September health news: The latest breakthroughs in Alzheimer's research

Right now, one in 11 seniors has dementia or Alzheimer's disease, a brain-wasting disease that impairs thinking and memory with aging. But Alzheimer's isn't only striking seniors; of the half a million Canadians who have Alzeimer's disease or a related dementia, 71,000 people are younger than 65, according to the Alzheimer Society of Canada. And of all cases, 72 per cent are women.

Research into Alzheimer's disease and dementia is tremendous, with new studies or leads regularly making news. Here's a sample of what has appeared in the headlines over the summer of 2009. As always, speak with your doctor about new medical reports and findings before making any changes to your current routine.

1. Cut your cholesterol, cut your risk of dementia
After 40 years and nearly 10,000 participants later, a new study proves that having high cholesterol and even borderline high cholesterol in midlife significantly increases the risk of dementia later in life. Of the 9,844 men and women followed, 469 developed Alzheimer's disease and 127 had vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after AD. The numbers show that high cholesterol increased the risk of Alzheimer's disease by 66 per cent and borderline high cholesterol increased the risk of vascular dementia by 52 per cent.

The good news: You can control high cholesterol and it reduce it by eating right, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight. Simple lifestyle changes now may mean a healthier brain down the road.
The study, from Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research and the University of Kuopio in Finland, was published in the journal Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders in August 2009.

2. Eat more olive oil
Similarly, a new study shows that a Mediterranean-style diet and exercise can decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Mediterranean diets are low in red meat and high in nutrients like vitamin B12, folate and antioxidants that may protect against cognitive decline. These nutrients are found in these foods in the Mediterranean diet:

-fruits
-vegetables
-nuts
-olive oil and;
- grains.

Futhermore, Mediterranean diets are moderate in red wine and fish or shellfish.

Led by Dr. Nikolas Scarmeas at Columbia Medical Center, researchers followed 1,880 people averaging 77 years of age who did not exhibit signs of dementia at the beginning of the study. More than five years later, 282 developed Alzheimer's disease.

The physically active members of the group reduced their risk by 33 per cent; and those who followed a Mediterranean diet reduced their risk by 40 per cent. Seniors who did both reduced their risk by 60 per cent.

The study was published in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Click to continue for another reason to drink coffee and more recent Alzheimer's news...

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