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World's largest global dementia prevention research project - Open for online enrolment
Every three seconds someone in the world develops dementia and the rate is increasing. Billions of dollars have been spent on the search for a drug that can block the damaging build-up of plaque in the brain that's thought to be central to the disease. But the results are not impressive, and the side effects include bleeding into the brain. Now that gloomy picture is being transformed in a remarkable and surprising way. Rather than pinning our hopes on another new, powerful and expensive drug, mounting evidence suggests that such seemingly old-fashioned approaches as diet, lifestyle and environmental changes, could dramatically reduce the number of Alzheimer's cases. An international Alzheimer's Prevention Expert Group has estimated that over 80 per cent of cases could be prevented in this way. A study in Holland last year found that just having good levels of vitamin D, omega-3, found in oily fish, and B vitamins cut dementia risk by 75%. [1] Other changes can also have a beneficial effect, such as regular exercise, keeping mentally active and cutting down on sugar. This last change is especially effective since diabetics have double the risk of cognitive decline. "Becoming an Alzheimer's patient is almost always a choice." says neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, a member of the expert group, who believes that diet and lifestyle, much more than genes, is driving the increase in Alzheimer's. Family physician Dr. Mark Hyman agrees. "The science is clear - food is the most powerful medicine we have to prevent, reverse, and even treat dementia." The next big challenge is to discover which combination of changes have the most impact. This is currently being investigated by the Alzheimer's prevention not-for-profit group foodforthebrain.org. Having tested over 200,000 individuals in the UK, today, it is launching a global research project to discover the hardest hitting combinations of prevention steps. They are now inviting people around the world to complete a free, online diet and lifestyle questionnaire and a cognitive function test. The project, headed by neuroscientist Dr. Tommy Wood, Associate Professor at the University of Washington, aims to test over 20 million people - a million each from the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Poland, Brazil, Japan, and 10 million in China, which has the world's highest prevalence of dementia. In China the project is supported by the China National Health Association and the former Minister of Health, Gao Qiang. "We must popularise prevention," he says. "With 300 million people over 60, this has to be our focus. This initiative is the way forward. It is something everyone can do, right now for themselves." President of the China National Health Association, Wu YingPing, believes it is the combination of both diet, nutritional supplementation and lifestyle that can impact dementia prevention. China's leading prevention expert Professor Jin-Tai Yu, from Fudan University in Shanghai adds: "It may be possible to prevent up to 80% of dementia cases if all known risk factors are targeted." The ones he considers especially effective are B vitamins, which reduce levels of a toxic amino acid found in the brain called homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine can damage both brain cells and blood vessels. His research, together with results from Oxford University's leading prevention expert Professor David Smith, who has been analysing data from the UK Bio Bank, has already shown that up to 73% of dementia cases can be prevented [2] even without factoring in the B vitamin and omega-3 benefits. "Our research at Oxford found almost nine times less shrinkage in the Alzheimer's associated areas of the brain in those taking B vitamin supplements who had raised homocysteine [3], which is common among over 60+ year olds, and in early signs of dementia." says Professor Smith. Professor Joshua Miller, Chair of the department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University agrees: "Elevated blood homocysteine is an established, early marker for increased risk of age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease. Importantly, elevated homocysteine in the blood is easily measured and can serve as a "canary in the coal mine" that can foretell what's coming well before overt impairment occurs. This allows time for preventative measures such as B vitamin supplements, which very effectively lower blood homocysteine, and omega-3 fatty acid supplements, which likely enhance the effects of homocysteine-lowering." Dr. Mark Hyman is supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the newly appointed Secretary of Health, in the campaign to 'Make America Healthy Again.' "Our healthcare system is failing because it treats symptoms rather than addressing the root causes of disease. I fully support Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s commitment to investigating the underlying drivers of chronic illness and ensuring that prevention. If we truly want to make America healthy again, we must shift our focus from managing disease to creating health." says Dr. Hyman. How do you target what's likely to be contributing to your risk? There's a 3 minute 'Alzheimer's Prevention Check' which works out your weakest links with lots of useful advice about how to reduce your risk. Participants are then invited to do a free, validated online Cognitive Function Test, and an option to submit a pinprick of blood via a home test kit, to measure vitamin D, omega-3, B vitamin and blood sugar status. All data collected is anonymized for research purposes. The data will then be available to prevention researchers around the world. Professor Peter Garrard, Director of the Dementia Research Group at St George's, University of London in the UK, says "It is vital that functional biomarkers such as homocysteine (for B vitamins) and omega-3 are measured in this research because these can be changed with nutritional interventions and are associated with reducing risk." "The purpose of this global campaign is to collect diet, lifestyle, blood biomarker, and cognitive function data on an unprecedented scale. With these data, we hope to discover which lifestyle changes have the maximum likelihood of preventing cognitive decline early enough to minimize an individual's dementia risk in the future," says Dr. Tommy Wood. "Our aim is to discover the simplest changes that have the most impact on cognitive function to prevent this devasting disease, then share that information with the public and public health experts advising governments around the world," says the charity's founder Patrick Holford, author of a new book Alzheimer's: Prevention is the Cure. "Less than one in a hundred cases of Alzheimer's is caused by genes. Drug treatments that have lowered amyloid have failed to produce a clinically significant effect. Prevention has to be the way forward." Visit alzheimersprevention.info to find out more and take the test. ABOUT THE ALZHEIMER'S PREVENTION EXPERT GROUPThe Alzheimer's Prevention Expert Group (APEG) is a voluntary group of scientists and professors, all experts in an aspect relating to the prevention of cognitive decline, from leading Universities in the US, Canada, the UK, EU and China. See foodforthebrain.org/apeg. ABOUT ALZHEIMER'S PREVENTION DAYAn initiative, within Alzheimer's Awareness Week, to give people the information and encouragement to take steps towards preventing Alzheimer's. The alzheimersprevention.info website includes a 3-minute Alzheimer's Prevention Check and a 30 second 'selfie' challenge to record and share something you do to help prevent Alzheimer's. The website alzheimersprevention.info also includes 3-minute videos from world-leading dementia prevention experts, regarding important prevention steps. ABOUT THE FOOD FOR THE BRAIN FOUNDATIONThe Food for the Brain Foundation (foodforthebrain.org) is an educational and research charity (no.1116438), focusing on dementia prevention. It's free online validated Cognitive Function Test, followed by the Dementia Risk Index questionnaire assessing eight drivers of dementia, then advising participants what to do. To take the test yourself visit foodforthebrain.org For media enquiries or to arrange interviews please contact Jen Alliano, Grassroots Health at apd@grassrootshealth.org. References1. van Soest APM, et al. (2024) Alzheimers Dement. 20:4594-4601 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38865433/ 2. Zhang Y, et al. (2023) Nature Human Behaviour, 7:1185-1195 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37024724 3. Oulhaj A., et al. (2016) J Alzheimers Dis. 50:547-557; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26757190 see also Jernerén F, et al. (2015) Am J Clin Nutr. 102:215-221 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25877495 Orthomolecular MedicineOrthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more information: http://www.orthomolecular.org Find a DoctorTo locate an orthomolecular physician near you: http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v06n09.shtml The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial informational resource. 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