then that would be very concerning to me that there could be something like Alzheimer’s or another dementia occurring.”

What are the risk factors?
Age is the biggest, says Tighe. While you can develop Alzheimer’s earlier, most people with the disease are 65 and older. Genetics can also play a part, and some research says you’re more likely to get Alzheimer’s if it runs on your mom’s side.

Some common chronic medical conditions—uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol—are risk factors, too. And no surprise here: Smoking also makes you more likely to get Alzheimer’s (in addition to a whole host of other well-known health problems, of course).

Is there anything you can do to prevent it?
“Age and genetics are not modifiable: We are our age and we have the genes that we were given,” says Tighe. There are other things that you can change, though. Do your best to keep those medical conditions mentioned above at bay, she says. Staying away from cigarettes goes without saying. You should also eat healthfully and exercise—both your body and your brain. That might mean taking an online course or embracing your puzzle hobby, says Tighe, as well as staying socially engaged (even more reason to hang with the fam and your girlfriends!). Yes, your 60s are a long ways away, but: “We think trying to stay healthy and maintain your health as you approach middle age is important in terms of reducing your risk of developing Alzheimer’s,” says Tighe.

So how does this affect you now?
Get this: Women make up almost two out of three Americans with Alzheimer’s and the majority of unpaid caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients, according to the recently released Alzheimer’s Association 2013 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures report.

So as a woman, you have a higher chance of developing the disease later on in life and potentially caring for an Alzheimer’s patient much sooner.

Taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s is a full-time job, says Trish Vradenburg, co-founder of USAgainstAlzheimer’s and co-founder of WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s. “This is an intergenerational issue,” says co-founder Meryl Comer, who also takes care of a mother and husband with Alzheimer’s. “Young women are now watching their mothers take care of their mothers, seeing it wear them out.”

If someone you love has the disease, or if you want to learn more about it and join the fight against it, check out these resources:

Alzheimer’s Association. If you’re a caregiver, find support groups in your area, call their 24/7 helpline for caregivers at 1.800.272.3900, and/or visit their AlzNavigator, a free online tool to help you plan next steps if someone you love has the disease.

WomenAgainstAlzheimer’s and USAgainstAlzheimer’s

Alzheimers.gov (managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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The Vitamin That Protects Against Alzheimer’s

Posted on December 5, 2012 by admin

Worried that memory loss may be in your future? Don’t forget to take your vitamins. Higher vitamin D in your diet is associated with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease , according to a new study from the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.

Researchers surveyed nearly 500 women (ages 75 and up) about their food intake, physical habits, cognitive performance, and other metrics. They then tracked the women over 7 years, and divided them into three groups based on whether or not they developed dementia. They found that women who had developed Alzheimer’s over the seven-year span had lower vitamin D intake (50.3 micgrams per week on average) than women who didn’t develop dementia (59 migrograms per week on average).

Vitamin D—which has been heralded for helping boost mood and strengthen the immune system, among other things—plays a huge role in keeping brain cells healthy, says Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University Medical Center. “The brain’s vitamin D receptors respond to D by boosting serotonin levels, which helps maintain the connectivity of the neurons in the brain, which improves their lifespan,” he says.

This is illustrated by another study, from the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, which found that low vitamin D levels in older women are associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. The more vitamin D they consumed, the greater their cognitive abilities were.

Unfortunately, unless you’re taking a daily supplement, you are probably D deficient, Holick says. The good news is that it’s an easy fix. Here’s your brain-boosting game plan:

Pop a Pill
The government recommends adults get 600 IU (International Units), or 15 micrograms, of vitamin D per day, but Holick says that number should be closer to 1,500 or 2,000 IU. Taking a daily supplement is the easiest way to make sure you are getting all the health benefits associated with higher levels of D, he says. Look for supplements that provide at least 1,000 IU.

Order the Fish
The most common dish with D is fatty fish, like wild Alaskan salmon and tuna, but you can also find the vitamin in milk, cheese, and egg yolks. There are also vitamin D-fortified products, like orange juice. However, drinking a glass for breakfast isn’t enough to meet your recommended daily allowance, Holick says.

Seek More Sunlight
As you may already know, your body can make its own D simply from soaking up the sun’s rays, Holick says. But it gets a bit more complicated. For starters, when exposed to sunlight, your body only creates D from the hours of 10am to 3pm. To top that, if you live north of Atlanta, Georgia, you can’t even make any D in your skin from November to February, he says. So supplementing your diet and activity is even more important during cooler months. Do you suffer from more body pain and aching muscles in the winter? Those types of symptoms could be a sign of low D, says Holick.

Grab Some UVs
Some docs will prescribe a UV light to patients who are very D deficient, but you can buy one on your own without an Rx. These special UV lamps work the same way as real rays of sun—so stay on burn notice. Lamp users only need to expose the front of their upper legs, abdomen, or back for three to five minutes, three times a week, Holick says. Make sure to talk to your doctor before starting any new treatments or remedies.

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Scary News Alert: Your Diet Can Give You Alzheimer’s

Posted on October 4, 2012 by admin

Step away from the doughnuts in the office kitchen—if not for your body, then for your brain.

You likely know that an unhealthy diet can lead to obesity and related conditions like type 2 diabetes, but there’s growing evidence to suggest that eating sugary, processed foods can trigger what some experts are calling Type 3 Diabetes: brain-altering Alzheimer’s Disease.

While the concept of Alzheimer’s as brain diabetes is not new to some researchers, it recently gained attention after prominent food writer Mark Bittman covered the topic in a New York Times column. A food writer discussing Alzheimer’s? Believe it.

Suzanne de La Monte, M.D., M.P.H., is a neuropathologist at Brown University whose team coined the term type 3 diabetes. Her research over the past decade suggests that consuming too much sugar can lead to insulin resistance in the brain—a very bad thing. “We found that by making the brains of rats insulin resistant, the rats developed an Alzheimer-like disease pattern, including neurodegeneration,” she says.

How Insulin Resistance Leads to Dementia
A biology refresher: Our cells need glucose from food for energy. Insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas, helps cells take in glucose from the bloodstream, which the cells then metabolize for energy. If there’s an excess of glucose in the bloodstream, say, from eating too much sugary food, your pancreas will produce more insulin to keep up. Your cells, however, can become resistant to the increased insulin.

If cells in your brain become insulin-resistant, they don’t get enough energy and they deteriorate. Starved brain cells can result in memory loss and confusion—the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.

The Scope of the Problem
As obesity rates climb, so too, researchers expect, will cases of diabetes and Alzheimer’s. While having diabetes doesn’t cause Alzheimer’s, the two diseases are linked: In 2011, Japanese researchers concluded that having diabetes doubles your risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

That’s a scary stat when you consider that nearly 105 million Americans (almost a third of the population) have diabetes or pre-diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Almost 5.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s and more than 115 million new cases of are projected worldwide in the next 40 years, according to Rhode Island Hospital.

“The obesity epidemic leading to soaring rates of diabetes is killing us earlier and producing a crippling state of chronic disease,” de la Monte says. “These problems are stressing our healthcare systems and shortening lifespan.”

How To Avoid It
“This problem is all about prevention,” de la Monte says. “The public health answer is to stop obesity at the youngest possible age by impressing upon parents the need to not over-feed children or feed them fast or processed foods.”

But it’s not too late for adults to safeguard their health. De La Monte recommends the following:

1. Keep Tabs on Your Weight
“It takes years to reach disease levels of obesity,” de la Monte says. If you regularly weigh yourself and measure your waist, you’ll know when you’re gaining weight and you can act earlier to lose it.

2. Eat Less Meat
De la Monte suggests moving toward plant-based foods and cutting down on meat. “I am not advocating vegetarian or vegan lifestyles, just changing proportions to follow the U.S. government’s MyPlate guidelines.” Those guidelines suggest that half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables; the other half grains and protein. (Learn more about the benefits of eating less meat.)

3. Cut Back On Sugar
Sugar is implicated in type 2 and 3 diabetes, so it’s best to keep sugar consumption to a minimum. But don’t think that reducing your sugar intake gives you license to overeat other unhealthy foods instead. “The false impression that cutting sugar in one aspect of the meal frees you up to eat four slices of pizza is completely wrong,” she says.

4. Cook More
Learning to cook (with fresh, non-processed foods) is a good idea—and it also saves money. (Need some ideas? The Women’s Health Recipe Finder lets you search dishes by cook time, main ingredient, and more!)

5. Avoid Nitrates
Research suggests that there is a link between Alzheimer’s and consuming foods containing nitrosamines. Protect yourself by avoiding foods that list sodium nitrite on label, de la Monte writes on doctoroz.com. Common culprits are processed foods including cheese, hot dogs, ground beef, and smoked meats like bacon.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Tag Archives: Alzheimer’s

What You Need to Know About Alzheimer’s

The Vitamin That Protects Against Alzheimer’s

Scary News Alert: Your Diet Can Give You Alzheimer’s