Review - HBO’s The Alzheimer’s Project - Momentum in Science

May 19, 2:09 PMPittsburgh Elder Care ExaminerDavid Lindberg

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Pittsburgh Elder Care Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

                               Photo from HBO

This part of the series, Momentum in Science, goes into the study of the disease. Alzheimer's disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor, who discovered and published his discoveries in 1906.

Photo of Dr. Alois Alzheimer from NIH

Since that time scientists have known about the plaques that develop in the brain and that they damage the synapses that transmit information but not until recent years have they discovered much more detail about the protein called amyloid beta protein buildup that causes this damage. There is a natural immune system in the brain that regulates this protein and in AD victims, this system begins to not work as efficiently, so the protein builds up and starts the damage. Researchers feel that they are within only a few years from developing new drugs that will help control or prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.

For more detailed information on the science, go to Hope in Science pages on HBO.com.

Until then, science currently knows that in general, the same things that cause health issues such as hypertension, (high blood pressure), heart disease and strokes and all vascular disease also affect the same issues in the brain. The absolute best preventative measures for all these vascular issues, including AD, are proper diet and exercise. As these affect how the blood flows they will help prevent Alzheimer’s as well. Insulin levels in the body are directly regulated by exercise and diet and proper insulin levels are preventative to vascular disease. Other factors such as monitoring cholesterol levels are additional preventative AD measures. If you keep the natural body systems such as insulin production and cholesterol levels healthy, you will prevent vascular and AD issues.

It looks like all of us, especially the nearly 80 million Baby Boomers have another good reason why we need to come to grasps with controlling our diet and exercise. There are more of us approaching the age when physical activity and the body naturaly slows down, which in turn will increase these health risks. Controlling what and how we eat and increasing our activity, along with working with our doctors to monitor what is going on inside our bodies are our BEST measures to remain healthy well into our senior years.