Coffee drinkers will be clinking mugs in a toast to new research suggesting that just two strong cups of the black stuff a day can reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Gary Arendash of the University of Florida showed that coffee not only helped to reverse symptoms in mice but also staved off production in the brain of abnormal protein plaques, which are the hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

In the UK the Alzheimer’s Society is anxious not to suggest that everyone develop a caffeine habit but says that if further research confirms its benefits, coffee could become part of a lifestyle prevention plan for the disease.  Read more... (453 words, 2 images, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Infections outside the brain may speed memory decline in Alzheimer’s disease, UK researchers say.

In a study of 222 elderly people with Alzheimer’s they found that getting infections in places like the chest or urinary tract could double memory loss.

The Southampton University researchers think this leads to higher levels of an inflammatory protein called tumour necrosis factor (TNF) in the blood.

They say better care to prevent infections is very important.

Cognitive decline

The study published in the journal Neurology followed the Alzheimer’s patients for six months.  Read more... (563 words, 2 images, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)

People with Alzheimer’s disease who catch a cold or another mild infection may be twice as likely to experience memory loss or other problems than patients without infections, a new study suggests.

British researchers looked at blood tests and mental ability of 222 people with Alzheimer’s. They found those who had respiratory, gastrointestinal or other infections — even minor bumps and bruises — showed high levels of a protein linked to chronic inflammation that is associated with memory loss and cognitive decline.  Read more... (466 words, 2 images, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Getting a cold, stomach bug or other infection may lead to increased memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease, according to research published in the September 8, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

The study found that people who had respiratory, gastrointestinal or other infections or even bumps and bruises from a fall were more likely to have high blood levels of tumor necrosis factor-?, a protein involved in the inflammatory process, and were also more likely to experience memory loss or other types of cognitive decline than people who did not have infections and who had low levels of the protein.  Read more... (551 words, 2 images, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

By Keren Smedley

When my elderly mother was diagnosed with vascular dementia nine years ago at the age of 81, my sister and I naturally assumed that we shared a common goal – to look after her and manage her care in the same way. But what emerged in the weeks and months that followed her diagnosis was a far cry from sisterly love and affection.  Read more... (896 words, 2 images, estimated 3:35 mins reading time)