Alzheimer’s

Posted on Alzheimer's, Diet

Could hazelnuts help with Alzheimer’s disease and other age related conditions?

Hazelnuts improve older adults' micronutrient levels

Hazelnuts improve older adults’ micronutrient levels

 

Older adults who added hazelnuts to their diet for a few months significantly improved their levels of two key micronutrients, new research at Oregon State University indicates.

In the study, 32 people age 55 and older ate about 57 grams of hazelnuts – 2 ounces or about one-third cup – daily for 16 weeks.

Results showed increased blood concentrations of magnesium and elevated urinary levels of a breakdown product of alpha tocopherol, commonly known as vitamin E.

The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, are important because many Americans do not eat adequate amounts of either micronutrient. Older adults are at particular risk – lower concentrations of the micronutrients are associated with increased risk of age-related health problems including Alzheimer’s disease.

“This is one of the first times a study of this type has focused only on older adults,” said co-author Alex Michels, a researcher at OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute. “We wanted to fill in a piece of the puzzle – can hazelnuts improve the nutritional status of older adults specifically?”

Michels also noted few hazelnut studies have involved Oregon hazelnuts, which account for 99 percent of U.S. production of a nut also known as the filbert.

“Not that we think Oregon hazelnuts are much different than other sources,” he said, “but now the booming crop that we have in this state finally has science behind it. Perhaps other benefits of Oregon hazelnuts are awaiting future study.”

Maret Traber, the study’s corresponding author, notes that she and her collaborators used a novel biomarker – an alpha tocopherol metabolite – to determine hazelnuts had improved the research subjects’ vitamin E levels.

“It’s hard to determine changes in α-tocopherol levels in the blood of older adults because they tend toward elevated cholesterol levels which leads to more α-tocopherol being retained in the blood,” said Traber, a professor in the OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences and the Ava Helen Pauling Professor at the Linus Pauling Institute. “So what we did instead was look at the urine to see how much of a vitamin E catabolite was in it. The catabolite should only increase if the body is getting enough vitamin E.”

The catabolite is alpha carboxyethyl hydroxychromanol, abbreviated to α-CEHC.

“It’s basically a vitamin E molecule where the tail has been chewed up into nothing, part of the natural breakdown process of vitamin E as the body uses it,” Michels said. “We saw urinary α-CEHC levels go up in almost every participant.”

In addition, blood analysis showed decreases in glucose and low-density lipoproteins, also known as “bad” cholesterol, in addition to increases in magnesium.

“All of which says that hazelnuts are good for you,” Traber said. “The findings demonstrate the power of adding hazelnuts to your diet, of just changing one thing. Vitamin E and magnesium are two of the most underconsumed micronutrients in the U.S. population, and there’s much more to hazelnuts than what we analyzed here. They’re also a great source of healthy fats, copper and B6. People don’t like taking multivitamins, but hazelnuts represent a multivitamin in a natural form.”

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Posted on Alzheimer's

Looking For A New Pet? Science-Proven Health Benefits Of Owning An Aquarium


Looking For A New Pet? Science-Proven Health Benefits Of Owning An Aquarium  

Aquariums have the ability to reduce anxiety and stress by inducing the calming effort of a natural setting. A study in 2004 revealed that patients experienced a 12% reduction in anxiety during the presence of an aquarium. It is the sound effects of ocean waves, running streams, and rainstorms that are peaceful and relaxing to the mind. So, do you experience stress, high blood pressure, or frequent events of insomnia?

Keeping a fish tank in your home may be good therapy. In fact, studies since the late ‘80s have shown just how aquariums may improve your sleep, reduce stress, and lower blood pressure.

Calm-inducing properties in water

People with a “blue mind” experience a meditative state of calmness, unity, and a general sense of happiness within the moment, according to marine biologist, Wallace J. Nichols. Watching the livelihood of fish in their habitat helps to relax and calm children with hyperactivity disorder. Other studies revealed that dental patients experienced less pain after viewing a fish tank during their visit. Not to mention, research also showed a significant reduction in blood pressure in senior citizens.

Improve heart rate and blood pressure

Fish tanks have the ability to play a positive effect on one’s physical condition, according to a study by the UK’s Plymouth University. Scientists also found that staring at swimming fish could greatly improve an individual’s well-being. In fact, researchers also found the following:

3% reduction in heart rate when aquarium contained only rock and seaweed

7% reduction in low blood pressure when fish occupied the tank

An overall boost in mood when the tank contained high numbers of fish

Experts also believe that while public aquariums may emphasize habitat awareness, they can also offer a place for stress relief, especially for those unable to experience outdoor natural environments.

Reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers learned that aquariums could improve eating habits and behavioral patterns in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. A study by Purdue University revealed that an aquarium increases the patients’ food intake by 21.1% – benefiting the need for less nutritional supplements, health care expenses, and boosting healthy eating practices. In fact, research also revealed an increase in attentiveness as patients viewing a fish tank for up to 30 minutes.

Induce better quality sleep

Eighty percent of individuals with sleep apnea are undiagnosed and left untreated. This is often due to an airway obstruction resulting in pauses of breathing. Meanwhile, sixty-six percent of surveyors said that their fish tanks not only helped them relieve stress and anxiety but also improve their quality of sleep. Therefore, those experiencing difficulties in sleep would benefit from gazing at a fish-filled aquarium to aid in insomnia.

Owning an aquarium comes with tons of benefits as some say the purpose of fish is to absorb the negative energy, based on Feng Shui. Others believe that fishes may even protect the home and spare you bad luck. So, whether these sayings are true or not, one thing’s for sure: a stunning fish tank can improve your health and overall well-being.

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Don’t lose sleep over reports that one bad night can spark dementia

Don't lose sleep over reports that one bad night can spark dementia

Don’t lose sleep over reports that one bad night can spark dementia

“Just one bad night’s sleep ‘increases your chances of Alzheimer’s’,” is the misleading headline in The Sun, which the Mail Online more than matches with the baseless claim that “Just one sleepless night could spark Alzheimer’s”.

The study that prompted the claim involved only 20 people, none of whom had Alzheimer’s disease. They were tracked over the course of just two nights of monitored sleep. During that time they were allowed to sleep as much as they wanted for the first night, and then on the second night they were kept awake by a nurse.

The researchers then used brain scans to measure levels of a protein called beta-amyloid that builds up naturally in the brain. This protein is found in larger amounts in people with Alzheimer’s disease, although it is not clear if simply having higher levels of it for a short time increases the risk of Alzheimer’s.

The study showed that people had slightly higher (5%) levels of beta-amyloid in their brains after a night of sleep deprivation compared with their levels after a good night’s sleep. This brief assessment provides no proof these middle-aged people would go on to develop Alzheimer’s if they continued to have sleepless nights. We don’t know how their levels of beta-amyloid may vary over time.

We can’t draw any conclusions about the relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s disease from this research. All we can say is that generally, getting a good night’s sleep brings other important physical and mental health benefits – you can read here about how to sleep better.

Where did the story come from?
The study was carried out by researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the US, Piramal Pharma Inc., and Yale School of Medicine. It was funded by the US National Institutes of Health and the (US) National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

The UK media’s headlines were needlessly alarming. If it were the case that a single bad night’s sleep could, as the Mail Online suggests, “spark Alzheimer’s” then we would expect far higher rates of the disease, as hardly anyone goes through life without sleeping badly from time to time.

And for some people, such as the parents of a newborn, disturbed sleep is a daily occurrence.

What kind of research was this?
This was an experimental study in which the researchers influenced the sleeping patterns of the participants to look at the effects of sleep deprivation.

There are lots of different ways in which this study could have been improved. We would ideally need a study that assessed people’s beta-amyloid levels over time to see what they were like to start with and how they varied from day to day. You could then look at levels of beta-amyloid over several nights of good sleep followed by poor sleep and then good sleep again to get an indication of how much they are influenced by sleep.

A randomised controlled trial that compared people assigned to periods of good and bad sleep could give an even better idea of the direct effect of sleep. This study design would make sure the two groups were similar in all ways apart from the amount of sleep people had.

But even with a trial, it would be hard to see if short-term changes in beta-amyloid were associated with the risk of Alzheimer’s disease developing.

A cohort study that followed a large number of people over long periods of time, taking regular brain scans and sleep assessments, then looking at who developed Alzheimer’s, may be the best way to explore this possible link. But this is unlikely to be feasible due to both the likely costs involved and the length of follow-up time that would probably be required to make a meaningful assessment.

What did the research involve?
Just 20 healthy people aged 22 to 72 (average 40 years) had brain scans to measure the amount of beta-amyloid in their brains. The researchers had excluded people with a range of physical and mental health conditions, including any history of alcohol or substance misuse, people taking any prescription medications, and those who had recently taken sedatives, stimulants or strong painkillers.

Each person in the study was measured after a good night’s sleep and after sleep deprivation at the research centre. The good night’s sleep involved sleeping from 10pm to 7am, with a nurse checking every hour whether the person was asleep. The brain scan was scheduled for lunchtime. Sleep deprivation involved waking up at 8am the morning before, and being accompanied by a nurse who made sure they did not fall asleep at all before they were scanned the next day at 1.30pm.

The scans took around 2 hours and people were encouraged to listen to music during the scan to keep themselves awake. No caffeinated drinks were allowed for 24 hours before or during the study, and no food was allowed between midnight and breakfast.

As well as beta-amyloid, the researchers also used questionnaires to assess people’s mood, and looked at whether they had particular genes associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

What were the basic results?
The study showed that people had slightly higher (5%) levels of beta-amyloid in their brains following the night of sleep deprivation compared to their results following good sleep. However, there was a lot of variation from person to person. There was no association with the person’s age, gender, or genetic likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s.

The study also showed that people’s mood was worse after sleep deprivation compared to good sleep, and that people who had a bigger increase in beta-amyloid had the greatest change in their mood.

How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers described their study as “preliminary evidence” that sleep could be one of the factors that affects levels of beta-amyloid in the brain. They speculate that improving sleeping habits could be a potential way to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

They noted, however, that the methods used meant it was not possible to tell the difference between beta-amyloid that had accumulated in the brain in solid plaques (insoluble), and the soluble form that could still be “flushed away” by the body.

Conclusion
This study has many limitations. While it points to some avenues for more research, we can’t draw any reliable conclusions from it regarding any possible influence of sleep on Alzheimer’s risk.

The biggest problem is that this was a tiny study of a sample of healthy middle-aged adults – none of whom had any signs of dementia. It was a very brief intervention and assessment and there was no long-term follow-up of the people involved.

We don’t know:

how their levels of beta-amyloid may normally vary from day to day
whether beta-amyloid would accumulate in greater amounts with ongoing sleep deprivation
whether any of the people in the study would develop Alzheimer’s disease or not
what the “dose effect” might be if there is any link – in other words, whether short-term increases in beta-amyloid from a few bad nights’ sleep could really affect risk of Alzheimer’s disease
It’s also worth noting that the sleep deprivation used in the study was quite extreme (people were awake for around 31 hours), which doesn’t necessarily reflect the kind of “poor sleep” that people might experience in their normal lives.

It’s probably going to be difficult to gather regular assessments of large numbers of people over time to more reliably answer the question of whether lack of sleep could influence risk of Alzheimer’s.

Unfortunately, this research brings us no further forward to answering the possible causes of Alzheimer’s.

Analysis by Bazian
Edited by NHS Choices

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Heavy Alcohol Use is the Biggest Risk Factor for All Types of Dementia

Heavy Alcohol Use is the Biggest Risk Factor for All Types of Dementia

Heavy Alcohol Use is the Biggest Risk Factor for All Types of Dementia

Chronic alcohol drinking is identified as the biggest risk to the early onset of dementia based on a study involving more than 1 million adults in France affected by the condition. Roughly 46.8 million people worldwide live with dementia and this figure was expected to reach 50 million last year. In 2050, it is predicted that dementia will affect 131.5 million people. Dementia costs the world economy over $818 billion in medical and social care as well as unpaid, informal care (Alzheimer’s Disease International). The results of the study may alert the healthcare sector to pay attention to alcohol consumption as a preventable risk factor for all forms of dementia, especially early onset dementia.

Alcohol Affects Mental Health

Many studies already associate alcohol consumption with negative mental health effects. For example, alcohol and drugs increase the risk of schizophrenia later in life by 3.5 times (Nielsen et al, 2017). Treatment and management of schizophrenia would, therefore, involve elimination of substance abuse. In the case of hospitalized patients involved in the study in France, the effects of alcohol on the brain were studied suggesting several ways the substance could lead to dementia. Ethanol and acetaldehyde (its by-product) are toxic to brain cells and damage their functioning.

Alcohol is also associated with vascular risk factors including cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Chronic drinking was also clustered among those with lower education, depression and smoking habits. All these factors though are independent risk factors for dementia. The research findings revealed that 57% of early-onset dementia cases (before reaching 65 years) affecting 57,000 people was linked to chronic alcohol use.

Implications for Early Health Interventions

The results of this large-scale study have several implications for the healthcare sector. To reduce the burden of alcohol-related dementia, early screening and interventions for heavy drinkers can be implemented. This would decrease the incidence of early-onset dementia. Alcohol use disorders also shorten life expectancies by as much as 20 years and by treating these problems, dementia-related deaths are expected to go down.

Dr. Bruce Pollock, Vice-President of Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, says, “As a geriatric psychiatrist, I frequently see the effects of alcohol use disorder on dementia, when, unfortunately, alcohol treatment interventions may be too late to improve cognition. Screening for and reduction of problem drinking, and treatment for alcohol use disorders need to start much earlier in primary care.”

Dementia is a brain disease that interferes with the daily life of affected individuals. If risk factors such as alcohol abuse are reduced or eliminated, there is no reason why people should not have a good quality of life as they age and not succumb to the condition or its early-onset.

 

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Nutrient drink for Alzheimer’s has disappointing result in trial

Nutrient drink for Alzheimer's has disappointing result in trial

Nutrient drink for Alzheimer’s has disappointing result in trial


A new study investigating the effects of a nutrient drink for Alzheimer’s disease has led to very different headlines in the media. While BBC News tells us the “Alzheimer’s nutrient drink falters in clinical trial”, the Daily Mirror reports the drink “could help stave off Alzheimer’s disease, according to scientists”.

The trial investigated the effects of Fortasyn Connect – a patented mix of vitamins and minerals, found in the drink Souvenaid – on memory in individuals showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

It was hoped those receiving the drink would experience less memory decline than would usually be expected.

Just over 300 participants were given either Souvenaid or a control drink for two years – both looked and tasted the same, so people didn’t know which they had. The main aim was to see whether those who drank Souvenaid had better results across a range of memory tests than those who didn’t.

The researchers found no difference in this main outcome, but there were some positives in secondary outcomes: those taking the drink had slightly less brain shrinkage and slightly better cognitive scores. However, there was still no difference in the number of people from each group that went on to develop dementia.

Overall, the study provides no evidence that this drink can prevent or slow the progress of dementia.

Regular exercise, a healthy diet, and avoiding drinking heavily and smoking seem to do more to reduce your dementia risk than any nutrient drinks currently available.

 

Where did the story come from?

The study was carried out by researchers from international institutions in Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and the US, and was funded by the European Commission 7th Framework Programme. Many of the researchers involved have worked or are currently working for pharmaceutical companies.

The study was published in the peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet and is free to read online.

There were split reports in the media on this study, with the Mirror and Mail Online claiming the nutrient drink could “stave off dementia”.

Thankfully, BBC News provided a more accurate summary, reporting that the trial found no improvements in memory and thinking.

 

What kind of research was this?

This was a double-blinded randomised controlled trial (RCT) investigating the effects of a nutrient drink on brain function in individuals showing early signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

The trial, called LipiDiDiet, investigated the benefits of the drink Souvenaid, which contains the Fortasyn Connect multinutrient mix. Earlier studies suggested the drink was well tolerated and may improve certain aspects of memory but didn’t slow brain decline overall.

The first part of the LipiDiDiet trial ran for 12 months. This was followed by an optional extension to 24 months, which is what was reported on here.

Double-blind RCTs like this are one of the most reliable ways of assessing the effects of an intervention, as the study design limits the chance that patient characteristics and other confounders are influencing any links.

 

What did the research involve?

The 24-month LipiDiDiet trial was carried out across 11 different sites. Researchers from memory clinics recruited 311 participants, aged 55 to 85 years, who had been diagnosed with “prodromal Alzheimer’s disease”. This term describes people who have normal cognitive function (as defined by the Mini-Mental State Examination) but are experiencing some memory problems and have some physical changes to the brain associated with early-stage dementia.

Eligible participants were randomised to receive either a placebo drink or the Fortasyn Connect-containing Souvenaid drink (125ml) once a day. None of the participants or assessors knew which individuals were taking the treatment.

Participants took their drinks home and reported consumption in a daily diary. To ensure compliance, motivation and safety, participants were contacted by phone once a month during the first 6 months of the trial and once every 2 months thereafter.

Individuals were assessed at baseline, 6, 12 and 24 months using a battery of neuropsychological tests (NTB) – which tested several aspects of cognitive performance, including written memory and visual memory recall – as well as brain scans. Individuals visited the study nurse or physician every 3 months in the first year and every 6 months in the second year.

The main outcome of interest was change in NTB score over the 24 months. A significant decline in NTB score is often indicative of worsening Alzheimer’s.

Other outcomes measured included cognitive change and brain volume. Blood tests were also used to assess the safety of the product.

 

What were the basic results?

The nutrient drink had no effect on the main outcome (change in NTB) at 24 months. The average score change with Fortasyn Connect was -0.028, compared with -0.108 in the placebo group. This gave a between-group difference of 0.098 (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.041 to 0.237), which was not statistically significant.

With regard to the secondary outcomes, there was slightly less reduction in brain volume in the Fortasyn Connect group versus the control group. Overall clinical dementia scores were also slightly worse in the control group than the Fortasyn Connect group. However, there was no significant difference between the number of participants diagnosed with dementia by 24 months, which was 62 people (41%) in the Fortasyn Connect group and 59 (37%) in the placebo group.

Compliance was reported to be high, and there was no difference between groups in the number of adverse events. No serious adverse effects were thought to be related to the drink.

 

How did the researchers interpret the results?

The researchers said: “The intervention had no significant effect on the NTB primary endpoint over 2 years in prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. However, cognitive decline in this population was much lower than expected . group differences on secondary endpoints of disease progression measuring cognition and function [and brain shrinkage] were observed.

“Further study of nutritional approaches with larger sample sizes, longer duration, or a primary endpoint more sensitive in this pre-dementia population, is needed.”

 

Conclusion

This trial provides valuable evidence about the effects of a nutrient drink, Souvenaid, on memory in individuals with early signs that they may develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Importantly, the researchers found no significant effect on the main outcome their study looked at (memory). They did find less brain shrinkage and slightly better cognitive scores in the experimental group, but this still didn’t lead to any reduction in the number who were diagnosed with dementia by the end of the study.

This trial therefore provides no evidence that Souvenaid/Fortasyn Connect can help to prevent or slow Alzheimer’s developing in people with early signs of cognitive decline.

In 2010, Behind the Headlines reported the findings of an early-stage 12-week study of the same Souvenaid/Fortasyn Connect drink. That study found some changes to verbal recall but, again, no overall effect on cognitive outcomes.

As Dr Doug Brown, director of research at Alzheimer’s Society, commented on the present study:

“This trial of Souvenaid did not meet the success criteria that would be needed for developing new drugs, so we cannot be confident of the drink’s benefits . we certainly can’t conclude that the drink slows progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

“People who are worried about their memory should not rush out and buy this drink without first talking to their doctor to find out if it could be suitable for them. There are many causes of memory decline, including normal ageing, so it’s important people are investigated for underlying Alzheimer’s disease before taking this medical drink, or any kind of treatment.”

There’s no guaranteed way to prevent dementia – particularly Alzheimer’s disease, which doesn’t have a fully established cause. However, there are things you can do to try to reduce your risk:

eat a healthy, balanced diet

exercise regularly

lose weight, if necessary

only drink alcohol in moderation

give up smoking, if applicable