An espresso martini might save your life someday. A new study finds that compounds in espresso — including caffeine — could help to prevent the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Espresso, made from finely ground coffee beans brewed under pressure with hot water, is the basis for lattes, Americanos and other drinks, including the trendy espresso … Read more
Opioid use could put dementia patients at a higher risk of death, particularly in the first two weeks after starting a medication, according to new research revealed on Tuesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) in Amsterdam. Among all patients age 65 and older who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in Denmark and who took an … Read more
An Ohio grandmother taking the first drug proven to slow Alzheimer’s disease said, “I’m totally functional and my memory is much better than it was.” “I’m very active, I drive regularly, I garden and cook, I read a number of books and I have my life back,” Joan Murtaugh, 77, told the Sun. “This drug … Read more
In the battle against Alzheimer’s disease, experts are excited about a new weapon. A drug called donanemab, developed by Eli Lilly, had a successful clinical trial and is expected to receive FDA approval in the fall. People who took donanemab had a 40% lower risk of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to mild dementia, or … Read more
DEAR ABBY: Is it normal for people to ignore relatives who have Alzheimer’s? My father spent more than two years in a veteran’s hospital before his death. During that time, he was visited regularly by his children (including me) and my aunt (his sister). His grandchildren and another aunt visited a few times. Two of … Read more
Failing eyesight could be an indicator of dementia, a study has found. Research published on Thursday in JAMA Ophthalmology found a link between untreated visual impairments and the likelihood of developing dementia. The study, led by clinician Dr. Joshua Ehrlich, analyzed data from nearly 3,000 participants, all over 71 years old and all of whom … Read more
After months of anticipation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally granted traditional approval to lecemab, a drug that’s been shown to significantly slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Sold under the the brand name Leqembi, the medicine received an accelerated approval in January but the designation was made official on Thursday, per an … Read more
Across the Canadian province of New Brunswick, the number of people afflicted by a mysterious, potentially deadly brain ailment keeps growing. Neurological symptoms like hallucinations, muscle wasting, vision problems, memory loss and abnormal movements were first seen in 2015 in a small cluster of patients, eventually growing to 48 cases. But some health experts and local … Read more
The family of “Jungle Jack” Hanna has revealed that the beloved former zookeeper is enduring an “advanced” stage of Alzheimer’s disease, where he doesn’t remember most of his own family. “The Jack people knew isn’t here anymore, but pieces of my husband are,” his wife Suzi Hanna told The Columbus Dispatch. “And I’m going to … Read more
Smells can evoke strong memories — but a certain smell may even help hold onto them and ease the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Inhaling menthol could stave off the devastating memory loss and mental decline associated with the most common form of dementia, Spanish researchers have reported. In initial animal trials, scientists from Cima Universidad … Read more
More than six million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease — and one in three seniors dies with the disease, according to statistics from the Alzheimer’s Association. With so many different factors — genetics, lifestyle and environment — influencing a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s, many doctors are moving away from one-size-fits-all approaches and calling … Read more
The internet, consumed in moderation, may contribute to better overall brain health for older Americans. People who regularly engage with the internet were less likely to develop dementia, a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found. Researchers observed 18,154 adults aged 50 through 65 over an eight-year period. The participants … Read more
Eli Lilly and Co. said Wednesday its experimental Alzheimer’s drug appeared to slow worsening of the mind-robbing disease in a large study. In the 18-month trial, people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s who received infusions of donanemab showed 35% less decline in thinking skills compared to those given a dummy drug, Lilly announced in … Read more
New data further points to a connection between poor sleep and Alzheimer’s disease, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. The FDA-approved insomnia pill known as suvorexant (under the brand Belsomra) was seen to reduce harmful proteins associated with the disease in subjects who took it before bed, the … Read more
Scientists at MIT have unlocked a major breakthrough in the battle to reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease — one that shows “dramatic reductions” in neurodegeneration, a report stated. The exciting achievement came about after researchers were successfully able to interfere with an enyzme typically found to be overactive in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. … Read more
A new form of fish oil supplement could be a breakthrough treatment for the world’s leading cause of blindness, according to a peer-reviewed study released this week. Researchers have created a first-of-its-kind omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — which protects the eyes — that can cross into the retina from the bloodstream to help with … Read more
DEAR ABBY: My wife passed away six months ago after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. I was her primary caregiver. Since she passed, her brother has been showing the same symptoms of paranoia she started with. Contact with him brings back sad memories, but I don’t know how to talk to him about it without … Read more
If you can walk the walk, but not walk and talk, you may be suffering from declining brain health. A new study has found the ability to juggle both tasks starts to diminish almost a decade earlier than previously thought, with researchers saying this struggle may be a warning sign of dementia. Scientists from Harvard … Read more
An estimated 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease today — about one in every nine people age 65 and older. That number is expected to nearly double over the next two decades, reaching nearly 13 million by 2050, according to a new report published by the Alzheimer’s Association on Wednesday. Despite promising advances in … Read more
Seniors who stick to the Mediterranean diet may be lowering their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, new research has found. Those who regularly consume fish in addition to leafy greens, oil, beans, nuts and high fiber — as per the diet — might also be able to tack years off of their own brain age, … Read more