Summary
Alzheimer's can be delayed or reduced in people if they lead healthy lives and keep their brain cells working, according to a new study.
Original source:
http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/2005-07-19-voa3.cfm
Details
I'm Shep O'Neal with the VOA Special English Health Report.
Alzheimer's disease slowly destroys memory, thinking and reasoning skills.
The risk of developing this brain-wasting condition increases with age.
It is usually found in older people, but those with a family history may develop it earlier.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, a progressive loss of brain cells and mental abilities.
The Alzheimer's Association says the disease can last from three to twenty years, but the average person dies after eight years.
A new Swedish study estimated the direct costs of Alzheimer's disease and dementia care worldwide in two thousand three.
The estimate is one hundred fifty-six thousand million dollars.
That was based on an estimate that almost twenty-eight million people have dementia.
An estimated four and one-half million people have Alzheimer's disease in the United States.
As the population ages, the Alzheimer's Association says there may be as many as sixteen million cases by two thousand fifty.
Researchers suggest that healthy ways of living, started early, could reduce the risk of Alzheimer's or delay it.
Even good care of the teeth and gums could have an effect, because of a possible link between gum disease and higher risk of Alzheimer's.
Researchers say technologies such as PET scans and magnetic resonance imaging may be useful in discovering Alzheimer's early.
There are several drug treatments being developed.
A study reported last week involved some mice genetically engineered to develop dementia.
Researchers then shut off the genes that caused it.
The mice regained memory, as shown in their ability to guide their way around.
University of Minnesota researcher Karen Ashe says the results came as a surprise.
This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known on the 'net as 'the Health Ranger,' Adams shares his ethics, mission statements and personal health statistics at www.HealthRanger.org
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Saturday, July 30, 2005
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