Facts
- According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by loss of function and death of nerve cells in several areas of the brain, leading to loss of mental functions such as memory and learning. It causes a person to forget recent events or familiar tasks.
- How rapidly AD advances varies from person to person.
- This brain disease eventually causes confusion, personality and behavior changes and impaired judgment. Communication becomes difficult as the affected person struggles to find words, finish thoughts or follow directions. Eventually, most people with AD are unable to care for themselves.
- It can cause one to forget or refuse to eat and this can result in weight loss or even malnutrition.
- AD is also known as organic brain syndrome and it is the most common form of dementia.
- This disease was first described by German psychiatrist Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1907 when he performed an autopsy on a 51 year-old woman who died of a stange disease that caused memory and language impairment. He found abnormal clumps called senile or neuritic plaque (a mix of destroyed nerve cells and a protein called beta-amyloid) and neurofibrillary tangles (where tangles of nerve fibers are formed from abnormal nerve cells and a protein called TAU) throughout the cerebral cortex of her brain.
- AD affects the brain’s architecture and in some cases, it can turn fatal.
- Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a gene that helps transport cholesterol and build healthy membranes for the brain’s neurons. One who has inherited a certain type of this gene called ApoE4 is 3 times more likely to develop AD. However the presence of this gene may neither be essential nor sufficient for the development of AD.
A study conducted at the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory in UMIST, Manchester which was reported in the Lancet revealed that the combination of the herpes simplex virus and ApoE4 is a risk factor for AD. Apparently the virus was causing damage to the genes. Vitamin E and selenium have been shown to stop the damaging effects brought about by viruses.
Source : Levander OA et al “Herpes simplex virus type 1 in brain and risk of Alzheimer’s disease” Lancet (1997) 349:241-244; “Vitamin E and selenium: contrasting and interacting nutritional determinants of host resistance to parasitic and viral infections” Proc Nutr Soc (1995) 54(2):475-87
- No one is clear about what actually causes this disease.
- A study conducted by the British Institute of Psychiatry found that smoking later in life may lead to mental decline. Researchers found that smokers were 4 times more likely to experience a significant intellectual decline than non-smokers. The test that was used to assess intellectual power was similar to those used to screen for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Source : J A Cervilla et al “Smoking, drinking, and incident cognitive impairment: a cohort community based study included in the Gospel Oak Project” Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (2000) 68:622-626
- Mounting studies continue to show that people who exercise their brains will put off the chance of developing AD. In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003, researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York carried out their study on 469 people who were above 75. At the start of the study, none were living in nursing homes or had dementia. They found that those who engaged themselves in stimulating mental activities such as reading, playing a musical instrument, playing board games, or even dancing had a lesser chance of developing AD. No link was found between physical activity and a reduced risk of dementia.
Source : Joe Verghese, et al “Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly” New England Journal of Medicine (2003) 348:2508-2516
- Diabetes mellitus is linked to a 65 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and affects some aspects of cognitive function differently than others, according to a study. Over the study period, 151 out of the 824 participants developed AD, including 31 who had diabetes.
Source : Rush University Medical Center (May 2004)
- A mice study directed by Mount Sinai School of Medicine suggests that experimental dietary regimens might calm or even reverse symptoms of AD. This study is the first to show that limiting the intake of carbohydrates, may prevent AD by triggering activity in the brain associated with longevity.
A main characteristic of those with AD is elevated levels of beta-amyloid peptides (fiber-like substance) that cause plaque buildup in the brain. SIRT1, a molecule associated with brain longevity, is member of a broad family of proteins known as sirtuins which influences a variety of functions including metabolism and aging.
The mice who were given a low-carbohydrate diet had a higher level of SIRT1 in their brains compared to those fed with high calories (based on saturated fat). In fact, a high caloric intake based on saturated fat was shown to increase levels of beta-amyloid peptides.
Source : “Calorie restriction may prevent Alzheimer’s through promotion of longevity program in the brain” Mount Sinai School of Medicine (14 Jun 2006); “Neuronal SIRT1 activation as a novel mechanism underlying the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease amyloid neuropathology by calorie restriction” Journal Biological Chemistry (2006)
- One study found a link between high levels of aluminum to AD risk, e.g. consumption of aluminum in drinking water with concentrations greater than 0.1 mg/liter.
Aluminum consumption can also come from using aluminum-made utensils and cookware, kitchen foil, food additives (frozen doughs, self-rising flour, cake/pancake mix) and antacids with added aluminum.
Source : Virginie Rondeau et al “Relation between Aluminum Concentrations in Drinking Water and Alzheimer’s Disease: An 8-year Follow-up Study” American Journal of Epidemiology (2000) 152(1):59-66
Symptoms
- Poor judgement
- Temperamental
- Language problems
- Loss of initiative
- Misplacing things
- Memory loss
- Weight loss
- Difficulty in performing familiar tasks
- Disorientation of time and place
Chapter: Alzheimer's Disease :: 4 May 2007
