My doctor told me when I was a child that drinking soda would make me grow up to be a shaky old lady, so I cut back to one can a week. Now, I’m glad I did. A new study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows a link between drinking sugary things and Alzheimer’s.
In addition, the sugar-fed mice also had worse learning ability and memory retention and their brains gained more than twice as much of amyloid plague deposits, which are believed to cause Alzheimer’s in humans.
The amount of sugar the mice used is equivalent to about 5 cans of soda per day for humans.
If you enjoy mixed media art and would like to support Alzheimer’s research, please bid on the lovely Cherished Memories Fat Book created by artists who were touched in some way by Alzheimer’s disease. It is up on eBay right now. 100% of the proceeds go directly to Alzheimer’s research.
The Alzheimer’s Association sent me a notice about a new Hallmark movie that will be airing Sunday. Sounds like something anyone who deals with Alzheimer’s would like to watch:
On Sunday, Dec. 2, Hallmark Hall of Fame’s “Pictures of Hollis Woods,” featuring an Alzheimer storyline and starring Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek, airs on CBS. The Alzheimer’s Association worked closely with Hallmark to ensure Spacek’s depiction of someone living with Alzheimer’s was portrayed in an accurate manner. Hallmark will include a brief announcement at the end of the movie directing people to the Association for more information about the disease. Check your local listings for air times and tune in.
The Guardian talks about a study that shows that eating omega-3 oils can reduce the chance of getting Alzheimer’s by 60%. I do believe I’m going to run out and plant a walnut tree! (We had one for 15 years at the house I grew up in and those black walnuts are tough to crack without a hideous mess, but they are good to eat and the shells make a great black dye.)
Eating a diet rich in omega-3 oils such as rapeseed, flaxseed and walnut oil could reduce the risk of suffering Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia by 60%, according to a study of more than 8,000 people.
The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, also found that eating fruit and vegetables daily and fish at least once a week seems to protect against cognitive decline.
Fox reported that a vaccine has been developed that can slow or prevent Alzheimer’s disease. This is exciting news, especially since human testing of the vaccine may start in just a few years:
Scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City have developed a vaccine they hope can slow down or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Researcher Jordan Tang says the results so far are “extremely exciting” and show more testing is needed.
The experimental vaccine is designed to stimulate the body’s own immune system to help it fight dementia in the brain.
Researchers say human testing could begin in three to four years.
According to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a potentially pathbreaking blood test that, according to preliminary studies, is able to identify patients with Alzheimer’s disease…
It would be great to have some way to diagnose Alzheimer’s quickly and accurately. This would avoid having people with deficiencies mistakenly diagnosed as Alzheimer’s victims.
A promising scientific breakthrough for Alzheimer’s researchers - according to Science Daily:
A special protein can be injected into the body to reverse learning problems in mice that have an animal version of Alzheimer’s disease, Saint Louis University researchers have found.
This is really an important step, since it could actually help people who already have Alzheimer’s. Most of the research I’ve seen lately that seemed promising is geared toward preventing Alzheimer’s or blocking its progress, but this protein seems to be able to actually cause the mental deteriation to reverse.
According to ScienceDaily:
In a study published in the journal Neuron, the scientists report that when A-beta is made, a small bit of protein is also released that can regulate cholesterol levels in the brain. The discovery adds weight to the less prominent theory that abnormal brain cholesterol metabolism plays a role in the mental decline seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
I think I’ll go have a bowl of Cheerios with an oatmeal chaser. Hey, even if it turns out not to be true, low cholesterol won’t hurt us.
Confessions of a Jersey Girl has a post about an interesting Alzheimer’s research fundraiser. You register with the Alzheimer’s Association to throw a dinner party where the attendees donate at least $150 for research. Sounds like a great way to have an evening out, learn more about Alzheimer’s and help a worthy cause. I just may have to throw a dinner party myself.
In the meantime, though, I am hosting two crafty fundraisers. The first is a charm swap where everyone sends in 7 charms and gets 7 back. I am attaching my charms to a bracelet and auctioning them off on eBay. If you want to get in on the action, you have until October 5th to send me your 7 charms and postage to receive 7 charms back.
The other swap I am doing is a fat book of 16 pages for 15 pages. The extra page goes into a fat book that will be auctioned off on eBay. For details about signing up for this swap, which is due to me by November 15th, see my Stamping Mad blog.
You may remember me talking about microchipping for Alzheimer’s patients. Well, ABC News says:
For families of the nearly 5 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer’s disease, keeping their loved ones safe is a major concern.
In response to such concerns, a Florida-based company has developed an FDA-approved microchip that can be implanted in an Alzheimer’s patient’s arm, allowing critical medical details to be accessed instantly.
