Some blood pressure medications may reduce Alzheimer's risk

Certain blood pressure medications may reduce the risk of dementia due to Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers say. Dr. Sevil Yasar, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, found about 3,000 people age 75 and older with normal cognition who used diuretics, angiotensin-1 receptor blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors showed a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease dementia by at least 50 percent. "Our study was able to replicate previous findings, however, we were also able to show that the beneficial effect of these blood pressure medications are maybe in addition to blood pressure control, and could help clinicians in selecting an anti-hypertensive medication based not only on blood pressure control, but also on additional benefits." In addition, diuretics were associated with 50 percent reduced risk in those in the group with mild cognitive impairment. Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers did not show a link to reduced risk, the scientists said. "Identifying new pharmacological treatments to prevent or delay the onset of AD dementia is critical given the dearth of effective interventions to date," Yasar said

High cholesterol might be linked to Alzheimer's Disease

New research suggests that high cholesterol levels could boost the risk of Alzheimer's disease by creating more brain-clogging bits known as plaque. The finding doesn't directly prove that high cholesterol causes Alzheimer's disease or that lowering it would reduce the risk. Also, researchers didn't find any link between high cholesterol and tangles, which also clog the brain in those with Alzheimer's. Still, the findings add to previous research that has linked insulin resistance to Alzheimer's disease, said study author Dr. Kensuke Sasaki. Better control of both cholesterol levels and insulin resistance, both risk factors for heart disease, "might contribute to a strategy for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease," said Sasaki, an assistant professor of neuropathology at Kyushu University in Japan

Walking may keep brain from shrinking in old age

"Walking at least six miles (10 km) a week may be one thing people can do to keep their brains from shrinking and fight off dementia, U.S. researchers said. A study of nearly 300 people in Pittsburgh who kept track of how much they walked each week showed that those who walked at least six miles (10 km) had less age-related brain shrinkage than people who walked less. "Brain size shrinks in late adulthood, which can cause memory problems. Our results should encourage well-designed trials of physical exercise in older adults as a promising approach for preventing dementia and Alzheimer's disease," said Kirk Erickson of the University of Pittsburgh, whose study appears in the journal Neurology. Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, slowly kills off brain cells, and activities like walking have been shown to build brain volume. Erickson and colleagues tested to see if people who walk a lot might be better positioned to fight off the disease. They studied 299 volunteers who were free of dementia and who kept track of how much they walked"

Blood pressure drug offers fresh hope for dementia (UK)

"Researchers believe a drug used to lower blood pressure could be even more effective against Alzheimer's disease than they previously thought. People taking angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were up to 50% less likely to develop dementia than those taking other blood pressure drugs. Combined with another drug, ARBs also protected against further deterioration among those already with the disease. The study of more than 800,000 men appears in the British Medical Journal. The team from the Boston University School of Medicine presented initial results from the study two years ago, but further work suggests that ARBs - normally prescribed only to patients who cannot tolerate the more standard ACE inhibitors - confer greater protection than had been thought" - BBC

Midlife heart risk factors linked to later dementia

"The things that are bad for your heart in the middle years of life - high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes - are bad for your brain in later years, new research indicates. High cholesterol levels in midlife were associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia many years later, according to scientists in California and Finland, who tracked almost 10,000 men and women for four decades" - HealthDay News

Researchers link Alzheimer's to heart disorder

U.S. researchers have released a study linking a common heart disorder with an elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease. The study, based on clinical data from more than 37,000 patients, revealed that patients under the age of 70 were at 130 percent greater risk of developing Alzheimer's if they also suffered from the heart dysfunction known as atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of cardiac arrhythmia and occurs when the heart's natural pace-making node is overrun by dozens of other electrical impulses, causing the heart to beat erratically. In the past, several research projects had connected the heart disorder to a 187 percent increase in all types of dementia, but never directly with Alzheimer's. The results of the study were presented in full to the Heart Rhythm Society in Boston last week - redOrbit

Alzheimer's boom expected in 2010

"A new study of baby boomers shows that by 2010 there could be 500,000 new cases of Alzheimer's in the United States"