Category: Dementia

3 Antioxidants That Reduce Dementia Risk

People with a high risk of dementia might be able to lower the odds with these three antioxidants.

People with a high risk of dementia might be able to lower the odds with these three antioxidants.

Higher blood levels of specific antioxidants could reduce the chances of developing dementia.

According to research, individuals with the highest blood concentrations of beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin antioxidants are at lower risk of getting dementia in later life.

Pistachios, egg yolk, bell peppers, corn, kiwi fruit, grapes, courgette (zucchini), squash, and green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, peas, and kale contain high amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin (Sommerburg et al., 1998).

Beta-cryptoxanthin is the other natural carotenoid that can slow down dementia due to aging.

Persimmons, oranges, carrots, peaches, tangerines, papaya, and orange maize are good sources of beta-cryptoxanthin.

Dr May Beydoun, the study’s first author, said:

“Extending people’s cognitive functioning is an important public health challenge.

Antioxidants may help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can cause cell damage.

Further studies are needed to test whether adding these antioxidants can help protect the brain from dementia.”

For this study more than 7,000 participants age 45 or older were enrolled and followed for 16 years.

At the start they went through an interview, physical examination, and blood test to check their antioxidant levels.

The results showed that the risk of developing dementia was reduced for participants with the highest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin.

Increased amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin (15.4 μmol/l) resulted in a 7 percent lower risk of dementia.

Increased levels of beta-cryptoxanthin by 8.6 μmol/l led to a 14 percent reduced risk of dementia.

Dr Beydoun added:

“It’s important to note that the effect of these antioxidants on the risk of dementia was reduced somewhat when we took into account other factors such as education, income and physical activity, so it’s possible that those factors may help explain the relationship between antioxidant levels and dementia.”

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Beydoun et al., 2022).

A Common Early Sign Of Alzheimer’s Disease (M)

Alzheimer’s causes degeneration in part of the brain that controls this function first.

Alzheimer's causes degeneration in part of the brain that controls this function first.

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The Best Exercise To Improve Brain Function (M)

With age people’s memory and thinking naturally slows down — but this process can be held in check.

With age people's memory and thinking naturally slows down -- but this process can be held in check.

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Pets Slow Age-Related Cognitive Decline – May Reduce Dementia Risk (M)

Pet owners retain their cognitive abilities better with age than those without pets.

Pet owners retain their cognitive abilities better with age than those without pets.

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Alzheimer’s: The Early Warning Sign Everyone Should Know

This Alzheimer’s early warning sign could provide a way of warding off the neurodegenerative disease.

This Alzheimer’s early warning sign could provide a way of warding off the neurodegenerative disease.

Poor sleep could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s in people who are otherwise healthy, research finds.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia.

Scientists have found links between certain biological markers of Alzheimer’s and sleep disturbances.

Dr Barbara B. Bendlin, who led the study, said:

“Previous evidence has shown that sleep may influence the development or progression of Alzheimer’s disease in various ways.

For example, disrupted sleep or lack of sleep may lead to amyloid plaque build-up because the brain’s clearance system kicks into action during sleep.

Our study looked not only for amyloid but for other biological markers in the spinal fluid as well.”

The study was carried out on 101 people with an average age of 63.

All were at risk of Alzheimer’s, although none had any symptoms.

The results showed that those with the worst sleep quality also had biological markers of Alzheimer’s in their spinal fluid.

Dr Bendlin said:

“It’s important to identify modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer’s given that estimates suggest that delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in people by a mere five years could reduce the number of cases we see in the next 30 years by 5.7 million and save $367 billion in health care spending.”

Not everyone with sleep problems had the biological markers, though, said Dr Bendlin:

“It’s still unclear if sleep may affect the development of the disease or if the disease affects the quality of sleep.

More research is needed to further define the relationship between sleep and these biomarkers.

Improving sleep could be one way of helping to ward off Alzheimer’s, said Dr Bendlin:

“There are already many effective ways to improve sleep.

It may be possible that early intervention for people at risk of Alzheimer’s disease may prevent or delay the onset of the disease.”

The study was published in the journal Neurology (Sprecher et al., 2017).

Dementia: 9 Warning Signs Everyone Should Know

…and the type of memory problems that are nothing to worry about.

…and the type of memory problems that are nothing to worry about.

Almost everyone has memory glitches from time-to-time — they are usually not a sign of dementia.

Here are a few perfectly normal memory problems:

  • Being unable to remember the word for something.
  • After putting something down, being unable to remember where you left it.
  • Having to think for a few minutes to remember where you left the car.
  • Going upstairs, then forgetting why you are there.
  • Forgetting something relatively unimportant someone has told you.

These are nothing to worry about.

Memory is also affected by poor sleep, stress and depression.

Most people who think they have some memory problems, actually do not.

The reason is that people who are having more serious memory problems are usually not aware of them.

Often it is friends and relatives who suggest a person having memory problems should get checked out.

Somewhat worrying memory problems to watch out for include:

  1. Forgetting the name of a close friend or relative.
  2. Regularly putting objects back in the wrong places and not remembering having left them there.
  3. Asking someone the same question again 30 minutes later.
  4. Trouble recognising words, faces, shapes or colours.
  5. Finding it difficult to get around very familiar places, like the local area.
  6. Difficulty doing multiple automated tasks. For example, a good cook who starts finding it hard to manage a very familiar recipe.
  7. A large change in personality, such as becoming very introverted after being an outgoing, social person.

The signs above are slightly more worrying but could still be the result of stress, poor sleep or grief.

The warning signs

The following signs, though, are more serious and would probably warrant being checked out by a physician:

  1. Not recognising close friends and relatives.
  2. Getting disorientated about time and space.
  3. Inability to tell the function of an everyday object — like a teapot.
  4. Poor everyday judgement: like wearing summer clothes in winter.
  5. Totally forgetting how to perform everyday tasks like using the washing machine.
  6. Leaving things in strange places, like putting a handbag in the freezer.
  7. Getting confused about the family structure. For example, being unable to match the grandchild to the right family.
  8. Asking for something that has just been had, like a cup of coffee.
  9. Having vivid memories from childhood, but faltering memories for very familiar recent memories.

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How Exercise Alters Brain Chemistry To Help Fight Dementia (M)

Exercise is now considered one of the main protective factors against dementia.

Exercise is now considered one of the main protective factors against dementia.

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