It's been an amazing 10 months since I was first asked by the AAFP to develop a presentation on the latest research in Alzheimer's disease and then given the opportunity to present my findings at several state chapter meetings since then. One of the first things that was reinforced was the concept of a deadline, such that once that date came & went, I was not allowed to change or update my presentation. However, as you all know, a deadline doesn't stop the advancement of medicine, at least not if you review my posts regarding the latest research into dementia. So oftentimes, I have had to talk about the latest research just published w/o benefit of any reference material.
When it comes to publishing a study, that same deadline concept applies. So while it may have been disconcerting to recently hear on television and read in your newspaper that there's nothing that we can do to prevent Alzheimer's disease, please keep two points in mind. The review study published last week in Archives of Neurology was based upon data reviewed & discussed during that NIA conference last April 2010. Much has been uncovered since then.
More importantly, while the conclusion was "insufficient evidence exists to draw firm conclusions on the association of any modifiable factors with risk"", the data analysis was congruent with what we've known for quite some time: "Diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia in midlife, and current tobacco use were associated with increased risk of AD, and Mediterranean-type diet, folic acid intake, low or moderate alcohol intake, cognitive activities, and physical activity were associated with decreased risk."
Admittedly, the evidence may not reach the gold standard of randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trials, but I'll take what I can get for now. Besides, there's no downside to any of these lifestyle recommendations. At the very least, they'll minimize your risk for heart attack & stroke, which is always a good thing!
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