|
Alzheimer's Enzyme? Japanese scientist Takaomi Saido and his colleagues reported in Science on May 24, 2001, that an enzyme called neprilysin is critical in breaking down the amyloid plaques that are associated with Alzheimer's disease. The theory is that the level of neprilysin decreases with age, allowing the buildup of the plaques in the brains of Alzheimer's victims. In mice there was a close relationship between neprilysin levels and the breakdown of amyloid protein. This finding suggests the possibility that the buildup of "brain garbage" can be slowed or prevented if dietary or other measures can maintain the level of neprilysin in people otherwise prone to suffer from Alzheimer's. ------------------- In
May 2000, researcher Dr. Gary Small at UCLA reported that people at risk
for Alzheimer's underwent brain changes 10's of years before the symptoms
were detectable. An October, 2000, report of research performed by Duke
University and the National Institute on aging indicated that veterans who
suffered head injuries many years ago have a greater chance of suffering
from Alzheimer's Disease than veterans who did not suffer head injuries.
That may suggest steps that might be taken to prevent
injuries from progressing to Alzheimer's. The November-December issue of Modern Maturity, the magazine for the American Association of Retired Persons, contains a clue about the connection between head injuries and Alzheimer's. The brain may suffer inflammation from injuries, and inflammation increases the production of chemicals that lead to the plaques that are present in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. In turn, people who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are less likely to get Alzheimer's--for example, people with arthritis, who are likely to take ibuprofen for pain, are less likely to get Alzheimer's.
The Modern Maturity article also notes that the drug Exelon (rivastigmine)
was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April, 2000, and the drug
may postpone the onset of Alzheimer's. If Alzheimer's can be postponed for
2 years, its numbers would be cut in half because it usually strikes
near the end of life. However, that statistic may be deceptive; the
postponement of Alzheimer's might also prolong life. The risk of another
dementia, vascular dementia, can be reduced if blood pressure is kept
under control. Exercise Lowers Risk of Dementia A Dutch study of 347 men showed that 75-year-old men who exercised at least 1 hour per day had half the risk of mental decline as men who exercised less than 1 hour per day, and only 1/4 the risk of non-exercisers carrying the ApoE gene that is associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. The study is correlational rather than experimental; that is, reduced mental function may incline men to exercise less, as well as the reverse--or both lack of exercise and mental decline could be related to poor health. Nevertheless, exercise has been shown to be beneficial in many settings, so this study supports the belief that an hour of exercise a day is an extremely good idea.
Last updated 12/19/03 |
||
