The link between being overweight and severe brain degeneration

(obesity is bad for your brain)

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Elderly people who are overweight or obese tend to have less tissue in certain areas of the brain, suggesting they might be at greater risk for dementia, Alzheimer's disease and other cognition-impairing conditions, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California Los Angeles. Based on data gathered from brain scans conducted for the Pittsburgh-based Cardiovascular Health Study, the researchers found that people age 70 or older and overweight, meaning with a body mass index from 25 to 30, had 4 percent less tissue in the frontal lobes of the brain than their normal-weight peers. Those who were obese, meaning a body mass index greater than 30, had 8 percent less tissue in the same regions, which are crucial for cognitive tasks such as memory and planning, said lead investigator Cyrus A. Raji, Ph.D., who is in the combined M.D./Ph.D. program at Pitt's School of Medicine.

"It seems that along with increased risk for health problems, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, obesity is bad for your brain. We have linked it to shrinkage of brain areas that also are targeted by Alzheimer's," Raji said. "But that could mean exercising, eating right and keeping weight under control can maintain brain health with aging and potentially lower the risk for Alzheimer's and other dementias."

The 94 participants in the study, which was published this month in the online version of Human Brain Mapping, were all cognitively normal at the time their brain imaging was done and five years later. New, sophisticated methods of computer analysis were applied to the high-resolution scans, allowing 3-dimensional mapping of brain structures to reveal patterns in volume differences that were not apparent in previous research.

The team found that the people defined as obese had lost brain tissue in the frontal and temporal lobes, areas of the brain critical for planning and memory, and in the anterior cingulate gyrus (attention and executive functions), hippocampus (long term memory) and basal ganglia (movement). Overweight people showed brain loss in the basal ganglia, the corona radiata, white matter comprised of axons, and the parietal lobe (sensory lobe). "This is the first time anyone has created brain maps proving the link between being overweight and severe brain degeneration," said senior investigator Paul M. Thompson, Ph.D., professor, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine. "The brains of obese people looked 16 years older than the brains of those who were lean, and the brains of overweight people looked eight years older." ...http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Antioxidant content of fruit more than previously thought?

We may be underestimating the antioxidant content of fruit and vegetables, according to an international team of scientists from Spain and the UK. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

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Fish may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's

(the neuroprotective actions of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids)

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Data from 14,960 people in seven countries indicated that the more fish consumed, the more beneficial the effects, researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “We showed for the first time that a statistically significant trend toward a lower prevalence of dementia among those with higher dietary fish intake in large population-based samples of older people living in 5 countries in Latin America, China, and India,” wrote the researchers led by Emiliano Albanese from King’s College London. “Our results extend findings on the associations of fish and meat consumption with dementia risk to populations in low- and middle-income countries and are consistent with mechanistic data on the neuroprotective actions of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids commonly found in fish,” they added.

Two earlier studies published in April 2007 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that regular consumption of omega-3-rich food could prevent age-related cognitive decline. The studies, from the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, and the University of North Carolina, stated that only a limited number of studies have looked at the decline in cognitive function that precedes these diseases.The majority of science for the health benefits of fish and omega-3 consumption has focused on cardiovascular health, but the science for cognitive benefits is growing and almost as compelling as the heart health data.

Albanese and his co-workers examined the links between dementia and fish and meat intake in low- and middle-income countries, including China, India, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, and Peru. “To our knowledge, this is the largest population-based study on this topic to date from either developing or developed country samples,” they said.

Almost 15,000 people aged 65 or over were surveyed. After adjusting for various confounders and pooling the data from all the sites, the researchers report that they observed a dose-dependent inverse association between dementia and fish consumption.

On the other hand, meat consumption was found to increase dementia risk. “More substantive evidence will come from the incidence phase of our project, in which we will be able to compare the incidence of dementia according to dietary exposure at baseline, and from randomized controlled trials of the effectiveness of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation for the prevention of cognitive decline,” said the researchers. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

Soluble fibre may benefit IBS sufferers

Adding soluble fibre to the diet may improve symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome, but insoluble fibre may worsen the effects, says a new study. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

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Benefits for memory and preventing Alzheimer's

(dementia is not a natural part of ageing)

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Sydney, Aug 29 (IANS) Physical activity, non-smoking, social engagements and mental stimulation cut down the risk of dementia, a new study says. "What's interesting is that these lifestyle changes ... don't just have benefits for memory and preventing Alzheimer's disease, they can also ward off heart disease and assist in overall well being," said Leon Flicker, who conducted the study. Flicker is the director of the Western Australian Centre for Health and Ageing and professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Western Australia (UWA). "This is big news for people who have memory concerns. These lifestyle changes are not expensive and do not involve pharmaceutical treatment. "I would encourage everyone who has memory concerns to incorporate these lifestyle changes into their lives - today!" Dementia has often been thought to be unavoidable and incurable. While the risk of dementia increases with age, dementia is not a natural part of ageing, says an UWA release. These results have been outlined in the August edition of medical journal Maturitas. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

Rye for breakfast may boost feelings of fullness

Eating a high-fibre breakfast from rye may increase feelings of satiety and lead to reduced food intake later in the day, says a new study from Sweden. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

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Alcohol's "protective effect"

(28 drinks a week stand a better chance of warding off dementia)

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Older Australians who indulge in up to 28 drinks a week stand a better chance of warding off dementia than those who abstain, according to a new study.

Data compiled from 15 international studies, including responses from more than 10,000 people, found that drinkers, not teetotallers, are better off when it comes to developing diseases affecting cognitive function. Those aged 60 and older who consumed between one and 28 alcoholic drinks each week, were almost 30 per cent less likely to have Alzheimer's later on in life, the data found. Light and moderate drinkers were also 25 per cent less likely to contract vascular dementia, and 26 per cent less likely to suffer from any form of dementia. The odds improved even more when comparing just drinkers with non-drinkers and ignoring exactly how much people consumed.

The report, Alcohol Consumption as a Risk Factor for Dementia and Cognitive Decline, was published in the July edition of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. But Professor Kaarin Anstey, from Canberra's Australian National University, warned this was not encouragement for people to start swilling 28 glasses of alcohol a week.

Even though the study found imbibers, in general, had a 47 per cent reduced risk of contracting dementia compared with teetotallers, down to 44 per cent for Alzheimer's. "This article used all published studies to include one to 28 drinks per week, but in some countries (the range) differed, they were higher in some and lighter in others," she told AAP. "Australian guidelines, for instance, don't say 28 drinks is moderate." But apart from that point of difference, there was a clear link between drinking and a reduced risk of dementia. There also appeared to be no difference between the sexes, Prof Anstey said.

Although it was unclear exactly why light drinking provoked such a benefit, she suggested it might have something to do with alcohol's "protective effect" on reducing inflammation and heart disease. More work needs to be done examining drinking in early life and exactly what kinds of alcohol help, Prof Anstey said. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

US leads in healthy food product launches

The United States is far ahead of all other markets in the launch of new food and beverage products that claim to deliver health benefits, according to new market statistics. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

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High blood pressure actually causes cognitive impairment

( 7 per cent higher for every 10 points of increase in diastolic pressure)

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US researchers examining nearly 20,000 people aged 45 and over found that those with high diastolic blood pressure were more likely to have cognitive impairment, where thinking and memory ability is reduced, than people with normal diastolic pressure.

Diastolic pressure is measured when the heart is relaxed, it is usually the second and lower reading of two measures taken for blood pressure, the other being systolic, taken when the heart is contracting. For the study, Tsivgoulis and colleagues examined records from nearly 20,000 participants aged 45 and over who were taking part in the Reasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study. None of the participants had had a stroke or mini-stroke. 1,505 (7.6 per cent) of the participants were found to have cognitive impairment, and 9,844 (49.6 per cent) were taking medication for high blood pressure.

The researchers found that the odds of having cognitive impairment was 7 per cent higher for every 10 points of increase in diastolic pressure. The link was still there after taking into account possible influencers like age, smoking, physical activity, education, diabetes and cholesterol.

The researchers concluded that:

"Higher diastolic blood pressure was cross-sectionally and independently associated with impaired cognitive status in this large, geographically dispersed, race- and sex-balanced sample of stroke-free individuals." Tsivgoulis told the press that while more research was needed to confirm the link between high blood pressure and cognitive impairment: "It's possible that by preventing or treating high blood pressure, we could potentially prevent cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to dementia."

While this study has not proved high blood pressure actually causes cognitive impairment, it seems plausible that it does because other studies have found that high diastolic blood pressure weakens the small arteries in the brain, which can lead to small areas of the brain being damaged by loss of blood. ...http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

Low carb diet may increase heart risk

A new study has concluded that low carb-high protein diet leads to more atherosclerosis in mice, findings that could have implications for diet strategies if they also hold true for humans....http://www.nutraingredients.com

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The Omega-3 fatty acid supplements and Alzheimer’s

(improves memory function and decreases heart rate)

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The results, specific to people with a decline in cognitive function that occurs naturally with age, were presented at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.

Almost 500 people took part in the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, six month study, which also recorded improvements in the heart rate of people receiving the DHA supplement. The study was funded by Martek Biosciences. “In our study, healthy people with memory complaints who took algal DHA capsules for six months had almost double the reduction in errors on a test that measures learning and memory performance versus those who took a placebo,” said Yurko-Mauro, PhD, associate director of clinical research at Martek and lead researcher of the study. “The benefit is roughly equivalent to having the learning and memory skills of someone three years younger.”

Cognitive decline occurs naturally as we age, and precedes diseases such as Alzheimer's. However, according to other findings also presented at ICAD 2009 in Vienna, the omega-3 fatty acid supplements did not benefit people already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists from Oregon Health and Science University, the University of California, San Diego, Boston University, and Martek report that DHA had no general impact on the cognitive health of people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's.

Implications

“These two studies raise the possibility that [interventions] for Alzheimer's must be given very early in the disease for them to be truly effective,” said William Thies, PhD, chief medical and scientific officer at the Alzheimer's Association. “For that to happen, we need to get much better at early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's, in order to test therapies at earlier stages of the disease and enable earlier intervention,” he added.

Alzheimer’s data

The Alzheimer’s study involved 402 people with an average age of 76, ‘probable’ Alzheimer’s, dietary DHA intakes of no greater than 200 mg per day, and a Mini-mental state exam score (MMSE) between 14 and 26. The participants were randomly assigned to receive a daily DHA dose of 2 grams per day, or placebo, for 18 months.

Results of the double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, showed no evidence for benefit in the studied population. Blood levels of DHA did increase, however. "These trial results do not support the routine use of DHA for patients with Alzheimer's," said lead researcher Joseph Quinn, MD.

In a subset of people who carried the "e4" version of the "ApoE" gene, however, the researchers noted a slower rate of decline on the primary test of mental function (the ADAS-cog). ApoE-e4 is known to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's but does not appear to modify the rate of disease progression."This is an intriguing exploratory result," said Quinn. "However it must be treated with appropriate caution. The finding requires further study for confirmation."

The golden touch on age-related cognitive decline

The Memory Improvement with DHA Study (MIDAS) involved 485 healthy older people with an average age of 70 and a mild memory complaint. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either 900 mg per day of algal DHA or placebo for 6 months. Results of the randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre study showed that participants taking DHA supplements made significantly fewer errors on the Paired Associate Learning (PAL) test compared to when they started the study. Furthermore, plasma DHA levels doubled during the study in the DHA group, and correlated with the PAL response.

The researchers also noted a significant decrease in heart rate in the DHA group, while blood pressure and weight did not change. “Six month supplementation with DHA (900mg/d) improves memory function and decreases heart rate in healthy older adults with ARCD. This improvement on the PAL is associated with a shift in the normative distribution to a younger age,” wrote the MIDAS investigators. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

Low carb diet may increase heart risk

A new study has concluded that low carb-high protein diet leads to more atherosclerosis in mice, findings that could have implications for diet strategies if they also hold true for humans. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

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Link between sunscreen and Alzheimer’s ?

(need to investigate many angles)

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Sun worshippers are constantly told of the importance of using sunscreen, but the University of Ulster said two of its experts have been given substantial funding by the European Union to explore the possible links between the sunscreen and brain disease. They are leading groundbreaking research into whether human-engineered nanoparticles, such as those found in sunscreen, can induce neurodegenerative disease.
Professor Vyvyan Howard, a pathologist and toxicologist, and Dr Christian Holster, an expert in Alzheimer’s, have been awarded £350,000 from the EU to carry out a three-year research project. Their research at the Biomedical Sciences Institute in Coleraine, Londonderry, is part of a worldwide project called NeuroNano. “The overall science and technology objective of this programme is to determine if engineered nanoparticles could constitute a significant neuro-toxicological risk to humans for two diseases – Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” said Professor Howard.
The University of Ulster experts will be specifically looking at nanoparticles present in chemicals found in sunscreens and an additive in some diesel fuels – titanium dioxide and cerium oxide – and their connection to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
The tiny metals – about the size of an atom – are added to sunscreen to reflect sunlight without being too greasy on the skin. Professor Howard said: “There is now firm evidence that some engineered nanoparticles entering intravenously or via lungs can reach the brains of small animals. “Indeed they lodge in almost all parts of the brain and there are no efficient clearance mechanisms to remove them once there.”
The Alzheimer’s Research Trust cautioned people about suddenly stopping using sunscreen.
Dr Simon Ridley, research manger at the trust, said: “The exact causes of Alzheimer’s disease are unknown. It’s likely that both genetic and environmental factors are involved. People should not worry about using sunscreen, which protects our skin from sun damage.” He added: “Because we know so little about the causes of Alzheimer’s, we need to investigate many angles. Through understanding the disease, researchers will be able to develop new and effective ways to treat it. ...http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science

Meat in moderation is good nutrient source

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said the potential link between red meat and bowel cancer should not discourage consumption, highlighting that meat “in moderation” can also be a good source of vitamins and minerals. ...http://www.nutraingredients.com

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