Memory Walk Supports Alzheimer's Research

The annual Alzheimer's Memory Walk is coming up September 6. I'm again raising money to help support research and help local families coping with Alzheimer's disease. I invite you to sponsor me in the Memory Walk by making a tax-deductible contribution to the Alzheimer's Association. You'll find complete sponsorship details in my August 4 post.

Alzheimer's disease strikes 500,000 Americans every year. Your contribution to the Alzheimer's Association will support critical research into the diagnosis, treatment and, someday, a cure for this disease. Scientists are working hard to find new ways to detect and treat Alzheimer's disease. Here are some of their latest findings:

• Seniors who exercise at least three days a week can reduce their risk of contracting Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia by 30% to 40%, researchers found. Only minimal exercise was required, and the results held true for people in all physical conditions. The study was conducted by the Group Health Cooperative Center for Health Studies in Seattle.
• The seeds of Alzheimer's and dementia are sown in middle age. Your risk of developing dementia increases significantly if you have high cholesterol (42%), high blood pressure (24%), diabetes (46%) or smoke (26%), according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. Having all four risk factors increases your risk by 237%. Controlling these risk factors obviously reduces your risk of dementia.
• Scientists have found that near-infrared light, undetectable by the human eye, can pass harmlessly through the skull and brain. They hope the process will allow them to pinpoint the plaques and tangles that signal Alzheimer's disease. Clinical trials are being conducted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs with Harvard Medical School and Boston University.
• A mild type of mental decline that often precedes Alzheimer's disease is more common than previously thought, new research indicates. Each year nearly 1 million older Americans slide from normal memory to mild impairment. Another half million develop full-blown Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Findings were presented at the recent international conference on Alzheimer's in Chicago.
• Early exposure to lead has led to the development of brain plaque in monkeys in a 23-year experiment at the University of Rhode Island. While monkeys do not contract Alzheimer's disease, brain plaque is a suspected cause. A spokesman for the Alzheimer's Association cautioned lead-poisoning victims not to panic. He categorized the findings as another potential risk factor.
• Stanford University scientists have developed a test that is 90% effective in distinguishing Alzheimer's disease sufferers from those without the disease. The test was 80% effective in determining which patients with mild memory loss would develop Alzheimer's disease within the next 2 to 6 years. While further study and scientific validation must be conducted, researchers hope their work will lead to a predictive blood test for Alzheimer's disease.