Blot Clots In Relation to Alzheimer's Disease

Signs that a stroke has occurred are often found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. And there is new evidence that these blood clots such as these may play a significant role in Alzheimer's Disease--causing poor blood flow to the brain.

The protein fragment that plays a defining role in Alzheimer's, beta-amyloid, can stimulate the formation of resilient blood clots. Using mice, researchers found that anti-clotting drugs improved memory. The downside is that anticoagulants carry a risk of hemorrhage.

Beta-amyloid accumulates in the blood vessels that feed the brain, cutting off the brain's blood supply.

It is hoped that researchers will be able "to develop drugs that are capable of safely improving cerebrall blood flow and staving off dementia in Alzheimer's disease."

Neuron, June 10, 2010

Kidney Stones And Estrogen Therapy

A clinical study conducted for 5-7 years and included thousands of postmenopausal women indicated that "estrogen therapy increases the risk of kidney stones in healthy postmenopausal women."

Want To Keep The Common Cold At Bay? Try Aerobic Exercise

People who exercise regularly seem to contract fewer and milder colds.

According to a new study, it was reported that people who exercised at least five days a week had 41% fewer and milder cold symptoms than sedentary folks.

It could be, according to lead researcher David C. Nieman, that "exercise activates the immune system at a higher rate than normal and causes immune cells to attack viruses."

Excess Weight Can Help: Glaucoma

When was the last time you ever heard that excess weight can help you?

Harvard researchers say that being overweight can help women actually resist a form a glaucoma called primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), one of the most common age-related eye diseases.

With each unit increase in body mass index (BMI) the risk for normal-tension glaucoma decreased in women of white European descent.

"Glaucoma is a potentially blinding illness that damages the optic nerve. Increased pressure in the eye is linked to optic nerve damage. Effective treatments to control eye pressure are available. But in people with normal-tension glaucoma, optic nerve damage happens even though eye pressure is not high," according to researchers.

They speculate that fatty tissue in the body "may release hormonally related signals that help prevent optic nerve deterioration."

However, researchers warn against gaining weight in hopes of preventing glaucoma since we know about the relationship of overweight and obesity with numerous other ailments including heart disease and diabetes.

What You Can Do To Decrease Your Risk For Dementia

In an article by Robert Preidt for MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, a new study has shown that "it may be possible to lower the incidence of dementia by reducing rates of diabetes and depression, boosting education, and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption."

The exact cause of dementia is still unknown but scientists in the study believe that their are greater risks when you have a history of depression, a diet rich in sugar, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, less of an education and vascular problems. The study of 1,433 healthy people over 65 living in the south of France showed that reducing or eliminating any of the above significantly reduced their chances of contracting dementia.

Eliminating depression decreased your risk by 10%. Increasing education improved your odds of having dementia by 18%.