This article discusses individuals who are at higher risk for developing AD later in life, and preventative measures that can be taken in order to decrease the risk factors involved.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/488849
A very interesting point the article brought up was that high blood cholesterol levels and diabetics are at higher risk for AD. This brings up an interesting question. In a nation that relies so heavily on fattening food and suffers from cholesterol problems, what will the levels of AD be like in 30,40, even 50 years from now? I wonder if McDonalds will still be advertising in front of their entrances, "billions and billions served...
Since it seems from this page that the primary problems are associated with Diabetic, cholesterol, cardiovascular problems, it just enhances the fact that diet and exercise are important for all around good health.
This article summarizes nicely the importance of exercise on brain function and plasticity: http://www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences/abstract/S0166-2236(02)02143-4>.
This
article discusses the relationship between exercise and brain function
as a result of increased BDNF secretion. This article shows how the
increased levels of BDNF present in the body, stimulates neurogenesis
and improves brain resistance to injury, improves learning, and can
influence brain plasticity. It seems to me that the more we take care of our bodies now, the lower the risk will of developing neurodegenerative diseases, and not just AD.
Ethan Burns
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ReplyDeleteHey Ethan, while I was researching anti-oxidants and their role in Huntington's disease for Larissa's blog, I came across this paper that goes very well with your article. It focuses on the strong overlap between AD and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD). The known genetic and environmental risk factors link the two diseases and the paper suggests that prevention or reduction of CVD will be reciprocated for AD. They examine how anti-inflammatories and anti-oxidants affect patients with AD and CVD. They initally worked with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), but they found it harmful because it was good for slowing down the amyloid accumulation but it had no control of the inflammatory markers leading to ROS. The paper studies the effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Curcumin. They found that DHA limited amyloid production, oxidative damage and synaptic and cognitive deficits in a transgenic mouse. Since there were big safety concerns with the use of NSAIDs, they screened NSAIDs for alternatives. The alternative studied was curcumin, a phenolic anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidant that targets many AD pathogenic cascades. Both DHA and curcumin have favorable safety profiles, epidemiology and efficacy, and may exert general anti-aging benefits, as well as preventing Neurodegenerative diseases.
Deletehttp://alzheimer.neurology.ucla.edu/pubs/ColePreventionNBA2005.pdf