One-third of Alzheimers’ cases preventable, says research

CAMBRIDGE, England, Thursday July 24, 2014 – With cases of Alzheimer’s disease on the rise in the Caribbean and elsewhere, research from Britain’s Cambridge University indicating that one-in-three cases of the illness worldwide is preventable is welcome news.

In a study published in The Lancet Neurology, the Cambridge team analysed population-based data to determine the seven main risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and concluded they are: diabetes; mid-life hypertension; mid-life obesity; physical inactivity; depression; smoking, and low educational attainment.

The researchers worked out that one-third of Alzheimer’s cases could be linked to lifestyle practices that could easily be changed, such as lack of exercise and smoking.

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They then looked at how reducing these practices could affect the number of future Alzheimer’s cases.

Their findings showed that by reducing each risk factor by 10 percent, nearly nine million cases of the disease could be prevented by 2050.

Current estimates suggest that more than 106 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer’s by 2050, a staggering figure representing more than three times the number affected just four years ago.

According to Professor Carol Brayne, from the Institute of Public Health at Cambridge University: “Although there is no single way to treat dementia, we may be able to take steps to reduce our risk of developing dementia at older ages.

“We know what many of these factors are, and that they are often linked.

“Simply tackling physical inactivity, for example, will reduce levels of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, and prevent some people from developing dementia.

“As well as being healthier in old age in general, it’s a win-win situation,” the professor added.

Out of the seven main risk factors, the largest proportion of cases of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, Britain, and the rest of Europe can be attributed to physical inactivity.

About a third of the adult population in these countries is physically inactive, according to the study.

Lack of exercise is also implicated in increased risks of other serious health issues including cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

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One-third of Alzheimers’ cases preventable, says research

Alzheimer"s blood test edges closer

28 July 2013 Last updated at 21:02 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News Alzheimer’s is a growing problem as people live longer Researchers believe they are closer to developing a blood test that could diagnose Alzheimer’s.

There is no definitive test for the brain-wasting disease. Doctors rely on cognition tests and brain scans.

A technique published in the journal Genome Biology showed differences in the tiny fragments of genetic material floating in the blood could be used to identify patients.

The test was accurate 93% of the time in trials on 202 people.

One of the main goals of Alzheimer’s research is to find ways of detecting the disease earlier.

It starts years before symptoms appear and it is thought that future treatments will need to be given before large parts of the brain are destroyed. This will require new ways of testing for the condition.

The team at the Saarland University, in Germany, analysed 140 microRNAs (fragments of genetic code) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and in healthy people.

They found 12 microRNAs in the blood which were present in markedly different levels in people with Alzheimer’s. These became the basis of their test.

Early trials showed it was successful and was “able to distinguish with high diagnostic accuracies between Alzheimer’s disease patients and healthy” people.

However, more research to improve accuracy and to see whether it would work in the clinic is still needed before the test would be considered as a way of diagnosing patients.

Dr Eric Karran, from the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This is an interesting approach to studying changes in blood in Alzheimer’s and suggests that microRNAs could be playing a role in the disease.

“The findings highlight the importance of continuing research efforts to understand the contribution of microRNAs to Alzheimer’s, but the translation of this into a blood test for Alzheimer’s in the clinic is still some way off.

“A blood test to help detect Alzheimer’s could be a useful addition to a doctor’s diagnostic armoury, but such a test must be well validated before it’s considered for use. We need to see these findings confirmed in larger samples and more work is needed to improve the test’s ability to distinguish Alzheimer’s from other neurological conditions.”

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Alzheimer"s blood test edges closer