Vitamin B may reduce risk of stroke

Posted by Neill Abayon

Researchers have uncovered evidence that suggests vitamin B supplements could help to reduce the risk of stroke, according to a study published in the journal Neurology.

 Vitamin B supplements are said to be beneficial for many health issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, dementia, Alzheimer's disease and heart disease.

However, according to Xu Yuming of Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China, previous studies have conflicting findings regarding the use of vitamin B supplements and stroke or heart attack.

"Some studies have even suggested that the supplements may increase the risk of these events," he adds.

In order to determine the role of vitamin B supplements in the risk of stroke, Prof. Yuming and colleagues analyzed 14 randomized clinical trials involving a total of 54,913 participants.

All studies compared use of vitamin B supplements with a placebo, or a very low dosage of the vitamin. All participants were then followed for a period of 6 months.

During this time, there were 2,471 reported strokes over all of the studies.

More here. 

Fish oil could prevent alcohol-related dementia

Posted by Neill Abayon

Omega-3 fish oil could help protect against alcohol-related dementia, according to a study presented at the 14th Congress of the European Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism in Warsaw, Poland.

 The study, conducted by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, analyzed the brain cells of rats who had been exposed to large quantities of alcohol.

In a previous study carried out by the same research team, it was discovered that moderate social drinking, defined as two alcoholic drinks a day for men and one for women, could reduce the risk of cognitive impairment and dementia.

The research showed that small amounts of alcohol could improve the fitness of brain cells, by "toughening them up" to cope with stress later in life that could lead to dementia. However, high amounts of alcohol were found to "overwhelm" the cells, leading to inflammation and cell death.

According to the Alzheimer's Society, alcohol-related dementia - often referred to as Wernicke-Korsakoff's syndrome, is diagnosed in about 1 in 8 people with alcoholism. Studies have shown that the condition is most common in men between the ages of 45 and 65 with a long history of alcohol misuse.

For this most recent study, the researchers assessed adult rat brain cells that had been exposed to large quantities of alcohol - the equivalent to a human being four times over the legal alcohol limit for driving. 

More here .


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High glucose levels linked to dementia

Posted by Neill Abayon

Researchers have discovered that those with a high blood sugar level, even if they do not have diabetes, may have an increased risk of developing dementia compared with those who have a normal blood sugar level.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, analyzed 2,067 participants without dementia aged 65 and over, from a study called Adult Changes in Thought (ACT).

In order to examine the relationship between glucose levels and the risk of dementia, researchers from the University of Washington involved in a Group Health study analyzed average measurements of glycated hemoglobin levels and glucose levels over a period of 6.8 years.

The team compiled specific data from the participants using a Cox regression model - a predictive model that uses time-dependent factors. These included:

Diabetes status

Age

Sex

Study cohort

Educational level

Level of exercise

Blood pressure

Status with respect to coronary/cerebrovascular diseases

Atrial fibrillation

Smoking

Treatment for hypertension.

More here.

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Customized Fat Loss
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Reverse Your Diabetes Today

Active brain 'keeps dementia at bay'

By Helen Briggs

Keeping mentally active by reading books or writing letters helps protect the brain in old age, a study suggests.


A lifetime of mental challenges leads to slower cognitive decline after factoring out dementia's impact on the brain, US researchers say.

The study, published in Neurology, adds weight to the idea that dementia onset can be delayed by lifestyle factors.

An Alzheimer's charity said the best way to lower dementia risk was to eat a balanced diet, exercise and stay slim.

In a US study, 294 people over the age of 55 were given tests that measured memory and thinking, every year for about six years until their deaths.

They also answered a questionnaire about whether they read books, wrote letters and took part in other activities linked to mental stimulation during childhood, adolescence, middle age, and in later life.

After death, their brains were examined for evidence of the physical signs of dementia, such as brain lesions and plaques.

The study found that after factoring out the impact of those signs, those who had a record of keeping the brain busy had a rate of cognitive decline estimated at 15% slower than those who did not.


Continue here.

Daily dose of beet juice promotes brain health in older adults

Posted by Neill Abayon

The memory and mind-destroying disease known as Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia are often seen as terrifying consequences of aging that strike out of the blue -- and supposedly little can be done to prevent or treat these horrible conditions. But while Big Pharma has consistently failed to come up with drugs that halt or reverse cognitive decline, at least for long, research into natural therapies continues to provide tangible evidence that much can be done to fight dementia using exercise, diet and supplements.

For example, vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to declining mental abilities (http://www.naturalnews.com/025807_V...) and researchers have also found that ancient meditation and exercise techniques, including qigong and Tai Chi, slow physical, mental and psychological decline in people with dementia (http://www.naturalnews.com/025040_A...). And now, for the first time, scientists have discovered that drinking beet juice can increase blood flow to the brain in older adults and may combat the progression of Alzheimer's and related conditions.

Read the full article here.

Protect yourself from Alzheimer's disease with cinnamon

Posted by Neill Abayon

Degenerative mental diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia continue to ravish the lives of millions around the world. And to make matters worse, the financial burden of caring for dementia patients now tops one percent of the entire world's gross domestic product (GDP). But there are ways to help prevent and treat serious mental decline, including simply eating lots of cinnamon.

Dr. Richard Anderson, a diabetes expert from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, discovered several years ago that cinnamon helps to stabilize blood sugar levels by improving the quality of insulin in the body. But more recently, he found that cinnamon also helps to stop the formation of Alzheimer's disease, the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S.

When eaten with food or taken in extract form, cinnamon helps block the formation of "tau filaments" that are associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease. In tests, cinnamon actually disassembled and eliminated these filaments from within cells, effectively reversing the effects of the disease.

Read the full article here.