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- Giving Up the Guns When a Family Member Has Alzheimer’s
- Care Management Program Is Reducing Need for Anti-anxiety Medication and Visits to the Hospital/Emergency Room
- Talking to a Loved One With Alzheimer’s
- 10 Powerful Ways to Commemorate Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
- Making the Most of Mealtimes for People With Alzheimer’s
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- Anemia Tied to Alzheimer’s Risk
- ‘Squeezed’ Blood Vessels in the Brain May Contribute to Alzheimer’s Onset
- Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer Tied to Alzheimer’s Disease Risk
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- Inflammation in Middle Age Tied to Thinking and Memory Problems Later
- Frailty May Increase Susceptibility to Alzheimer’s Disease
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- Inflammation May Spur the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- High Blood Pressure of Pregnancy Tied to Late-Life Dementia
- Heart Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease Share Genetic Links
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- Drugs May Not Be the Best Choice for Easing the Agitation of Alzheimer’s
- Alzheimer’s Drug May Lead to Life-Threatening Muscle Disease
- Opioid Painkillers Increase Pneumonia Risk in People With Alzheimer’s Disease
- Drug Companies Halt Trials of Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s Disease
- Diabetes Treatments May Help Ward Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- Can Mushrooms Help Your Memory?
- Buyer Beware: Dietary Supplement’s Won’t Cure Alzheimer’s Disease
- Experimental Drug, Fails to Benefit Alzheimer’s Patients
- New Drug Shows Promise for Alzheimer’s
- Pain Relievers Present Special Hazards in People With Alzheimer’s Disease
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- Trans Fats Tied to Increased Alzheimer’s Risk
- New Guidelines Urge a Healthy Lifestyle to Prevent Dementia
- At Genetic Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease? A Healthy Lifestyle May Help
- Exercise Can Help Keep the Brain ‘Young’
- Fighting Gum Disease May Aid in Fight Against Alzheimer’s Disease
- Brain Scans Aid in Management of Alzheimer’s Disease
- For Brain Health, Choose Heart-Healthy Foods
- Keeping Physically and Mentally Active at Midlife May Cut Dementia Risk
- How Exercise May Help Fend Off Alzheimer’s Disease
- 6 Months of Moderate Exercise Can Sharpen the Mind
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- A Rare Genetic Mutation May Protect Against Alzheimer’s
- Income Drops in Young Adulthood May Impair Brain Health
- Blood Test for Alzheimer’s Grows Closer
- Are We Getting Closer to an Alzheimer’s Vaccine?
- Why More Women Than Men Have Alzheimer’s Disease
- Scientists get a ‘total surprise’ and a promising new clue for how to cure Alzheimer’s
- Some 44 Million People Have Alzheimer’s Worldwide
- Nearly 14 Million Americans Will Have Alzheimer’s Disease by 2060
- Alzheimer’s Rates Could Double in Coming Decades
- Combining Care Program With Medication Reduces Alzheimer’s Symptoms By 750%
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- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 8th Consecutive Year
- Fisher Center For Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Wins Fall 2018 Digital Health Awards®
- Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar
- The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation Earns Coveted 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the 7th Consecutive Year
- Hear Kent Karosen, President and CEO of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, describe his new book and the power of art therapy
- Fisher Center Scientists link a Mutation That Protects Against the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Newly Inducted Into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Shaquille O’Neal, Joins the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation to Raise Funds for Groundbreaking Research in the Quest for a Cure
- Pat Summitt, legendary women’s basketball coach, dies at 64
- Celebrating the life of Nancy Reagan for her Impact on the Fight to end Alzheimer’s
- WRNN Interview
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Heavy Drinking, Smoking May Spur Onset of Alzheimer’s
June 3, 2008
June 3, 2008
Heavy drinkers and heavy smokers develop Alzheimer’s disease years earlier than people with Alzheimer’s who do not drink or smoke heavily, according to new research.
“These results are significant because it’s possible that if we can reduce or eliminate heavy smoking and drinking, we could substantially delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease for people and reduce the number of people who have Alzheimer’s at any point in time,” said study author Ranjan Duara, M.D., of the Wien Center for Alzheimer’s Disease at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Fla. The findings were presented April 16 at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago.
In the study, researchers found that the combination of heavy drinking and heavy smoking sped up the age of onset of Alzheimer’s by six to seven years. That is a considerable number, making them among the most important preventable risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.
The number of cases of Alzheimer’s is expected to balloon in coming years, as the aging baby boomers reach their 70s and 80s, when Alzheimer’s is most likely to strike. Delaying its onset by six to seven years through a healthy, smoke-free lifestyle could cut considerably the number of expected cases of the disease.
The study looked at 938 people age 60 and older who were diagnosed with possible or probable Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers gathered information from family members on drinking and smoking history and determined whether the participants had the APO-E4 gene, which increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. People who carry this gene variant also tend to develop Alzheimer’s at an earlier age than those who do not have it, though it is by no means a guarantee that someone will develop Alzheimer’s.
About 7 percent of the study participants had a history of heavy drinking, which was defined as more than two drinks per day. One in five, or 20 percent, had a history of heavy smoking, which was defined as smoking one pack of cigarettes or more per day. And 27 percent had the APO-E4 gene variant.
Researchers found that people who were heavy drinkers developed Alzheimer’s 4.8 years earlier than those who were not heavy drinkers. Heavy smokers developed the disease 2.3 years sooner than people who were not heavy smokers. People with APO-E4 developed the disease three years sooner than those without the gene variant.
Adding the risk factors together led to earlier onset of the disease. People who had all three risk factors developed the disease 8.5 years earlier than those with none of the risk factors. The 17 people in the study with all three risk factors developed Alzheimer’s at an average age of 68.5 years; the 374 people with none of the three risk factors developed the disease at an average age of 77 years.
Earlier studies have shown that smoking and heavy drinking may be bad for the brain. In 2004, researchers in Europe reported that a cigarette habit appears to speed up mental decline as you age. Older men and women who smoked showed greater decline in memory than those who had never smoked. [See the article, “Smoking Is Bad for Your Brain, Too“]
Some earlier scientific reports suggested that nicotine and other substances in cigarette smoke may actually help protect against the mind-robbing ravages of Alzheimer’s disease. However, other studies have linked smoking to an increased risk of dementia.
Heavy drinking, like cigarettes, may be bad for the entire body, including the brain. Excess alcohol is known to damage the liver and other organs, including the brain. In some cases, heavy drinking can lead to permanent memory problems that resemble those of Alzheimer’s.
Any damage to the brain — whether it’s due to alcohol, poor blood flow, a stroke, or other reasons — is not a good thing. Alcohol damage may be particularly important for those concerned about ailments like Alzheimer’s, since a diminished brain capacity may contribute to memory problems and speed the onset of mental decline, research suggests.
A drink or two a day, on the other hand, is recognized by many as an effective way to ease stress and may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Some studies suggest that antioxidants and other substances in wine and other beverages may boost longevity and heart health and possibly even help to ward off serious ailments like Alzheimer’s disease. A glass of red wine with dinner is part of the traditional Mediterranean diet, which has also been shown to reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s.
The bottom line: If you drink, do so in moderation. That means two drinks a day tops for younger men, and just a drink a day for women and older people. And if you smoke, quit.
For more about the causes and risk factors for Alzheimer’s, visit www.ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site.
By www.ALZinfo.org, The Alzheimer’s Information Site. Reviewed by William J. Netzer, Ph.D., Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at The Rockefeller University.
Source:
Presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 12 to 19, 2008.