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Home > Health Conditions > Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's Disease/Dementia

Related Topics:

• Alzheimer's / Reminyl® (Galantamine hydrobromide) / Seroquel® (quetiapine) / Aricept™ (donepezil hydrochloride) / Exelon (rivastigmine tartrate) / Memantine (investigational) / Procaine HCl

Popular Supplements:

• procaine HCl / green tea / DHA / curry / red yeast rice / ginkgo / niacin / melatonin / Huperzine A / SAM-e / phosphatidylserine / acetyl-l-carnitine / folic acid / B-12 / NADH / vitamin E / ginseng / vitamin C / inositol / choline / magnesium / zinc / curcumin / sage

Alternative News:

• Alzheimer's Disease - Life Extension Magazine
• Age-Associated Mental Impairment - Life Extension Magazine
• Alzheimer’s Disease - Vitacost
• Age-related cognitive decline - vitacost
• Acetyl-l-carnitine may slow the progression of Alzheimer's - The Nutrition Reporter
• Plants' Flavonoids Have Beneficial Effect On Alzheimer's Disease, Study In Mice Suggests - Science Daily, 5/7/08 - "Researchers administered molecules called flavonoids, which are found in certain fruits and vegetables, to a mouse model genetically programmed to develop Alzheimer's disease. Using two of these molecules, luteolin and diosmin, they were able to reduce the levels of a protein called amyloid-beta, which forms the sticky deposits that build up in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's" - See Bioflavonoid products at iHerb.
• Ibuprofen May Cut Alzheimer's Risk - WebMD, 5/5/08 - "Use of ibuprofen pain relievers like Advil and Motrin for more than five years reduced Alzheimer's risk by 44% in a study reported in the May issue of Neurology"
• Green tea's Alzheimer protection gets more support - Nutra USA, 4/25/08 - "Polyphenon E (PE) ... The animals receiving the green tea extract should significantly decreased beta-amyloid-induced changes to the reference and working memory, while levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were 42 per cent less than the controls animals infused with the protein ... a person (with a body weight of 50 kg) would have to drink about three litres of PE per day to get similar effects ... However, humans consume antioxidants (including vitamins A, B, C and E as well as polyphenols, etc.) from various food sources everyday. Therefore, a lower amount (less than three litres) of 0.5 per cent PE-mixed water volume intake may be effective in humans to ensure the similar effects" - [Abstract] - See Jarrow green tea at iHerb.
• Green tea catechins prevent cognitive deficits caused by Abeta(1-40) in rats - J Nutr Biochem. 2008 Feb 14 - "Polyphenon E (PE) .. PE administration for 26 weeks significantly decreased the Abeta-induced increase in the number of reference and working memory errors, with a concomitant reduction of hippocampal lipid peroxide (LPO; 40%) and cortico-hippocampal reactive oxygen species (ROS; 42% and 50%, respectively). Significantly reduced levels of LPO in the plasma (24%) and hippocampus (25%) as well as those of ROS in the hippocampus (23%) and cortex (41%) were found in the PE+Vehicle group as compared with the Vehicle group ... long-term administration of green tea catechins provides effective prophylactic benefits against Abeta-induced cognitive impairment" - [Nutra USA] - See Jarrow green tea at iHerb.
• Chinese Club Moss Extract (Huperzine A) May Improve Cognition In Alzheimer's Disease - Science Daily, 4/17/08 - "Existing evidence suggests that patients with Alzheimer's disease who have taken Huperzine A have improved general cognitive function, global clinical status, functional performance and reduced behavioural disturbance compared to patients taking placebos" - See Huperzine products at iHerb.
• Vitamin E May Help Alzheimer's Patients Live Longer, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 4/15/08 - "people who took vitamin E, with or without a cholinesterase inhibitor, were 26 percent less likely to die than people who didn't take vitamin E"
• Wine May Protect Against Dementia, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 4/10/08 - "among those women who reported that they drank wine a considerably lower proportion suffered from dementia, whereas this correlation was not found among those who had reported that they regularly drank beer or liquor"
• Cup Of Coffee A Day Could Help Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 4/2/08 - "Caffeine appears to block several of the disruptive effects of cholesterol that make the blood-brain barrier leaky ... High levels of cholesterol are a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, perhaps by compromising the protective nature of the blood-brain barrier. For the first time we have shown that chronic ingestion of caffeine protects the BBB from cholesterol-induced leakage"
• Vitamin C can keep you healthy, looking younger - CNN.com, 2/27/08 - "Pairing vitamins C and E is smart for another reason: It may lessen your Alzheimer's risks by as much as 64 percent ..." - See Vitamin C products at iHerb and and Jarrow FamilE (contains all eight members of the vitamin E family) at iHerb.
• Folate Deficiency Associated With Tripling Of Dementia Risk, Study Shows - Science Daily, 2/5/08 - "Folate deficiency is associated with a tripling in the risk of developing dementia among elderly people" - See iHerb folic acid products.
• Late-onset Alzheimer's slowed by DHA omega-3 - Nutra USA, 1/25/08 - "In this study, we report that DHA significantly increases LR11 in multiple systems ... DHA may be most useful for early intervention and prevention of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) ... Because reduced LR11 is known to increase beta-amyloid production and may be a significant genetic cause of LOAD, our results indicate that DHA increases in [LR11] levels may play an important role in preventing LOAD" - [Abstract] - See Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid increases SorLA/LR11, a sorting protein with reduced expression in sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD): relevance to AD prevention - J Neurosci. 2007 Dec 26;27(52):14299-307 - "late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) ... DHA significantly increases LR11 in multiple systems ... Because reduced LR11 is known to increase Abeta production and may be a significant genetic cause of LOAD, our results indicate that DHA increases in SorLA/LR11 levels may play an important role in preventing LOAD" - See Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Citrus flavanones show neuroprotection potential - Nutra USA, 1/21/08 - "These results first demonstrate that the citrus flavanones hesperidin, hesperetin, and neohesperidin, even at physiological concentrations, have neuroprotective effects against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity in PC12 cells ... These dietary antioxidants are potential candidates for use in the intervention for neurodegenerative diseases ... One such disease that is mentioned Alzheimer's disease" - [Abstract] - See hesperidin products at iHerb.
• Anti-Alzheimer's Mechanism In Omega-3 Fatty Acids Found - Science Daily, 1/2/08 - "the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in fish oil increases the production of LR11, a protein that is found at reduced levels in Alzheimer's patients and which is known to destroy the protein that forms the "plaques" associated with the disease" - See Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Fish Oil Prevents Alzheimer's Plaques - WebMD, 12/26/07 - "the fish-oil compound DHA causes brain cells to make lots more LR11 ... Because reduced LR11 is known to increase beta amyloid production and may be a significant genetic cause of late-onset Alzheimer's disease, our results indicate that DHA increases in LR11 levels may play an important role in preventing late-onset Alzheimer's disease" - See Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Moderate Exercise May Cut Dementia Risk - WebMD,12/19/07- "Moderate physical activity (such as walking and climbing stairs) may help prevent dementia in people aged 65 and older"
• Moderate beer intake may cut Alzheimer's risk: study - Nutra USA, 12/17/07 - "After three months the researchers report that animals receiving the supplementary silicon, whether from beer or the silicic acid, had significantly lower blood aluminium levels, and higher faecal excretion of aluminium ... The lower blood levels resulted in slower accumulation of aluminium in the tissue, including the brain, which could have benefits for the prevention of Alzheimer's" - See Jarrow BioSil at iHerb.  I've been taking about 9 drops of this per day for years.  I stir it with my orange juice every morning.
• Sugar and Alzheimer's: Are They Linked? - WebMD, 12/7/07 - "The brains of the sugar-fed mice had about twice as many plaque deposits as the mice fed regular water" - [Science Daily]
• Increased B12 levels could ward off dementia - Nutra USA, 11/16/07 - "The longitudinal cohort study followed 1648 participants for 10 years, and found a doubling in holotranscobalamin (holoTC) concentrations was associated with a 30 per cent slower rate of cognitive decline ... increased levels of the amino acid homocysteine doubled the risk of dementia or cognitive impairment" - [Abstract] - See iHerb vitamin B12 products.
• Low vitamin B-12 status and risk of cognitive decline in older adults - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1384-91 - "concentrations of holoTC (a marker of reduced vitamin B-12 status), tHcy, and MMA predicted cognitive decline, but folate did not. A doubling in holoTC concentrations (from 50 to 100 pmol/L) was associated with a 30% slower rate of cognitive decline (-0.137 to -0.083), whereas a doubling in tHcy (from 10 to 20 mumol/L) or MMA (from 0.25 to 0.50 mumol/L) was associated with >50% more rapid cognitive decline (-0.090 to -0.169) and (-0.104 to -0.169), respectively" - See iHerb vitamin B12 products.
• Fish for brain health supported by trio of studies - Nutra USA, 11/14/07 - "These recent reports are novel in that they address the association of n-3 fatty acid intake and cognitive function in non-demented individuals and, thus, present a shift in the attention to earlier stages of cognitive decline with the hope of preventing progression to states of dementia and disability before they become irreversible" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb.
• Eating Fish, Omega-3 Oils, Fruits And Veggies Lowers Risk Of Memory Problems - Science Daily, 11/13/07 - "people who regularly consumed omega-3 rich oils, such as canola oil, flaxseed oil and walnut oil, reduced their risk of dementia by 60 percent compared to people who did not regularly consume such oils. People who ate fruits and vegetables daily also reduced their risk of dementia by 30 percent compared to those who didn't regularly eat fruits and vegetables ... people who ate fish at least once a week had a 35-percent lower risk of Alzheimer's disease and 40-percent lower risk of dementia, but only if they did not carry the gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer's, called apolipoprotein E4, or ApoE4 ... Given that most people do not carry the ApoE4 gene, these results could have considerable implications in terms of public health" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb.
• Low vitamin B-12 status and risk of cognitive decline in older adults - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1384-91 - "Low vitamin B-12 status was associated with more rapid cognitive decline" - See iHerb vitamin B12 products.
• Cognitive performance among the elderly and dietary fish intake: the Hordaland Health Study - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1470-8 - "In the elderly, a diet high in fish and fish products is associated with better cognitive performance in a dose-dependent manner" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb.
• n 3 Fatty acid proportions in plasma and cognitive performance in older adults - Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1479-85 - "In this population, plasma n-3 PUFA proportions were associated with less decline in the speed-related cognitive domains over 3 y" - See Mega Twin EPA at iHerb.
• Staving Off Alzheimer's Disease With The Right Diet, Prescriptions - Science Daily, 11/7/07 - "Fish oil elevated the level of a protein that prevents the formation of amyloid, the tell-tale protein found in Alzheimer's. Caffeine reversed memory impairment in animal models of the disease. In addition, environmental copper reduced the clearance of amyloid, from the brain to blood ... scientists have identified ways that essential omega-3 fatty acid -- docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or fish oil -- can help prevent Alzheimer's ... DHA also reduced pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid in brains of Alzheimer's model mice, consistent with the anti-inflammatory effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are associated with reduced Alzheimer's in people" - See Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Intake of sucrose-sweetened water induces insulin resistance and exacerbates memory deficits and amyloidosis in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease - J Biol Chem. 2007 Oct 17 - "controlling the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may be an effective way to curtail the risk of developing AD"
• Mediterranean Diet May Help Alzheimer's Patients Live Longer - Science Daily, 9/10/07 - "Alzheimer's patients who adhered to the diet to a moderate degree lived an average 1.3 years longer than those people who least adhered to the diet. And those Alzheimer's patients who followed the diet very religiously lived an average four years longer"
• Curry Spice May Counter Alzheimer's - WebMD, 7/16/07 - "In preliminary lab tests, the chemical helped rid the blood of a key ingredient in Alzheimer's brain plaque"
• Omega-3 Supplements Can Help With Alzheimer's Symptoms, Study Suggests - Science Daily, 6/21/07 - "There was no observable difference in therapeutic effect between the patients receiving the omega-3 and the placebo group. However, when the researchers took into account which of the patients carried the susceptibility gene APOE4 and which did not, an appreciable difference appeared. Carriers of the gene who had received active treatment responded positively to the omega-3 as regards agitation symptoms, while non-bearers of the gene showed an improvement in depressive symptoms" - See Twin EPA at iHerb or Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acid Slows Alzheimer’s - WebMD, 4/18/07 - "One received supplemental DHA only, and the other two groups received DHA plus additional omega-6 fatty acids ... After three months, all of the mice on the DHA diets had lower levels of beta-amyloid and tau proteins than those in the control group. But at nine months, only those on the DHA-only diet had lower levels of both proteins" - See Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acid May Help Prevent Alzheimer's Brain Lesions - Science Daily, 4/17/07 - "One of these groups received supplemental DHA only, and two groups received DHA plus additional omega-6 fatty acids. After three months, mice in all of the test groups had lower levels of beta amyloid and tau than mice in the control group, but at nine months, only mice on the DHA diet had lower levels of both proteins" - See Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• High Folate Intake May Lower AD Risk - Clinical Psychiatry News, 2/07 - "The risk of AD decreased with increasing intake of folate but not of vitamins B6 or B12"
• Little Proof That Brain Exercises Slow Mental Decline - Intelihealth, 1/9/07 - "there is little evidence that the brain training programs are worth the time and price"
• Higher Folate Levels Linked To Reduced Risk For Alzheimer's Disease - Science Daily, 1/9/07 - "Folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6, are important in the body's processing of homocysteine--therefore, deficiencies in these nutrients increase homocysteine levels and may contribute to cardiovascular disease, stroke and dementia ... When the individuals were divided into four groups based on the total level of folate they took in through food and supplements and the analysis was adjusted for patient characteristics, comorbid diseases and B12 and B6 intake, the risk of Alzheimer's disease was lower in the groups with higher intake" - See iHerb or Vitacost folic acid products.
• Can Fish Intake Predict Chances Of Developing Dementia? - Science Daily, 1/3/07 - "the participants who reported consuming an average of about three servings of oily fish a week--equivalent to blood levels of DHA at 180 milligrams daily--were associated with a significantly reduced risk of developing dementia of all types, including Alzheimer's disease. No other fatty acid blood level was independently linked to the risk of dementia" - See Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• There's Hope in the Drug Pipeline [for Alzheimer's] - US News, 12/11/06 - "A compound called huperzine A seems to combine some memory-saving effects of drugs like Aricept and Namenda with an ability to protect neurons from beta amyloid. It's currently being tested for safety and effectiveness in people" - See iHerb or Vitacost huperzine A products.
• Higher Level Of Certain Fatty Acid Associated With Lower Dementia Risk - Science Daily, 11/28/06 - "men and women in the quartile with the highest DHA levels had a 47 percent lower risk of developing dementia and 39 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than the other three quartiles with lower DHA levels ... those in the top quartile of blood DHA levels reported that they ate an average of .18 grams of DHA a day and an average of three fish servings a week. Participants in the other quartiles ate substantially less fish" - See iHerb or Vitacost DHA products.  My favorite is Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• B-vitamins reduce plasma levels of beta amyloid - Neurobiol Aging. 2006 Nov 17 - "Elevated plasma homocysteine (tHcy) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and thus B vitamins may have a role in the prevention of AD. The objective of this study was to determine if tHcy lowering vitamins decrease the circulating levels of A-beta protein 1-40 (Abeta40). We randomized 299 older men to treatment with 2mg of folate, plus 25mg of B6 and 400mug of B12, or placebo. After 2 years of treatment the mean (S.E.) increase of Abeta40 was 7.0pg/ml (8.4) in the vitamin group (4.9%), and 26.8pg/ml (7.7) (18.5%) in the placebo group. We conclude that B vitamins may decrease the plasma level of Abeta40 and have a role in the prevention of AD"
• Fat in Fish May Help Prevent Dementia - WebMD, 11/13/06 - "participants with the highest DHA levels at the beginning of the study were 47% less likely to get dementia and 39% less likely to get Alzheimer's disease during the study than the rest of the group" - See iHerb or Vitacost DHA products.  My favorite is Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Plasma Phosphatidylcholine Docosahexaenoic Acid Content and Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer Disease: The Framingham Heart Study - Arch Neurol 2006;63 1545-1550 - "Subjects in the upper quartile of plasma PC DHA levels had a mean DHA intake of 0.18 g/d and a mean fish intake of 3.0 servings per week ... The top quartile of plasma PC DHA level was associated with a significant 47% reduction in the risk of developing all-cause dementia"
• Can caffeine protect against Alzheimer's? - USA Today, 11/5/06 - "Lesko and others are betting on research suggesting that caffeine will offer protection not just against Alzheimer's, but also against Parkinson's ... Alzheimer-stricken mice that had guzzled caffeine could easily find their way through a maze. Mice that got just water had more signs of brain disease and got confused in the maze"
• {omega}-3 Fatty Acid Treatment in 174 Patients With Mild to Moderate Alzheimer Disease: OmegAD Study: A Randomized Double-blind Trial - Arch Neurol. 2006 Oct;63(10):1402-8 - "Administration of omega-3 fatty acid in patients with mild to moderate AD did not delay the rate of cognitive decline according to the MMSE or the cognitive portion of the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale. However, positive effects were observed in a small group of patients with very mild AD (MMSE >27 points)"
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Slow Cognitive Decline In Some Patients With Very Mild Alzheimer's Disease - Science Daily, 10/11/06 - "For six months, 89 patients (51 women and 38 men) took 1.7 grams of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and .6 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), while 85 patients (39 women and 46 men) took placebo ... among a subgroup of 32 patients with very mild cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study, those who took the fatty acids experienced less decline in six months compared with those who took placebo" - See Mega Twin EPA at Vitacost or iHerb.
• Diet May Influence Alzheimer's Risk - WebMD, 10/9/06 - "Long suspected of lowering the risk of heart disease and diabetes, the Mediterranean diet consists of large amounts of fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, and nuts. Red meats are eaten only rarely and poultry, eggs, and dairy products are eaten in moderation. Olive oil and fatty fish are the main sources of fat in the diet ... People who most closely adhered to the diet had an Alzheimer's risk that was 40% to 65% lower than people who were least likely to follow the diet"
• Chemical Found In Curry May Help Immune System Clear Amyloid Plaques Found In Alzheimer's Disease - Science Daily, 10/3/06 - "curcumin -- a chemical found in curry and turmeric -- may help the immune system clear the brain of amyloid beta, which form the plaques found in Alzheimer's disease" - See iHerbor Vitacost curcumin products.
• Red Wine May Prevent Alzheimer's - WebMD, 9/20/06 - "After seven months of sipping their designated drinks, the mice individually were placed in a maze and challenged to find their way out ... Those in the red wine group performed best. The mice in the ethanol group weren't better at mastering the maze than the teetotalers ... The mice in the red wine group were quicker to adapt to that change"
• Drinking Juice May Stall Alzheimer's - WebMD, 8/31/06 - "people who drank fruit and vegetable juices more than three times a week were 76% less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who drank juices less than once a week"
• Calorie Restriction May Prevent Alzheimer's Through Promotion Of Longevity Program In The Brain - Science Daily, 6/14/06 - "a high caloric intake based on saturated fat promotes AD type beta-amyloidosis, while caloric restriction based on reduced carbohydrate intake is able to prevent it"
• Novel Strategy to Restore Brain Cell Function - Life Extension Magazine, 5/06 - "Alzheimer’s patients taking 300 mg of phosphatidylserine daily performed significantly better on standardized memory tests at the end of the 12-week trial period than did the study participants who received placebo. Importantly, those patients who were the least afflicted by dementia demonstrated the greatest benefit from phosphatidylserine therapy. These results suggest that beginning supplementation very early on, or perhaps even before the appearance of symptoms, can help prevent age-related loss of memory and other cognitive impairments"
• Mediterranean Diet May Cut Alzheimer's - WebMD, 4/18/06 - "Scores ranged from 0-9, with higher scores showing greater adherence to a Mediterranean diet ... those with middle scores were 15% less likely to have been found to have developed Alzheimer's disease, and those with the highest scores were 40% less likely to have been found to have Alzheimer's disease"
• Can Exercise Protect Against Alzheimer’s? - Physician's Weekly, 4/17/06 - "the rate of dementia development was significantly lower for those who exercised at least three days a week"
• Regular Exercise May Delay Alzheimer's - WebMD, 1/17/06
• Staying active helps keep the mind sharp - MSNBC, 1/16/06 - "healthy people who reported exercising regularly had a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of dementia"
• Does Green Tea Ingredient Protect Against Alzheimer’s? - Physician's Weekly, 11/28/05 - "The results suggest that an EGCG dietary supplement may help in preventing the disease in the future"
• High-Fat, Low-Carb Diet May Help Alzheimer's - WebMD, 10/18/05
• Low Vitamin E Serum Levels Correlate With Dementia Risk - Clinical Psychiatry News, 10/05 - "those individuals in the bottom tertile of vitamin E plasma levels were at significantly higher risk not only of being demented (OR 2.6, 95% CI) but also of having impaired cognitive function (OR 2.2, 95% CI), compared with the highest vitamin E tertile"
• Fish Fights Aging in the Brain - WebMD, 10/10/05 - "eating fish at least once a week slowed the rate of mental or cognitive decline in elderly people by 10%-13% per year ... Researchers attribute the protective effects of fish on the brain to omega-3 fatty acids" - See Mega Twin EPA at Vitacost or iHerb.
• Obesity at Midlife Raises Dementia Risk Later - WebMD, 10/10/05 - "people who were obese at midlife were nearly 2.5 times more likely to develop dementia more than 20 years later than those who were normal weight ... high blood pressure and total cholesterol levels at midlife also doubled the risk of dementia in later life ... when a person had all three of these risk factors at midlife, the risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease was six times higher"
• Preserving and Restoring Brain Function - Life Extension Magazine, 10/05 - "Clinical trials using small groups of patients with cognitive decline demonstrated significant improvements with phosphatidylserine supplementation, especially among patients in the early stages"
• Antioxidant in Green Tea May Fight Alzheimer's - WebMD, 9/20/05 - "high doses of the green tea ingredient -- known as epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) -- significantly reduced the formation of beta-amyloid proteins in the brains of mice that were altered to develop Alzheimer's disease" - See iHerb or Vitacost green tea products.
• Fatty Acids: Good For The Brain, Good For Alzheimer Disease - Science Daily, 9/11/05 - "DHA can decrease levels of the pathogenic Abeta peptides that are associated with Alzheimer disease pathology in human brain cells"
• Scientists Discover How Fish Oil Protects the Brain - Intelihealth, 9/9/05 - "docosahexaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid found in coldwater fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon, reduces levels of a protein known to cause damaging plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's patients"
• Fish Fat May Help Fight Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 9/8/05 - "DHA helped brain cells in two ways: ... Curbing production of beta-amyloid proteins, which are seen in Alzheimer's brain plaque ... Boosting production of another protein called NPD1 that helps brain cells stay alive" - See iHerb or Vitacost DHA products.  My favorite is Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Folates More Effective In Limiting Alzheimer's Disease Risk Than Antioxidants, Other Nutrients - Science Daily, 8/17/05 - "folates appear to have more impact on reducing Alzheimer's risk than vitamin E, a noted antioxidant, and other nutrients considered for their effect as a brain-aging deterrent" - See iHerb or Vitacost folic acid products.
• Folate May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 8/15/05 - "older adults whose total folate intake (diet and supplement) equaled or exceeded the 400 microgram RDA reduced their chances of developing Alzheimer's disease by 55%" - See iHerb or Vitacost folic acid products.
• Complementary and Integrative Approaches to Dementia - Medscape, 7/5/05 - "Ginkgo biloba, an herbal product long used in traditional Chinese medicine, has been studied extensively and found to be well tolerated with mild benefit, approximating that of the 2nd generation cholinesterase inhibitors ... Huperzine A is a potent plant-based alkaloid with reversible acetylcholinesterase-inhibitory ... There have been several controlled clinical trials suggesting that ALc slows the progression of AD" - See iHerb actyl-l-carnitine, ginkgo biloba and huperzine products.
• Alzheimer's Risk May Be Cut - washingtonpost.com, 6/20/05 - "Middle-aged sons and daughters of people with Alzheimer's disease may be able to reduce their risk of getting the disorder through lifestyle measures such as exercise, avoiding gum disease, moderate alcohol consumption and drinking fruit and vegetable juice"
• Fish Oil Holds Promise In Alzheimer's Fight - Science Daily, 5/29/05 - "one group of the mice DHA-fortified chow ... After three to five months--the equivalent of several years in human biology--the high-DHA group had 70-percent less buildup of amyloid protein in the brain" - See iHerb or Vitacost DHA products.  My favorite is Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Preventing Age-Related Cognitive Decline - Life Extension Magazine, 4/05 - "Free radicals are a significant culprit, interfering with energy metabolism, blood flow, and nerve structure and function. Mitochondrial energy boosters, vitamins, hormones, and other antioxidants are effective weapons in the war against oxidative stress, safely enhancing energy production and blood flow, suppressing inflammation, maintaining the structural integrity of nerve cell components, and facilitating neuronal activity"
• Vitamin E From Food Sources May Reduce Risk of AD - Medscape, 2/11/05 - "High intake of vitamin E from food (tocopherol), but not from supplements (which usually contain α-tocopherol), is inversely associated with Alzheimer disease ... various tocopherol forms rather than α-tocopherol alone may be important in the vitamin E protective association with Alzheimer disease"
• Do Carbs, Calories Affect Alzheimer's Risk? - WebMD, 1/13/05 - "mice eating fewer calories and carbohydrates than those allowed to eat all they wanted showed no signs of Alzheimer's-like disease, even though they had been bred to have the condition"
• Curry Spice May Fight Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 1/5/04 - "the curry pigment curcumin slows the formation of, and even destroys, accumulated plaque deposits in mouse brains"
• DHA Protects Against Alzheimer’s Disease? - Physician's Weekly, 1/3/05 - "DHA intake should be considered as a potential neuroprotective strategy for AD" - See iHerb or Vitacost DHA products.  My favorite is Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Fewer Calories Could Slow Alzheimer’s - Science Daily, 12/24/04 - "Restricting the diets of mice reduces the build-up of plaques in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease"
• Low-Fat Diet May Protect Against Alzheimer's - WebMD, 12/7/04 - "mice fed a low-fat diet rich in the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and soy, produced more of a protein that helps eliminate the amyloid peptides that cause plaque in the brain"
• Food for thought: Can diet protect memory? - MSNBC, 12/6/04 - "research increasingly suggests that diet may be important in preventing Alzheimer's ... older dogs fed a diet rich in antioxidants over several years were able to perform tasks — and learn new tricks — far better than fellow canines fed a normal diet ... scientists believe that curcumin, a spice used in India and known for its anti-inflammatory effects, may prevent memory loss"
• Good for the heart, good for the brain - MSNBC, 12/6/04 - "While diets high in cholesterol are bad for the brain, getting plenty of omega 3 fatty acids, found primarily in fish, is vital for a healthy noggin ... In particular, a component of omega 3 fatty acids known as DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is key"
• Can Curcumin Prevent Alzheimer's Disease? - Life Extension Magazine, 12/04
• Apples May Ward Off Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 11/18/04 - "The results suggest that quercetin "contributes significantly" to the protection of brain cells from free radicals in conditions like Alzheimer's disease" - See iHerb or Vitacost quercetin products.
• Mental Exercises Slow Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 10/27/04
• Black, Green Tea May Slow Alzheimer's Disease - WebMD, 10/27/04
• A Pill to Prevent Alzheimer's? - Dr. Weil, 9/30/04
• Testosterone Loss May Raise Alzheimer's Risk - WebMD, 9/24/04 [Science Daily] - "testosterone levels were significantly lower in the men with Alzheimer's disease compared with the men who did not have the disease ... the findings are significant because only testosterone levels appeared related to Alzheimer's risk ... It protects neurons from injury, and it reduces levels of beta-amyloid, the protein widely implicated as a causal factor in the disease"
• Physical Activity, Including Walking, Associated With Better Mental Functioning in Older Women - Doctor's Guide, 9/22/04 - "higher levels of physical activity, including walking, are associated with better cognitive function and less cognitive decline"
• Walking May Protect Elderly Men From Dementia, New Study By U. Va. Researcher Shows - Science Daily, 9/22/04 - "Elderly men who are sedentary or walk less than a quarter of a mile per day are nearly twice as likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease compared to men who walk more than two miles per day"
• Long-Term Use of Beta Carotene Beneficial - Clinical Psychiatry News, 9/04 - "there was a highly significant improvement in cognitive scores—particularly in verbal memory—among the 2,029 men with long-term exposure to the supplements, compared with the 2,020 who had been taking placebo for nearly two decades"
• Lifestyle Changes Could Cut Alzheimer's Cases - HealthDay, 9/9/04 - "he put 10 people on a lifestyle program that includes mental exercise, physical exercise, stress reduction, and a "healthy brain" diet, including such foods as fish that are rich in healthy fats ... In just two weeks, 75 percent of those on the program had a 20 to 30 percent improvement in memory scores"
• Why Fish Seems to Prevent Alzheimer's Damage - WebMD, 9/1/04 - "DHA may prevent or slow Alzheimer's progression by protecting against damage to the area where brain cells communicate" - See iHerb or Vitacost DHA products.  My favorite is Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Diet, Activity May Help Prevent Alzheimer's - WebMD, 7/19/04 - "eating vegetables (especially broccoli or spinach), staying active mentally and socially, and keeping a trim waistline can all help prevent or delay Alzheimer's disease"
• Curry May Protect Aging Brain - WebMD, 4/19/04 - "Small doses of curry could help protect the brain against Alzheimer's disease -- at least that's the effect in rats" - See iHerbor Vitacost curry products.
• Memory enhancer named best new ingredient - Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals, 4/04 - "Citicoline is a form of choline that helps replenish the brain with phosphatidylserine ... In a double-blind trial of 84 elderly patients with mild to moderate memory loss, subjects who took 1000mg of citicoline daily for six weeks showed improvement in the acquisition of new information and its recall and improvement in global memory efficiency" - See Vitacost citicoline products.
• Vitamins to Prevent Alzheimer’s? - Dr. Weil, 3/15/04
• Health Benefits of Folic Acid - PowerPak.com (CME), exp. 11/15/05 - "there is growing evidence to suggest that folic acid supplementation may be beneficial in patients with depression, as well as those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease"
• High DHA Intake Linked to Less Alzheimer's, Other Dementia - Clinical Psychiatry News, 3/04 - "People who ate an average of 180 mg or more a day of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a fatty acid found in fish oil, had about 40% less Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, compared with people who consumed less DHA" - See iHerb or Vitacost DHA products.  My favorite is Jarrow Max DHA at iHerb.
• Vitamin Supplement Use May Reduce Effects Of Alzheimer's Disease - Doctor's Guide, 1/20/04
• Vitamins C and E May Lower Alzheimer's Risk - WebMD, 1/20/04
• Reduced Risk of Alzheimer Disease in Users of Antioxidant Vitamin Supplements - Arch Neurol. 2004;61:82-88 - "Conclusions Use of vitamin E and vitamin C supplements in combination is associated with reduced prevalence and incidence of AD. Antioxidant supplements merit further study as agents for the primary prevention of AD"
• Chelation Therapy May Ease Alzheimer's - WebMD, 12/15/03
• Eat Your B's - Wellness Insider, 11/25/03 - "In the elderly population, B12 deficiencies are not uncommon and can result in an impaired cognitive state that closely mimics Alzheimer's disease" - See iHerb or Vitacost Vitamin B12 products.
• Fish And N-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Risk Of Alzheimer’s Disease - Life Extension Foundation, 11/03 - "A new study, from the Rush-Presbyterian, St. Lukes Medical Center, in Chicago, shows that people who consumed at least one serving of fish a week dramatically reduced their risk of Alzheimer’s disease, compared to those who rarely or never ate fish. Dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids had a similar risk-lowering effect" - See Mega Twin EPA at Vitacost or  iHerb.
• Leisure Activity May Prevent Alzheimer's - WebMD, 10/2/02
• Antioxidants May Protect Women From Alzheimer's - Clinical Psychiatry News, 10/03 - "Compared with women in the lowest quartile of overall antioxidant consumption, those in the highest quartile had an OR of 0.39 for Alzheimer's disease ... When their diets were analyzed for specific antioxidants, women who consumed the most vitamin C and lycopene also had a significantly lower risk of cognitive decline"
• Prevent Alzheimer's With Healthy Living - WebMD, 9/12/03 - "The same risk factors linked to heart disease and stroke -- high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and diabetes -- also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease ... statins, and in particular, Lipitor, help destroy the other telltale sign of Alzheimer's disease -- increased levels of amyloid, a sticky substance not unlike cholesterol that forms plaques in the brain ... Deal with depression, now ... Try to limit "free radical" damage"  - Note:  Red yeast rice is a non-prescription statin.  See iHerb or Vitacost red yeast rice products.
• Herb Sage Improves Memory - WebMD, 8/28/03 - "44 healthy, young adults took either sage oil capsules or a placebo. The participants then took a series of word recall tests ... The people who had taken the sage oil consistently had better word recall -- a sign that sage may help improve memory ... sage's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties could be valuable in Alzheimer's treatment" - See iHerb or Vitacost sage products.
• Study Supports Potential of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs to Protect Against Alzheimer's - Doctor's Guide, 7/22/03 - "The pooled combined data from the cohort and case-control studies showed a relative risk of Alzheimer's disease was 0.72 among NSAID users ... The analysis specific to aspirin users included eight studies that showed a pooled relative risk of 0.87 for developing Alzheimer's disease"
• Fish Once a Week Cuts Alzheimer's Risk - WebMD, 7/21/03 - "Weekly fish eaters had a 60% lower risk of Alzheimer's than people who rarely or never ate fish ... The beneficial effects of [fatty acids] from fish may be counterbalanced by toxins ... A high antioxidant/low saturated fat diet pattern with a greater amount of fish, chicken, fruits, and vegetables and less red meat and dairy products is likely to lower the risk of AD, as well as that for heart disease and stroke ... Furthermore, B vitamin supplements, containing vitamins B12 and B6 and folic acid, lower plasma total homocysteine levels, possibly decreasing the risk of stroke, heart disease and perhaps Alzheimer's disease" - See Mega Twin EPA at Vitacost or  iHerb.
• Disappointing Data Confound Claims For DHEA Effectiveness [against Alzheimer's] - Psychiatric News, 6/6/03 - "Twenty-eight patients were blindly chosen to receive 50 mg of DHEA twice a day for six months ... The dose of DHEA, Wolkowtiz said, was targeted to achieve blood levels of the hormone at or slightly above the top of the normal range of DHEA levels found in healthy young adults ... numerically, DHEA did have a benefit on cognitive ratings, but overall, on the CIBIC-Plus, there was no significant benefit shown ... at three months, the DHEA group, compared with placebo, showed a trend toward improvement on the ADAS-Cog, but the improvement only narrowly missed being statistically significant ... DHEA has been reported to reduce cortisol, the so-called "stress hormone," which in response to stress is released in large quantities that have been linked to neuronal stress and damage" -  Does anyone detect bias in that title?  I don't know if DHEA helps Alzheimer's or not but I feel the title should have been something like "Alzheimer's Shows Trend Toward Improvement with DHEA at 3 Months".  Their attitude seems to be that nothing works except what we write prescriptions for.  The way I understand it, Alzheimer's usually gets worse, not better and cholinesterase inhibitors slow the disease, they don't reverse it and three months is a short time to determine if it is working.  For example, see the following  in the same issue of Clinical Psychiatry News.  See iHerb or Vitacost DHEA products. - Ben
• NSAIDs May Protect Against Alzheimer's - Clinical Psychiatry News, 6/03 - "Long-term use of NSAIDs—24 months or longer—was associated with a significant protective effect"
• NSAIDs No Help as Alzheimer's Treatment - WebMD, 6/3/03 - "Aisen's team tested the two drugs in 351 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease. They looked for signs that the drugs might slow mental decline or improve quality of life ... There was "no consistent benefit of either treatment,""
• Novelty Seeking Tied to Lower Alzheimer's Risk - Clinical Psychiatry News, 6/03
• Hyperhomocysteinemia and Vitamin Score: Correlations with Silent Brain Ischemic Lesions and Brain Atrophy - Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 2003;16:39-45 - "In subjects with minor brain ischemic lesions (n = 21), tHcy was higher by 5.6 µM, whereas vitamin score and cognitive function were lower than in controls"
• NSAIDs and Amyloid Plaques Have Close Relationship - Psychiatric News, 5/2/03
• Plasma vitamin C, cholesterol and homocysteine are associated with grey matter volume determined by MRI in non-demented old people - Neurosci Lett 2003 May 8;341(3):173-6 - "We found that lower grey matter volume was associated with lower plasma vitamin C and higher homocysteine, cholesterol and LDL. Lower blood cell folate was also associated with lower grey matter volume ... These data are consistent with the putative benefits of dietary vitamin C and folate intake and the role of cholesterol in age related neurodegeneration"
• Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Appear To Protect Against Alzheimer's - Doctor's Guide, 4/1/03 - "compared with non-users, people who took any type of NSAID were 28% less likely to develop Alzheimer's, which was statistically significant. But, among aspirin-only users, the risk of Alzheimer's was cut by 13%, which was not significant" - See drugstore.com NSAID and aspirin products.
• NSAIDS May Help in Alzheimer's Prevention - WebMD, 4/1/03 - "For those using aspirin, the reduction in risk was 13%, a finding that was not considered significant ... Those on an NSAID for one to 23 months had a risk reduction of 17%, and those termed long-term users, beyond 23 months, reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by 73%" - See drugstore.com NSAID and aspirin products.
• High-dose antioxidant supplements and cognitive function in community-dwelling elderly women - Am. J. of Clin. Nutr., 4/03 - "Long-term, current users of vitamin E with vitamin C had significantly better mean performance, as judged by a global score that combined individual test scores, than did women who had never used vitamin E or C (P = 0.03); there was a trend for increasingly higher mean scores with increasing durations of use (P = 0.04). These associations were strongest among women with low dietary intakes of alpha-tocopherol. Benefits were less consistent for women taking vitamin E alone, with no evidence of higher scores with longer durations of use. Use of specific vitamin C supplements alone had little relation to performance on our cognitive tests"
• Cognitive decline and fatty acid composition of erythrocyte membranes - Am. J. of Clinical Nutr., 4/03 - "studied the relation between erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition and cognitive decline in free-living volunteers ... Higher proportions of both stearic acid (saturated, 18:0) and total n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids were associated with greater risk of cognitive decline ... Conversely, a higher proportion of total n-3 fatty acids was associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline"
• Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia: Vitamins Can Help Prevent - WebMD, 2/28/03 - "High levels of a substance in the blood called homocysteine tops the list of potentially new risk factors for heart disease, stroke, and now dementia. A new study suggests that high homocysteine levels are linked with mental declines associated with Alzheimer's disease in elderly people ... High homocysteine levels can be treated very easily with vitamins, including folate, niacin, and B-12"
• Dietary Fats and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease - Archives of Neurology, 2/03 - "Intakes of saturated fat and trans-unsaturated fat were positively associated with risk of Alzheimer disease, whereas intakes of -6 polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat were inversely associated. Persons in the upper fifth of saturated-fat intake had 2.2 times the risk of incident Alzheimer disease compared with persons in the lowest fifth" - See the tables on my fatty acids page.  For example, palm oil is 51% saturated fat while canola oil is 8% saturated.
• NSAID Use Linked to Lower Incidence of Alzheimer's - Clinical Psychiatry News, 1/03 - "The largest reduction in risk was among former users of NSAIDs or aspirin who had taken the medications for 2 years or more. The incidence of Alzheimer's disease in that group was 29% of the rate seen in nonusers"
• Eating Fish May Prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease - New Hope Natural Media, 12/12/02 - "People who consumed fish or seafood at least once a week reduced their risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease by 34% and 31%, respectively, compared with those who never ate fish ... Nutritional supplements that may help slow the progression of dementia or AD include acetyl-L-carnitine, vitamin E, thiamine (vitamin B1), melatonin, Ginkgo biloba and Huperzine A"
• Ginkgo for Alzheimer's Disease - Clinical Psychiatry News, 12/02 - "A 4-point gain on the ADAS-Cog is roughly equivalent to a 6-month delay in disease progression. “It is noteworthy that 29% of the patients with Alzheimer's disease treated with EGb for at least 26 weeks improved by 4 or more points, compared with 13% treated with the placebo,” ... In a German multicenter study, 156 patients with Alzheimer's or multi-infarct dementia were randomized to 240 mg/day of EGb 761 or placebo; efficacy was assessed by three validated scales. By the end of the 24-week study, 28% of patients in the ginkgo group were classified as responders, compared with 10% in the placebo group, a significant difference" - I've got that, see iHerb and Vitacost ginkgo products.
• Bright Light, Aromatherapy Ease Dementia - WebMD, 12/5/02
• Iron Deficiency Harms Brain - WebMD, 11/8/02 - "Too little iron may be the cause of at least some cases of Alzheimer's disease ... As people age, their red blood cells have less of the stuff that makes them red. It's called heme, a cellular form of iron ... It's fairly common for people to get too little iron or vitamin B6 in their diets. Exposure to aluminum or other toxic metals is also quite common. All these things block heme in brain cells" - See iHerb and Vitacost iron products.
• Eating Fish Cuts Risk of Dementia - WebMD, 10/24/02 - "Those who ate fish or seafood at least once a week had a significantly lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia during the seven-year study period ... The fatty acids in fish oils provide protection for arteries, which could improve blood flow to the brain. In addition, the fatty acids may reduce inflammation in the brain. They may also have a specific role in brain development and regeneration of nerve cells, the authors suggest" - See Twinlab Mega Twin EPA at iHerb  or Vitacost.
• Further Evidence Of Fish Consumption Link To Lower Alzheimer Risk - Doctor's Guide, 10/24/02
• Antioxidants May Reduce Alzheimer's Disease Risk - Clinical Psychiatry News, 10/02 - "Use of vitamins E and C together—which is what most subjects did—was associated with an eightfold reduction in prevalence and a fivefold lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease"
• More Antioxidants, Less Fat May Reduce Alzheimer's Risk - Clinical Psychiatry News, 10/02 - "Data are now strong enough to recommend a dietary strategy for reducing Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk that includes low fat intake and high consumption of fish and antioxidants, along with vitamin E, folic acid, and vitamins B6 and B12 supplements"
• MEDLINE Abstracts: Antioxidants and the Aging Brain - Medscape, 9/27/02 - "Combinations of antioxidants might be of even greater potential benefit for AD, especially if the agents worked in different cellular compartments or had complementary activity (e.g. vitamins E, C and ubiquinone). Naturally-occurring compounds with antioxidant capacity are available and widely marketed (e.g. vitamin C, ubiquinone, lipoic acid, beta-carotene, creatine, melatonin, curcumin) and synthetic compounds are under development by industry" - Again, a broad spectrum of anti-oxidants, not just one or two.
• Exercise, Eating to Enhance Memory? - Dr. Weil, 9/26/02 - "We know that the incidence of Alzheimer’s is higher than normal among people whose diets are high in saturated fat, which causes free radical damage leading to inflammation of the brain. On the other hand, omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon, sardines and flax seeds appear to be protective. Blueberries are another food that seems to help ... Dr. Khalsa explains that in addition to age, chronic stress can harm the hippocampus via the release of high levels of the hormone cortisol from the adrenal gland"
• Pain Relievers May Prevent Alzheimer's - WebMD, 9/23/02 - "The study found people who took aspirin or other NSAIDs for more than two years before the study began were 45% less likely to develop Alzheimer's than those who didn't. And the longer the participants had taken the drugs, the more protected they were against the disease ... previous studies have suggested that aspirin and other NSAIDs might protect against Alzheimer's disease by reducing inflammation in the brain ... their findings show that the beneficial effects of NSAIDs in preventing Alzheimer's take a long time to accumulate and don't become apparent until years later"
• Phosphatidylserine (PS) The Essential Brain Nutrient - Life Extension Magazine, 9/02 - "In Alzheimer's disease, phosphatidylserine has been said to influence changes in the brain that can help alleviate the symptoms of senile dementia related to this disease"
• Eat Your Way to a Healthy Brain - WebMD, 7/25/02 - "carrots, broccoli, and fish really are good for your brain, especially if you want to protect it from Alzheimer's disease ... High fat and high salt are two components of a brain-unhealthy diet, but the main problem is "eating too much meat," ... Trying to eliminate all fat from the diet is a mistake, says Petot, because both mind and body need a diet that gets 25-30% of its calories from fat ... people who have the Alzheimer's gene and eat a high-fat diet during their 40s are seven times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than people who don't have the gene. When these same genetically predisposed people ate a low-fat diet in midlife, their risk of developing Alzheimer's dropped to four and a half times that of people without the ApoE gene" - Something for the Atkin's diet people to think about. - Ben
• High Dose Vitamin E Appears to Reduce Alzheimer's Risk - Doctor's Guide, 7/24/02 - "An analysis of data from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging suggests that vitamin E intake is associated with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) ... People with the highest quartile of vitamin E intake, 46.5 mg, had a 26 percent reduction in risk for developing AD."
• Antioxidants Fight Alzheimer's - WebMD, 6/25/02
• An Indian Spice for Alzheimer’s? - Dr. Weil, 6/12/02 - "Curcumin blocked the accumulation of beta-amaloid plaque and also appeared to reduce inflammation related to Alzheimer’s disease in neurologic tissue. The rats fed curcumin also performed better on memory tests than rats on normal diets ... Researchers at the University of Illinois have also found that it helps prevent plaque formation. And preliminary studies at Vanderbilt University suggest that curcumin may block the progression of multiple sclerosis ... only low dose curcumin reduced plaque in the Alzheimer’s disease studies ... Turmeric appears to have significant anti-inflammatory and cancer-protective effects as well"
• Low Vitamin B Status Prevalent In Alzheimer Patients - Doctor's Guide, 6/4/02 - "low vitamin B6 status is prevalent in patients with AD"
• High Oxidative Stress, Low Antioxidant Status In Alzheimer Disease - Doctor's Guide, 6/3/02 - "Lymphocyte DNA 8-OHdG content in people AD may thus reflect a condition of increased oxidative stress related to a poor antioxidant status ... researchers also noted a significant inverse relationship between lymphocyte DNA 8-OHdG content [a marker of oxidative damage to DNA] and plasma levels of lycopene, lutein, a-carotene and b-carotene, respectively"
• Vitamins Fight Alzheimer's - WebMD, 5/28/02 - "There's new evidence that a substance found in blood can cause the type of brain and blood vessel deterioration that leads to dementia. But those same studies also show that taking certain vitamins can lower levels of this substance -- homocysteine -- and ward off the damage, possibly preventing Alzheimer's disease ... This is exciting information, because homocysteine levels can be reduced by taking the vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid"
• Active Life Keeps Brain Healthy - WebMD, 5/21/02 - "An active lifestyle -- even if begun only in middle age -- spurs brain-cell growth and lowers risk of Alzheimer's disease ... In another study published in the same issue of the Annals of Neurology, researchers find that a particular chemical in the blood may be linked to Alzheimer's and other dementing diseases ... The chemical is called hs-CRP. It is a sign of inflammation -- the body's protective response to injury or infection" - See my inflammation page for natural ways to reduce it.
• Lymphocyte Oxidative DNA Damage and Plasma Antioxidants in Alzheimer Disease - Archives of Neurology, 5/02 - "Markers of oxidative damage are increased in AD and correlate with decreased levels of plasma antioxidants. These findings suggest that lymphocyte DNA 8-OHdG content in patients with AD reflects a condition of increased oxidative stress related to a poor antioxidant status"
• Serum Folate And Estradiol Levels Interact In Alzheimer's Disease - Doctor's Guide, 5/13/02 - "a high ratio of estradiol to total estrogens is linked with AD. At the same time, in women with a high ratio, the severity of dementia is lower in those with high serum folate levels ... If this association is causal, then supplementation with folic acid may have a role in future studies of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) in Alzheimer's disease (AD)"
• Nutrition Affects Thinking in Elderly - WebMD, 4/25/02 - "In this study of healthy elderly people, higher concentrations of folic acid and vitamin B-12 were associated with increased memory and thinking ability"
• Folic Acid May Help Prevent Alzheimer's - WebMD, 3/1/02
• Folic Acid Possibly A Key Factor In Alzheimer's Disease Prevention - Intelihealth, 3/1/02
• In Praise of Folic Acid - Time Magazine, 2/25/02 - "folic acid plays a crucial role in the development of just about every cell in the body ... subjects who had high levels of a particular amino acid called homocysteine in their blood were twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's as those who didn't. The finding is important because one of the easiest ways to lower homocysteine levels is to get plenty of folic acid ... There is no risk of overdose, although high levels of folic acid can mask the signs of pernicious anemia in people who have developed the disorder" - The way I understand it, taking vitamin B12 with the folic acid will avoid that problem. - Ben
• Participation in Cognitively Stimulating Activities and Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease - JAMA, 2/13/02 - "These results suggest that frequent participation in cognitively stimulating activities is associated with reduced risk of AD"
• New Alzheimer's Risk Factor Identified - WebMD, 2/13/02 - "High blood levels of a substance called homocysteine have been linked to an increased risk for both heart attack and stroke. Now, new research finds it to be a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related dementias ... It is known that B-vitamins like folic acid, B-6, and B-12 lower homocysteine levels"
• Vitamin C Powers Up Pills - HealthScout, 2/1/02
• Alcohol Helps Guard Against Dementia - WebMD, 1/24/02 - "One to three drinks a day decreased the chance of developing Alzheimer's disease by more than 30%"
• Study Indicates Moderate Drinking Could Ward Off Dementia - Intelihealth, 1/24/02
• Leisure Activity Decreases Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease - Doctor's Guide, 12/27/01 - "Even when controlling for factors like ethnic group, education and occupation, subjects with high leisure activity had 38 percent less risk of developing dementia ... the study also showed that participation in leisure activities may have a cumulative effect, with an additional 8 percent risk reduction associated with each leisure activity engaged ... intellectual activities were associated with highest risk reduction"
• Antioxidant Boosts Cognitive Function In Alzheimer's Patients - Intelihealth, 11/15/01 - "the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) may improve certain cognitive skills in people with Alzheimer's disease ... Although participants in the NAC group did not outperform placebo patients in day-to-day activities, they did fare significantly better than the placebo group on certain cognitive tests"
• Everbody's Getting Alzheimer's, Decline Can Happen Fast in Those Over 65 - WebMD, 11/12/01 - "We know that dementia is extremely common, especially as we age ... He recommends 800IU twice a day for people who are already have dementia; for older people at risk, 400IU twice a day. Younger people and people at low risk are advised to take 400 IU once a day"
• Alcohol's effect on the brain a 'mixed' bag - USA Today, 9/6/01 - "Moderate drinking may reduce the risk of certain types of stroke and scarring in the core of elderly people's brains, a study found. But alcohol may also promote shrinkage of the brain — a condition seen in Alzheimer's patients"
• Soy for Alzheimer's - Life Extension Magazine, 6/01
• Alzheimer's Disease May Be Linked to Deficiencies in Vitamin B12 or Folate - Doctor's Guide, 5/8/01 - "Study authors theorized that vitamin B12 or folate deficiencies affect Alzheimer's disease by influencing neurotransmitters or the levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the body. Either vitamin B12 or folate deficiency can increase homocysteine levels. Homocysteine has a neurotoxic effect that could lead to cell death or neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease"
• Exercise Shown to Help Keep Elderly Minds More Alert - WebMD, 4/10/01 - "after taking into consideration factors such as age, sex, and level of education, people who engaged in all levels of physical activity from low to high had lower risks for thinking impairment, and were also less likely to have Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia"
• Sustain the Brain - Nutrition Science News, 2/01 - "In a double-blind Italian study, 236 elderly patients with mild senility were treated with either 1,500 mg ALC or placebo. The ALC group showed significant improvements in memory and cognition compared with controls"
• Diet may play role in Alzheimer's - USA Today, 2/14/01
• Can L-carnitine help reverse Alzheimer's disease? - Nutrition Science News, 8/00 - "The use of acetyl-L-carnitine at 1 g three times a day provided statistically significant benefit in slowing the cognitive decline in those patients with early onset of the disease--61 years of age or younger"
• Alzheimer's: Take Two Ibuprofen and Call Me in the Morning? - WebMD, 8/10/00 - "Taking a few tablets of ibuprofen every day may help prevent Alzheimer's disease"
• Ginkgo Extract Efficacious for Alzheimer's/Dementia - Medscape, 8/3/00 - "New analysis of the breakthrough study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that a patented Ginkgo biloba extract, EGb 761, effectively improves the mental function of patients with Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia within the first 26 weeks of treatment"