How to beat Alzheimer's: Experts reveal seven golden rules to fight the disease

from: http://www.express.co.uk/news/health/478412/How-to-beat-Alzheimer-s

SEVEN golden rules can help people protect themselves against deadly dementia, leading experts claim.

By: Jo Willey

Published: Tue, May 27, 2014

THE SEVEN STEPS TO HEALTH

1 Slash intake of saturated fats and the trans fats found in pastries and fried foods

2 Main diet staples should be vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains

3 Eat lots of nuts or seeds per day as a health-boosting source of vitamin E

4 Get a daily dose of vitamin B12 from meat, salmon, cod, milk cheese or eggs

5 When selecting multi-vitamins, choose those without iron or copper

6 Avoid using cookware, antacids, baking powder or other products that contribute to dietary aluminium

7 Include aerobic exercise in your routine, equivalent to 40 minutes of brisk walking three times a week

  

 Eating healthy foods and exercising are part of the seven tips[ GETTY: PIC POSED BY MODELS]

Following the simple guidelines – from cutting out fats, eating more fruit and vegetables to exercising regularly – can be crucial in preventing the brain disease.

Specialists believe the impact of a strong diet and exercise on dementia is so vastly underestimated that money would be better spent encouraging healthy lifestyles instead of researching costly drug treatments.

Dr Neal Barnard, a leading researcher on nutrition and its impact on human health, claimed last night the seven-step plan could stave off the condition on a genetic level.

He said: “Alzheimer’s disease isn’t a natural part of ageing.

"By staying active and moving plant-based foods to the centre of our plates, we have a fair shot at rewriting our genetic code for this heart-wrenching disease.”

People need to minimise their intake of “bad” saturated and trans fats found in cakes and biscuits, pack their meals with vegetables and fruits and switch meat and dairy products for whole grains.

They also need to get plenty of vitamin E from foods such as fish, spinach and nuts each day as well as take a vitamin B12 supplement.

The guidelines also advise people to cut out heavy metals such as iron and copper from the diet as well as cook with aluminium-free products.

It is thought that you should get a daily dose of vitamin B12 [GETTY]

By staying active and moving plant-based foods to the centre of our plates, we have a fair shot at rewriting our genetic code for this heart-wrenching disease

Dr Neal Barnard, a leading researcher

You also need to take a brisk walk for 40 minutes three times a week.

This latest advice comes amid stark warnings that rates of the incurable brain disease will triple in the next 40 years if more is not done to prevent it from striking in the first place.

Dr Barnard, an adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in the US, said brain health can be boosted by other measures, for example getting seven hours sleep each night and doing 30 to 40 minutes of mental activity most days, such as crosswords and reading newspapers.

Susan Levin, director of nutrition education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC, whose research into the findings is being published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, said: “We spend trillions of dollars each year on failed drug trials.

“Let’s take a portion of these funds and invest in educational programmes to help people learn about foods that are now clinically proven to be more effective in fighting this epidemic.”

The research states: “Substantial evidence suggests that a combination of healthful diet steps and regular physical exercise may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

 

Pharmacology update: 2014 drug trends

NASHVILLE -- More orphan drugs approved in recent years are filling the need for treating rare disease and medical conditions, according to a presenter at the the American Association of Nurse Practitioners 2014 meeting.

Alan Agins, PhD, who gave a pharmacologic overview of drug approvals since 2012, noted a growing trend among pharmaceutical companies.

“I think what we're going to see for the next [two decades] is more specialty drugs,” Agins told Clinical Advisor. “Overall for the last 15 years, the number of drugs approved has gone down, partly because we've pretty much filled out our dance cards on chronic diseases.”
There were 27 first-of-a-kind drugs approved by the FDA in 2013 compared to 39 approvals just the year before. About a third of those approvals were indicated for the treatment of rare conditions and diseases.
Of note, afflicted patients with several conditions would benefit the most from recent approvals, Agins said.
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can now benefit from once-daily inhalers such as fluticasone and vilanterol (Breo Ellipta). Ease of use and convenience allow for better adherence in the patient population.
Patients with type 2 diabetes can take once-weekly GLP-1 agonists, enabling patients to avoid the hassle of maintaining the pharmacokinetics of the drug with once- or twice-daily dosing. Drugs such as exenatide, although expensive, have better efficacy and fewer side effects.
Newer oral anticoagulants such as dabigitran give patients more flexibility when it comes to diet and lifestyle modifications compared to warfarin. In studies, these medications were associated with lower rates of hemorrhage compared to warfarin, showed no interactions with diet/lifestyle, and did not need to be monitored.
Agins also warned about several unmet needs in drug development, most damagingly from growing drug resistance in antibiotics and the lack of new antibiotic classes.
“The newest class of antibiotics for primary care providers is now 32 years old,” he said about fluoroquinolones. “It's so much so [a problem] that the government actually spent about $200 million last year to hire one of the pharmaceutical companies to develop new antibiotics.”
Alzheimer disease is another condition with an increasing lack of drug treatment options. “Since 1998, over 104 drugs have entered clinical trials and have all failed in terms of AD,” Agins said. “We have an idea of what causes the disease but we're still not definitive, and we certainly don't have any drugs out there on the near horizon.”
Agins is hopeful that in the next 20 years, we will be making the switch from simply managing diseases with drugs to curing them outright.
“But it's going to take some biotechnology and microbiology,” he said. “We're treating symptoms of hypertension and cholesterol and all those other things now, eventually we're going to cure those diseases or prevent them totally.”

Reference

1. Agins AP. #14.3.039. “New Drugs in the Arsenal in Primary Care.” Presented at: AANP 2014. June 17-22; Nashville, Tenn.

Old Man In Nursing Home Reacts To Hearing Music From His Era

Aging and the Digestive Tract

Indigestion and constipation are just two conditions that can become more problematic as you age.

By Diana Rodriguez

Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH

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Aging puts the body at higher risk for an assortment of health ailments and conditions, sparking a need for different medications. But the mix of pills, along with changes in your habits and lifestyle, and simply getting older, can affect your digestive tract, causing discomforts such as constipation and indigestion.

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Aging and Digestion: Common Problems

With age, many bodily functions slow down, including your digestive tract — it just might not work as efficiently or as quickly as it used to. The muscles in the digestive tract become stiffer, weaker, and less efficient. Your tissues are also more likely to become damaged because new cells aren't forming as quickly as they once did.
As a result, here are some of the digestive tract problems that can occur as we get older:

• Heartburn
• Peptic ulcers
• Diarrhea
• Constipation and hemorrhoids
• Gas
• Stomach pain
• Irritable bowel syndrome or diverticulitis, an inflammation in the colon

Aging and Digestion: Medical Conditions

The main reason that aging affects the digestive tract is because aging usually brings on other health conditions — and medication to deal with those conditions.

• Diabetes and gastroparesis. "As people age, they get diabetes, and that can cause a lot of [movement] problems in the bowel," says Francisco J. Marrero, MD, a gastroenterologist with the Digestive Disease Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. "They also get gastroparesis — that's probably the most significant effect of aging on the bowels." Gastroparesis is a disorder in which food takes a long time to clear the stomach, resulting in many unpleasant symptoms.
• Artery blockages. Dr. Marrero says that blockages in older people are also very common. Blockages in arteries can affect blood flow to the bowels, a condition called intestinal ischemia during which blood flow to the intestines decreases in a similar fashion to what happens with a heart attack. "More systemic problems that are more common with age are really the reason for digestive tract issues,” he explains.
• Arthritis and hypertension. Many older people also take a variety of medications to manage chronic conditions like arthritis and high blood pressure, and the drugs used to treat both of those conditions can have digestive-tract side effects.

"Older people tend to have more joint problems with arthritis, and therefore may need medication to treat that," says Marrero. "They are at increased risk of peptic ulcer disease when they take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], a fact often overlooked in people that are prescribed those medications."
People taking over-the-counter NSAIDs for everyday aches and pains are also at risk of developing ulcers and other digestive tract problems. "They should always be on something to protect their stomachs," Marrero recommends.

Aging and Digestion: Think Protection

Fortunately, your digestive tract doesn't have to become a victim of age. Like the rest of your body, it can often be protected with a healthy lifestyle. If you want to keep your digestive tract in good shape and keep uncomfortable symptoms at bay, try these tips that can make digestion a little easier:

• Stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water.
• Limit fats in your diet, and maintain a healthy body weight.
• Load your diet with fiber.
• Stick to healthy portion sizes and avoid overeating.
• Get regular exercise.

Now more than ever, maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a diet chock-full of fruits and vegetables and with regular exercise is key. Healthy living will not only keep your digestive tract healthy, but also reduce your need for some of those side-effect-causing medications. You'll feel young, happy, and healthy — both inside and out.


from: http://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health/dealing-with-a-sensitive-gut.aspx