Category: Dementia

This component of the Mediterranean diet protects memory.

Extra-virgin olive oil helps to protect the brain from cognitive decline, research finds.

The oil reduces the formation of protein in the brain that is linked to Alzheimer’s.

The conclusions come from a study of mice, some of whom were fed a diet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil.

Professor Domenico Praticò, who led the study, said:

“We found that olive oil reduces brain inflammation but most importantly activates a process known as autophagy.

Brain cells from mice fed diets enriched with extra-virgin olive oil had higher levels of autophagy and reduced levels of amyloid plaques and phosphorylated tau.”

Autophagy is the natural process by which cells get rid of material that is not required.

The Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet — which contains extra-virgin olive oil — has been repeatedly linked to health benefits.

Some think, though, that it is the consistent use of extra-virgin olive oil in these diets that is mostly responsible for the benefits.

Professor Praticò said:

“The thinking is that extra-virgin olive oil is better than fruits and vegetables alone, and as a monounsaturated vegetable fat it is healthier than saturated animal fats.”

Professor Praticò said:

“This is an exciting finding for us.

Thanks to the autophagy activation, memory and synaptic integrity were preserved, and the pathological effects in animals otherwise destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease were significantly reduced.

This is a very important discovery, since we suspect that a reduction in autophagy marks the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The researchers are now moving on to look at the effects of extra-virgin olive oil after Alzheimer’s has already set in.

Professor Praticò explained:

“Usually when a patient sees a doctor for suspected symptoms of dementia, the disease is already present.

We want to know whether olive oil added at a later time point in the diet can stop or reverse the disease.”

The study was published in the journal Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology (Lauretti et al., 2017).

An easy, everyday habit can cut Alzheimer’s risk by one-quarter.

Keeping gum disease at bay could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 25 percent, research finds.

The reason is that bacteria related to gum disease can travel from the mouth to the brain.

Once in the brain, they can destroy nerve cells, which ultimately leads to memory loss and, sometimes, Alzheimer’s disease.

Brushing and flossing regularly — along with regular hygiene appointments — helps keep the bacteria in check.

Brushing your teeth regularly could reduce the risk of dementia by more than one-quarter, a previous review of the research found.

Indeed, people with fewer than 20 teeth are 26 percent more likely to develop cognitive problems that could lead to Alzheimer’s.

Dr Piotr Mydel, study co-author, said:

“We discovered DNA-based proof that the bacteria causing gingivitis can move from the mouth to the brain.”

The bacteria causing gingivitis (gum disease) are not the only cause of Alzheimer’s, although they do raise the risk.

The bacteria — called Porphyromonas gingivalis — also increase the speed at which the disease develops.

The conclusions come from a study of 53 people with Alzheimer’s, 96 percent of whom had harmful enzymes.

A further mouse study showed that the bacteria’s movement from mouth to brain can be blocked by an experimental drug.

Dr Mydel said:

“We have managed to develop a drug that blocks the harmful enzymes from the bacteria, postponing the development of Alzheimer’s.

We are planning to test this drug later this year.”

Professor Jan Potempa, study co-author, said:

“Oral hygiene is very important throughout our life, not only for having a beautiful smile but also to decrease the risk of many serious diseases.

People with genetic risk factors that make them susceptible to rheumatoid arthritis or Alzheimer’s disease should be extremely concerned with preventing gum disease.”

The study was published in the journal Science Advances (Dominy et al., 2019).

This simple test can help to predict Alzheimer’s disease.

Being unaware of memory loss is actually an important warning sign for developing Alzheimer’s disease, research finds.

People who were unaware of their own memory problems — known as anosognosia — were 64 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s within 5 years.

On the other hand, if you are worried about memory loss, but your partner isn’t, then it’s probably not Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Philip Gerretsen, the study’s lead author, said:

“If patients complain of memory problems, but their partner or caregiver isn’t overly concerned, it’s likely that the memory loss is due to other factors, possibly depression or anxiety.

They can be reassured that they are unlikely to develop dementia, and the other causes of memory loss should be addressed.”

The conclusions come from the largest ever study on the self-awareness of dementia.

Over one thousand people aged 55 to 90 were involved.

Being unaware of memory problems predicted the shift from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers found.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (Gerretsen et al., 2017).

The food that shrinks your brain and leads to dementia.

The average person eats the equivalent of an extra burger meal every day compared with 50 years ago, research finds.

A burger, fries and soft drink works out to an extra 650 calories per day.

That is around 30 percent more calories than people need.

The consequences for people’s waistlines and their brains is devastating.

Brain health declines dramatically as a result of poor nutrition, especially early in life.

One of the main culprits is sugar, which accelerates neurodegeneration and impairs cognitive function.

People need to eat well and exercise early in life to avoid brain shrinkage and dementia later on.

Professor Nicolas Cherbuin, the study’s first author, said:

“People are eating away at their brain with a really bad fast-food diet and little-to-no exercise.

We’ve found strong evidence that people’s unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise for sustained periods of time puts them at serious risk of developing type 2 diabetes and significant declines in brain function, such as dementia and brain shrinkage.”

The conclusions come from a review of around 200 studies carried out around the world.

Fully 30 percent of the world’s population is obese now, and 10 percent will have type 2 diabetes by 2030.

Professor Cherbuin said:

“The link between type 2 diabetes and the rapid deterioration of brain function is already well established.

But our work shows that neurodegeneration, or the loss and function of neurons, sets in much, much earlier—we’ve found a clear association between this brain deterioration and unhealthy lifestyle choices.

The damage done is pretty much irreversible once a person reaches midlife, so we urge everyone to eat healthy and get in shape as early as possible—preferably in childhood but certainly by early adulthood.”

The effort to improve diet is coming too late for many, said Professor Cherbuin:

“What has become really apparent in our investigation is that advice for people to reduce their risk of brain problems, including their risk of getting dementia, is most commonly given in their 60s or later, when the ‘timely prevention’ horse has already bolted.

Many people who have dementia and other signs of cognitive dysfunction, including shrinking brains, have increased their risk throughout life by eating too much bad food and not exercising enough.

One of the best chances people have of avoiding preventable brain problems down the track is to eat well and exercise from a young age.

The message is simple, but bringing about positive change will be a big challenge.

Individuals, parents, medical professionals and governments all have an important role to play.”

The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology (Cherbuin & Walsh, 2019).

Around 1 in 6 people over 70 have mild cognitive impairment. About half of these people will go on to develop Alzheimer’s within five years.

Alzheimer’s patients given omega-3 supplements retain their memory function, a small study has found.

Eighteen patients with the debilitating disease were given the omega-3 supplements morning and night for six months.

In total, patients had 2.3 g of omega-3 supplements each day.

They were compared to a group of 15 who acted as a control.

Dr Yvonne Freund-Levi, study co-author, explained the results:

“We can see that the memory function of the patients in the group that had taken omega-3 is stable, whereas the patients in the control group have deteriorated.

That’s what the memory tests show.”

The researchers also looked at biological markers in the patients’ spinal fluid.

This however, did not produce a difference between the two groups, said Dr Freund-Levi:

“…we can’t see any differences between the groups when we look at the various biomarkers in the spinal fluid samples.”

This small study is part of a larger programme looking at over 200 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

They have so far found that omega-3 does transfer from the supplements to the brain.

In the present study, they also found that omega-3 was linked to biomarkers related to damaged nerve cells.

Dr Freund-Levi said:

“Even if this data isn’t enough for us to change our recommendations to patients at this time, it is an interesting material for researchers to build on.”

As this is a small study, it is wise to be cautious, said Dr Freund-Levi:

“We are cautious about giving recommendations, but we know that starting early is by far the best thing – it is difficult to influence the disease at a later stage.

The best piece of advice we have to offer at the moment is to be physically active and to include omega-3 in your diet – in the form of oily fish or as supplements.”

The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Tofiq et al., 2021).

Following four of the five lifestyle factors reduced Alzheimer’s risk by 60 percent, the study found.

Making four out of five critical lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60 percent, research finds.

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia: one-in-ten Americans over the age of 65 has the devastating disease.

The behaviours are limiting alcohol intake, a high-quality diet, exercise for brain and body and not smoking:

1. A high quality diet involves eating something like the MIND diet.
2. Giving up smoking — even after 60 — benefits physical and cognitive health.
3. 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise is a good weekly target.
4. Limit alcohol to light or moderate intake. In the US, moderate drinking is no more than 2 standard drinks per day for men and 1 for women (i.e. 2 glasses of wine for men and 1 for women).
5. Keep the mind active with intellectually engaging tasks, such as hobbies or social activities.

Even following just two or three of these lifestyle changes is linked to reducing Alzheimer’s risk by 37 percent.

However, the more lifestyle factors people adhere to, the lower their risk of dementia.

Dr Richard J. Hodes, Director of the National Institute on Aging, said:

“This observational study provides more evidence on how a combination of modifiable behaviors may mitigate Alzheimer’s disease risk.

The findings strengthen the association between healthy behaviors and lower risk, and add to the basis for controlled clinical trials to directly test the ability of interventions to slow or prevent development of Alzheimer’s disease.”

The study included 1,845 people from whom data on diet, lifestyle factors, genetics and cognitive function was collected.

Following four of the five lifestyle factors reduced Alzheimer’s risk by 60 percent, the study found.

Dr Dallas Anderson, who also works at the NIA, said:

“This population-based study helps paint the picture of how multiple factors are likely playing parts in Alzheimer’s disease risk.

It’s not a clear cause and effect result, but a strong finding because of the dual data sets and combination of modifiable lifestyle factors that appear to lead to risk reduction.”

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Dhana et al., 2020).

Canola oil, known as rapeseed oil in the UK, was linked to poor learning, weight gain and possibly Alzheimer’s.

Canola oil — a widely used vegetable oil — has been linked to memory problems and possibly Alzheimer’s disease by research.

One of the most widely consumed oils in the world, relatively little is known about canola oil’s effect on health.

The study, though, from Temple University in the US, showed canola oil was linked to poor learning and weight gain in a mouse model.

The findings are in contrast to extra virgin olive oil which studies find is beneficial for brain health.

Professor Domenico Praticò, Director of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, said:

“Canola oil is appealing because it is less expensive than other vegetable oils, and it is advertised as being healthy.

Very few studies, however, have examined that claim, especially in terms of the brain.”

Canola oil and Alzheimer’s

The study compared mice on a normal diet with those given a human-equivalent dose of two teaspoons a day.

After 12 months the mice fed canola oil weighed more and had memory problems.

Their brain tissue also revealed lower levels of amyloid beta 1-40.

Dr. Praticò explained that low levels of this protein are bad for the brain:

“Amyloid beta 1-40 neutralizes the actions of amyloid 1-42, which means that a decrease in 1-40, like the one observed in our study, leaves 1-42 unchecked.

In our model, this change in ratio resulted in considerable neuronal damage, decreased neural contacts, and memory impairment.”

Dr. Praticò continued:

“Even though canola oil is a vegetable oil, we need to be careful before we say that it is healthy.

Based on the evidence from this study, canola oil should not be thought of as being equivalent to oils with proven health benefits.”

Previous similar studies have shown that olive oil is beneficial for brain health.

Dr. Praticò is hoping to test the effects of canola oil on other neurodegenerative diseases:

“We also want to know whether the negative effects of canola oil are specific for Alzheimer’s disease.

There is a chance that the consumption of canola oil could also affect the onset and course of other neurodegenerative diseases or other forms of dementia.”

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Lauretti et al., 2017).

Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5% every decade after the age of 40 but this could be prevented.

Exercise increases brain size and so may help stop brain shrinkage with age, a study finds.

In some of the best evidence to date, exercise was shown to increase the size of the hippocampus, a brain structure critical for memory and other functions.

So far, studies have mostly shown the connection between exercise and brain size in rodents.

Shrinking brain size

Researchers followed people aged 24 to 76 for up to two years in a range of separate studies.

They looked at the effects of walking, cycling, treadmill running and general aerobic exercise.

Most people did around 2-5 sessions per week.

The results showed that left hippocampul volume was increased in people who exercised.

Dr Joseph Firth, the study’s first author, said:

“When you exercise you produce a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which may help to prevent age-related decline by reducing the deterioration of the brain.

Our data showed that, rather than actually increasing the size of the hippocampus per se, the main ‘brain benefits’ are due to aerobic exercise slowing down the deterioration in brain size.

In other words, exercise can be seen as a maintenance program for the brain.”

Preventing brain shrinking with age is possible

The study reviewed 14 separate clinical trials, including brain scans from 737 people.

This is some of the most definitive evidence yet published of the beneficial effects of exercise on brain health.

Normally people’s brains shrink by about 5% every decade after the age of 40.

Exercise is one of the few interventions proven to slow this process down.

The study was published in the journal NeuroImage (Firth et al., 2018).