A bit long, but not off topic - Alzheimer's prevention

I had to do a paper for my biology class on an article found in a recent news story, and one I related to was on Alzheimer's disease linked to saturated fats. If you have no interest, stop reading now. I'm actually proud of how it turned out and I hope I get a decent grade, but I also learned so much! I thought you might be interested.

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The article I chose is called Saturated fats linked to Alzheimer's disease published on the ABC Science web site on Tuesday, 8 September 2009 (Zukerman, 2009). I chose this article because I lost my grandfather to what could only be described as Alzheimer's. He was diagnosed with high cholesterol many years before becoming ill, but he didn't do anything to correct it. At the point that we started noticing his behavior had changed, it was too late. He was then diagnosed with a blockage of plaque in the artery leading to his brain, and suffered brain damage due to a lack of blood and oxygen. It resembled Alzheimer's in the way that his behavior changed, and his memory was completely destroyed, and it happened over a period of years as is often the case with Alzheimer's. It started with small things like forgetting how to do things he'd done all of his life. It progressed to the point that he would get lost if he tried to drive, and at that point his driving privileges were taken away, though he still tried to find the keys to go run errands when he felt like it. The last 7 years of his life were spent between hospitals and nursing homes with only supportive care. Those final years were very emotional for the whole family because we could tell there was life inside of him, but he was unable to talk, walk, feed himself, or do any of the daily activities he'd once enjoyed.

My grandfather wasn't officially diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and in fact, none of my other family members had ever been diagnosed with it as cause of death. The simple fact was that in the past, such diagnoses weren't often made. Symptoms of disease could often be referred to as dementia, so a family history of Alzheimer's can be hard to determine.

I believe this article is relevant to our Biology class because it demonstrates how nutrition can influence cell damage, and hopefully, how to prevent it by being more cognizant of our daily diet. We learned about cell damage and cell death in Chapter 8 during the mitosis and meiosis phases. Another way this article relates to our Biology class is in the study of genetics. I wanted to learn whether Alzheimer's could be caused by a genetic trait, because we've learned that some illnesses such as high cholesterol can be genetic. In Chapter 9, "Patterns of Genetics", Mendel's Laws describes the patterns of inheritance and the genes on chromosomes. The genetic information in our DNA is what gives instructions to produce certain proteins. Proteins are the catalyst of metabolic activities. I wanted to find out that if I'm predisposed to Alzheimer's due to an inherited mutation from either of my parents, that I can learn to be more careful with my diet to try to prevent it, or at least slow the onset. You will read later on that "autosomal dominant" inheritance could play a factor in inheriting one of the forms of Alzheimer's. "Autosomal dominant" inheritance means a gene carried on chromosome 1-22, and is not sex-linked. Chapter 10 discusses gene mutation, and the mutation of an autosomal dominant gene means that only one parent has to be a "carrier" of this mutation.

It's also possible that this disease can be a combination of both heredity and environment - for example, healthy food might not be as readily available, and cheaper, processed, high fat food is all that's available. If I'm already pre-disposed to Alzheimer's, I'm more likely to get it if my diet is poor. Without even a basic understanding of these terms learned in this biology class, I wouldn't be able to understand how I could possibly improve my chances of delaying onset, or even avoiding Alzheimer's disease.

Saturated fats linked to Alzheimer's disease (Zukerman, 2009)

The ABC Science article begins by describing Alzheimer's disease as debilitating and a hard disease for both the sufferer, and more so, the family of the sufferer. There have been many studies to determine the cause of it, and scientists have linked it to diet. Researches in Perth Australia studied the diet of mice to look for a correlation between diet and Alzheimer's, and in particular, a diet high in fat, because past studies had suggested this could lead to high risk of the disease, but it wasn't understood why that was.

The Perth researchers at the Curtin University of Technology found that a protein called amyloid was allowed to enter the brain by damaging the lining of blood vessels in the brain when the mice were subjected to a diet high in saturated fat. The study will be published in the British Journal of Nutrition. Researcher and co-author of the study Professor John Mamo suggests "The brain has millions of blood vessels. Each vessel has a lining that is very selective about what is allowed to go in and out, and this keeps the brain in good health." Mamo and his colleagues report that the lining of the blood vessels going to and from the brain becomes damaged by high saturated fat diets. And, he goes on to say "This allows things to be getting in there that shouldn't be." (Zukerman, 2009)

An article from Rachel's Democracy & Health News, 2/26/2009 (Montague, 2009), discusses a report that refers to several common age-related diseases that they call the "Western Disease Cluster," (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, lipid disorders (which used to be known as "cholesterol problems"), and obesity). Called "neurodegenerative diseases" (meaning they cause brain damage and grow worse as time passes), Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, could very well be prevented, or cause the onset to be later in life if they were to happen at all if this relationship is considered. This article looks at environmental factors as being key to understanding the conditions, such as "toxic chemicals, air pollution, food and agriculture, urban sprawl, transportation, green building, fossil fuels, alternative energy, neighborhood design, and gross disparities of income and wealth, among other things". Alzheimer's affected nearly 4.5 million people in the US and that number is expected to triple in the next couple of decades as more people age (Montague, 2009).

Science has been using the "reductive approach" for two centuries. The definition of the reductive approach in Science means breaking down and examining increasingly smaller units: the human, the organ, bacteria or virus, the cell and then the smallest, the gene. This method isn't effective in researching environmentally-caused conditions because the whole picture is needed rather than a sum of its parts (Montague, 2009).

The role of genetics

There are two types of Alzheimer's disease - early onset and late onset. Genetics could possibly play a role in both types.

Early onset AD is rare, and caused by mutations on several chromosomes - 21, 14, and 1. The mutations cause abnormal proteins to be formed (NIH, 2008). Mutations on chromosome 21 can result in abnormal amyloid precursor protein (APP) which causes an increased amount of beta-amyloid protein to be formed, and this is a major component of Alzheimer's plaque, discussed above. The mutations are considered "autosomal dominant" inheritance, and only one parent has to have it to pass it on to an offspring.

Late onset AD is the more common form, and studies have determined that the chromosome mutations in early onset AD are not present in the late onset form. There is one clue to predisposition to late onset AD, and that is the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene on chromosome 19. This gene contains an instruction for creating a protein responsible for carrying cholesterol in the bloodstream. 3 forms of this allele are the most common - APOE ?2, APOE ?3, and APOE ?4. APOE ?2 may provide some protection but is a rare form of the gene. Researches think APOE ?3 plays a neutral role in AD. People with AD are more likely to have the APOE ?4 allele than people who do not develop AD, but this doesn't mean that this allele is always present in those with late onset AD.

Another recent discovery (2007) is SORL1, a gene involved in transporting APP within cells, and its association with Alzheimer's has been confirmed in three separate studies.

Genetics research on Alzheimer's is increasing, and the National Institute on Aging has launched 2 new programs to make further progress. Alzheimer's disease Genetics Study and the Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium will be analyzing blood samples, and working on ways to develop new strategies and share results. (NIH, 2008)

Prevention

To help understand the way something as simple as diet can impact onset or prevention of Alzheimer's, it's important to understand that the brain is a fatty organ, and it works best with the addition of the correct kinds of fats in the diet (Tickell, 2007), and the opposite is true when it is exposed to the wrong kind of fats, such as trans fats which can be found in hydrogenated oil.

A 2003 study in the Archives of Neurology surveyed 815 people over the age of 65 and found that those with high intake of trans fats were 20% more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those who did not have a high intake of trans fats, and that those who consumed a low amount of polyunsaturated fats were also 20% more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those who consumed more. So, by combining a low polyunsaturated fat/high trans fat diet will make a person 9 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than one consuming a low trans fat/high polyunsaturated fat diet, according to the 2003 study.

Consuming monounsaturated fats such as that found in oleic acid in olive oil could benefit brain chemistry and reduce degeneration, according to a 1999 study published in Neurology magazine. "This effect could be related to the role of fatty acids in maintaining the structural integrity of neuronal membranes" (Tickell, 2007).

Omega-3 oils have successfully treated depression, ADHD and other mental disorders. A study published in the Archives of Neurology in 2006 suggest that the oils reduce build-up of the amyloid plaque linked with Alzheimer's in mice, and may also help humans. The study of early stage Alzheimer's patients given omega-3 supplements showed slowing of the symptoms including dementia.

Other dietary inclusions that can slow progression of dementia are B12, polyphenal antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, vitamin D, turmeric (rich in the oily chemical curcumin which triggers defense mechanisms against free radicals - the cause of cellular damage), to name just a few. Of course, keeping active as we age is a very good preventative strategy. (Natural Life, 2007)

Natural Life magazine reports that a good source of food rich in omega-3 DHA (docosahexaenioc acid) is fish. A study of 899 men and women determined that those with higher levels of DHA in their blood had a 47% reduced risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's. Cold water fish such as salmon and tuna are very good sources of DHA, however, the risk of consuming the toxins they may contain must be weighed against the potential benefit they can provide. Such fish often contain mercury, dioxins and PCBs that are present in the water they live in. Other sources of DHA are flax seed, pumpkin seeds, hemp oil, walnuts, soybeans, wheat germ and eggs.

In summary, there may be an inheritance factor that if discovered early enough through blood tests some day, people will be able to benefit from the research done with regard to diet and environment. One day it could be possible to either completely avoid Alzheimer's, or at least delay the onset until much later in life. I would like to one day see everyone screened for the chromosomes that could carry mutations because these articles show hope on avoiding the worst of the disease. I'd also like to see research in these areas continued, and the results shared with the public so that we may all stay informed of ways to help ourselves.

Sources:

Zukerman, Wendy; Saturated fats linked to Alzheimer's retrieved on October 28, 2009 from http://abc.gov.au/science/articles/2009/09/08/2679589.htm (8 September 2009)

Tickell, Oliver; Alzheimer's -- the case for prevention. Ecologist Sep2007, Vol. 37 Issue 7, p16-17 (2007) found in the UMUC library

Natural Life, Omega-3 Slashes Dementia Risk; Jan/Feb2007, Issue 113, p40-40

NIH Publication No. 08-6424 retrieved on November 20, 2009 from http://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publications/geneticsfs.htm (November 2008)

Montague, Peter; THE JIGSAW PUZZLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: A NEW PICTURE EMERGES published in Rachel's Democracy & Health News; 2/26/2009, Issue 1000, p3-3, 1p found in the UMUC library

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Atkins Research Results
    ... New Duke Findings Corroborate Earlier Studies Demonstrating Benefits of Low-Carb Diet ... The two-arm randomized, controlled study examined a group of overweight individuals with elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels who were put on either a low-fat, low-calorie, high-carbohydrate diet or a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet that was supplemented with a formula containing fish, borage and flaxseed oil. ... Both programs benefited cholesterol levels by lowering the LDL, but only the low-carbohydrate program showed a major decrease in the ratio of triglycerides to HDL, another documented risk factor for cardiovascular disease. ... Heart Disease Related to Glycemic Load ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: MEAT-EATING - HIGH BP - BRAIN AGING, SHRINKAGE
    ... >> of a disease prevention threshold. ... > 1 From the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Oxford, ... > followed their current diet for>5 y. ... protective effects were noted for dietary fiber, fish, or alcohol consumption. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Red Meat NO GOOD, Veggies no protection.... NOW WHAT?
    ... > effort to determine food consumption and disease patterns. ... > produces disease, and a diet high in grains, vegetables and other plant ... > matter produces health."12 But the Cornell survey data, ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Red Meat NO GOOD, Veggies no protection.... NOW WHAT?
    ... > effort to determine food consumption and disease patterns. ... > produces disease, and a diet high in grains, vegetables and other plant ... > matter produces health."12 But the Cornell survey data, ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • Will You Die Of Old Age?
    ... How to Live Longer by Protecting Your Health. ... heart disease or other organ failure. ... the Japanese diet, with plenty of oily fish (mackerel, herring, salmon, ... anti-oxidants and to some extent heart disease - still the leading ...
    (misc.health.alternative)