Archive for the ‘research’ Category

Gingko biloba and Alzheimers

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments








A study just released by the Virginia School of Medicine suggests that the herbal supplement Gingko biloba may not have any influence on the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

One of the main uses of the leaves of this plant has been as a general tonic, a memory booster and preventative of brain degeneration but in the clinical trials of just over 3000 people, the claims for prevention of Alzheimer’s did not show any justification.

Patients were 75 or older, were from 6 locations across the US to remove any geographic bias and the study lasted 6 years. Each person took two doses every day of a 120 milligram extract (half took the Gingko – half took the placebo)

Patients entering the study had either no symptoms or very mild symptoms of Alzheimers but during the study, 18% of Gingko patients and 16% of placebo group were diagnosed with Alzheimers. This essentially means that the placebo and Gingko were equal in effectiveness.

In the article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers wrote that they hadn’t seen any positive difference using the herb. Dr. Steven DeKosky was quoted as saying that he was disappointed in the results because it would seem that Gingko has good antioxidant properties that might have an impact.

You can expect that the herbal supplement people were upset with this finding suggesting that the results would be different if the study were to go on longer than 6 years. Also that the study would be different if the patients had started taking the herbal supplement earlier in their lives.

So bottom line… the biggest medical research trial to date in the U.S. has not found any use for associating Gingko biloba and Alzheimers. But the herbal industry isn’t buying it.
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herbal, nutrition, research

Wine and Alzheimers

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments








Can life get any better? It turns out that all those Europeans who drink wine with every meal may have found a better way to prevent Alzheimers.

Dr David Teplow, a UCLA professor of neurology have shown that one of the chemically active ingredients in red wine called polyphenols block the formation of brain proteins that build up plaque and destroy brain cells.Not only does red wine and associated polyphenols help block the formation, they might actually reduce the toxicity of existing plaque – further reducing brain deterioration.

In More Detail

Polyphenols (about 8000 of them are known) are also found in tea, some nuts, berries, and a wide range of plants. But wine appears to be the delivery method of choice. While scientists have know that polyphenols had a wide range of influences on the human body (fighting cholestrol etec) they didn’t know how they work and this is the reason for this research.This research focussed on polyphenols found in grape seed extract and not only did they block the formation of the negative proteins, they also decreased the toxicity of existing proteins.

It appears that grape seed extract stops the formation of the protein before it even gets going.The next step in this for the researchers are human trials to see if they can prevent Alzheimer’s , slow it down or repair existing damage.

The next step for this writer is to make sure there’s a good supply of red wine in the cellar.







nutrition, research, treatment

Alzheimers and Marijuana

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments







It turns out that marijuana and Alzheimers may be a potent allies in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. A report in the Oct 2 issue of the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals
suggests that THC (the active ingredient in marijuana) might inhibit the production of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase (AChE) – an enzyme that appears to be related to increased Alzheimer’s symptoms.

Details

First of all the “research” is a computer modelling rather than actual human testing. It “should” have an impact kind of thing. Actual lab testing of these models found that THC disrupted the chemical process associated with Alzheimers. The short version of this is that the AChE enzyme increases the formation of a protein plaque in the brain called amyloid plaques. AChE also breaks down the neural transmitter acetycholine. Note that low levels of acetycholine are associated with Alzheimers.

So stopping the production of the enzyme (AChE) that attacks and breaks down the acetycholine is a good thing and this is apparently what THC does.

These lab tests showed that THC completely blocked the AChE from doing it’s job while currently available drugs Donepezil succeeded in 22% of the time and Tacrine worked at 7%.

The next step in this process is animal testing.

Previous research has apparently shown that THC prevents rats from getting Alzheimers.

On the Other Hand

It depends on what you think about the effect of THC or marijuana and Alzheimers, e.g. (politically correct view versus science) There’s some evidence that heavy marijuana use itself can impair memory, your ability to make good decisions and pay attention.

You wouldn’t have to inhale. You wouldn’t likely care either. :-)

What were we talking about? Oh yeah, the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.

Next up – we’ll be studying the effect of THC related to excessive munchies on seniors and weight gain.







research, treatment

Soybeans and Alzheimers

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments







Just when you thought things would settle down on the nutrition and Alzheimers front comes news that a Taiwanese report demonstrates a fermented food made from soybeans (called Natto) contains the enzyme (what else) Nattokinase.

Turns out that its a clot-buster of an enzyme and is sold as a supplement to improve circulatory systems.

Asians have been eating this stuff for a thousand years or more and the researchers have shown it attacks amyloid fibrils (the stuff that makes up the plaque largely responsible for Alzheimer ‘s.

So, we have another preventative “possibility” but nothing definite.

Having said that, people have been eating this stuff for so long (made from boiling soy beans) that we know it isn ‘t going to hurt us.

And it might help.







nutrition, research, treatment

Antipsychotic Drugs can kill Alzheimers Patients

May 6th, 10 / 0 Comments







Here’s a troubling bit of new research. Researchers at Kings College in London UK, have shown that Alzheimer’s patients treated with anti-psychotic medications were 10% more likely to die than those untreated or treated with placebos – after one year of the test. After 3 years, the anti-psychotic drug patients were twice as likely to die than untreated patients.

So the practice of treating with anti-psychotics in a bid to more effectively manage behavior problems in some Alzheimer’s patients is effectively killing them faster.

The problem is that some Alzheimer’s patients tend to hallucinate or become aggressive as the disease progresses and this leads to management issues from the caregiver point of view.

It’s a tough call for sure and the answer to this depends on which side of the issue you find yourself. Saying glibly that it has to be done on a patient by patient basis is obvious but doesn’t deal with the realities of overstrained facilities and the fact that health care providers are human beings with all the stress and strain as the rest of us. So it’s a problem – no question about it. And there’s no easy answer here.

To illustrate, in a hospital I used to work, an 80-year old man (a former middle-weight boxer) cold-cocked an unsuspecting staff member. It came out of nowhere and the staff member never saw it coming – went straight to the floor out cold. It was one formidable right hook to the jaw. The patient wandered away afterward – blithely unaware of what he had done. Luckily, the staff member recovered fully except for the ongoing jibes at coffee break.

Bottom Line

So if you have a family member is this situation, you have to understand both sides of the issue and you have to make an informed decision with the medical people. Simply understand there may be a price to pay for both you, the staff and the patient.







medications, research