Saturday, July 17, 2010

Change Lifestyles - Combat Alzheimer’s
(taking back our health)

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We need to change our habits to combat Alzheimer’s. It’s crucial for all of us, but especially for blacks and Latinos, who have a higher risk of this dementia than whites. We shouldn’t stand idly by when there are things we can do to minimize our risks. Doctors have told us for years that we can control high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. We can do this by eating right and exercising, and if necessary, by taking the proper prescriptions. If we needed more impetus for doing so, now we know that it can decrease our Alzheimer’s risk. But it’s up to us. "These are encouraging," said William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer's Association. "These types of studies make people think, 'Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.' "Improved living and diet habits — including lots of physical activity, regular tea-drinking and sufficient vitamin D levels — could reduce the risk of brain decline, according to three studies presented Sunday. The studies were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Honolulu.
One of the studies is from the Framingham, Mass., cardiovascular risk study, in which researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, among others, tracked more than 1,200 elderly people over 20 years, 242 of whom developed dementia. The researchers found that participants who had moderate to heavy levels of physical activity had about a 40 percent lower risk of developing any type of dementia. Those who reported the least amount of activity were 45 percent more likely to develop dementia compared with those who logged higher levels of activity.
In a second study, including data on more than 4,800 men and women ages 65 and older, participants were followed for up to 14 years. Tea drinkers had less mental decline than non-tea drinkers. Those who drank tea one to four times a week had average annual rates of decline 37 percent lower than people who didn't drink tea. Coffee didn't show any influence except at the highest levels of consumption, researchers said. Author Lenore Arab of UCLA said, "Interestingly, the observed associations are unlikely to be related to caffeine, which is present in coffee at levels two to three times higher than in tea."
In a third study, British researchers looked at vitamin D's effect on brain health. They examined data from 3,325 U.S. adults ages 65 and older from the NHANES III study. Vitamin D levels were measured by blood test, and cognitive tests were administered. Odds of cognitive impairment were about 42 percent higher in those deficient in vitamin D, and 394 percent higher in people severely deficient. "More and more studies are suggesting that lifestyle changes may be able to silence the expression of risk genes, a phenomenon called epigenetics," said Duke University's Murali Doraiswamy. Read moreprogressive.org

TODAY'S PHOTO    
  
Vitamins D & E show brain benefits
Eating food rich in vitamin E may reduce the risk of developing dementia, while insufficient levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of cognitive decline, say two new studies. Read more: nutraingredients.com
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