Category Archives: Prevention

Reading and writing can lower dementia risk by almost 40%, study suggests

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Reading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition.

Dementia is one of the world’s biggest health threats. The number of people living with the condition is forecast to triple to more than 150 million globally by 2050, and experts say it presents a big and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems in every community, country and continent.

US researchers found that engaging in intellectually stimulating activities throughout life, such as reading, writing or learning a new language, was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, and slower cognitive decline.

Read the article HERE

Specific cognitive training has ‘astonishing’ effect on dementia risk

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Cognitive “speed training” can reduce the risk of a dementia diagnosis by 25 per cent – that’s according to results from the world’s first randomised controlled trial of any intervention against the condition.

“There was a lot of scepticism about whether or not brain training interventions were beneficial, and to me, [our study] answers the question that they are,” says Marilyn Albert at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Read more HERE

Cancer May Emit Signals That Protect The Brain Against Alzheimer’s

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Cancer and Alzheimer’s disease are two of the most feared diagnoses in medicine, but they rarely strike the same person.

For years, epidemiologists have noticed that people with cancer seem less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, and those with Alzheimer’s are less likely to get cancer, but nobody could explain why.

A new study in mice suggests a surprising possibility: certain cancers may actually send a protective signal to the brain that helps clear away the toxic protein clumps linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Read all about it HERE

‘Potentially Scary’ Link Between Alzheimer’s, Nose Picking Revealed

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Researchers are investigating a “potentially scary” link between nose picking and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dirty fingers introduce bacteria into the nose, resulting in infections that could lead to crusting, tissue damage and nosebleeds and now scientists are testing the theory that trauma to the nasal lining may transmit germs to the brain, possibly resulting in inflammation and amyloid plaques being formed, in line with the progressive neurodegenerative condition. Researchers have never been able to pinpoint the exact cause of Alezheimer’s which gradually impairs various brain function such as memory, thinking, reasoning and judgment, and some have shifted their focus to the crucial nose-brain axis, the pathway between the nasal cavity and central nervous system.

Read the full story HERE

new study is first step in reversing Alzheimer’s

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A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s changes everything.

The brain function begins to decline until it just doesn’t work anymore.

It’s a slow decline that takes a toll not only on the patient but the people who love them.

A new study from a team at University Hospitals hopes to be a first step in reversing the disease. It all started with research in one one of the leading risk factors for Alzheimer’s: traumatic brain injury.

Read all about it HERE