Alzheimer's: new test is 'major step forward'

"US researchers say tests on markers in blood allowed them to forecast with 90pc accuracy whether a person would develop Alzheimer's within three years"

"A blood test for Alzheimer’s capable of predicting whether a person will develop dementia has been developed in a breakthrough hailed by campaigners.

The test could ultimately lead to successful treatment that would halt or even prevent the disease, scientists said.

The research found that biomarkers in the blood could be used to forecast whether a person would develop Alzheimer’s disease within three years with a 90 per cent level of accuracy.

Charities on Sunday said the findings from the American trial were encouraging and could signify an important advance in dementia treatment.

However, they also warned of ethical dilemmas ahead and said patients must be given a choice about whether they wanted to receive potentially devastating news about their future."

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The $64,000 questions, would you take the test ? would you want to know ? Can you do anything to ward off Alzheimer’s ? Maybe you can !

"Alzheimer's disease is a devastating disease whose recent increase in incidence rates has broad implications for rising health care costs. Huge amounts of research money are currently being invested in seeking the underlying cause, with corresponding progress in understanding the disease progression. In this paper, we highlight how an excess of dietary carbohydrates, particularly fructose, alongside a relative deficiency in dietary fats and cholesterol, may lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

A first step in the pathophysiology of the disease is represented by advanced glycation end-products in crucial plasma proteins concerned with fat, cholesterol, and oxygen transport. This leads to cholesterol deficiency in neurons, which significantly impairs their ability to function. Over time, a cascade response leads to impaired glutamate signaling, increased oxidative damage, mitochondrial and lysosomal dysfunction, increased risk to microbial infection, and, ultimately, apoptosis. Other neurodegenerative diseases share many properties with alzheimer's disease, and may also be due in large part to this same underlying cause.

 　

Recent population studies have confirmed a correlation between low blood serum cholesterol and both dementia and Parkinson's disease. A study published in 2007 compared three elderly population groups: subjects with dementia, subjects with depression, and controls. They found that those with dementia and depression had significantly lower serum cholesterol levels than the controls. Another study looking at Parkinson's disease among the elderly showed that those with the lowest LDL had 3.5 times the risk of Parkinson's disease compared to those with the highest serum LDL levels.

"Simple dietary modification, towards fewer highly-processed carbohydrates and relatively more fats and cholesterol, is likely a protective measure against Alzheimer's disease."

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Eddie