Page 19 - Leisure Living Magazine Autumn 2019

2019 Alzheimer’s Association
International Conference
By Theresa Bowen, Ph.D., Email - theesajb@gmail.com
Last month at the Alzheimer’s Association In- ternational Conference (AAIC) in Los Angeles several hot topics in new research and emerging trends were presented. Cur-
gest beginning stages of Alzheimer’s disease. If we could diagnose Alzheimer’s early in the disease process families and caregivers facing an Alzhei-
rently new research shows a
healthy lifestyle may reduce
genetic and environmental
risks of Alzheimer’s disease.
Other topics presented in-
cluded advances in emerg-
ing blood bio-markers that
support early detection and
diagnosis. Better clinical tri-
al recruitment and why Alz-
heimer’s impacts men and
women differently due to bi-
ological differences was also
covered. As the world’s lead-
ing group meeting for discussions on Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s, the yearly conference aims to present and discuss the latest research from lead- ing experts and researchers all around the world. This year 6000 leading experts and researchers gave more than 3400 scientific presentations.
Healthy lifestyle choices including a balanced diet, avoiding smoking, regular exercise and cog- nitive stimulation all of which may decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementia’s. The most hopeful study reported that participants with a high genetic risk for Alzheimer’s who adopt healthy lifestyle choices had a 32% lower risk of all-cause dementia. Another report concluded that living in a location with high air pollution increased the risk for Alzheimer’s but it also found that women with years of education, job status, and physical activi- ty (cognitive reserve) only showed a 21% increase environmental risk compared with 113% increased risk for those with lower cognitive reserve.
Bio-marker testing is a group of tests that look for molecular signs of health so doctors can plan the best care for a patient. It is essential for reli- able, inexpensive and available diagnostic tools for Alzheimer’s. Data presented at the conference de- scribed improvements in blood-based methods for evaluating indications of Alzheimer’s, for example, abnormal versions of amyloid protein which sug-
mer’s diagnosis in their loved one would surely benefit from bio-marker tools to im- prove and expedite care. New bio-marker testing technol- ogies could also help track the impact of therapies in clinical trials. Industries and researchers are currently de- veloping these tools.
Alzheimer’s risk and pro- gression differs between men and women. Research at the AAIC 2019 identified sever-
al differences and four stud- ies confirmed unique risk profiles to better un- derstand why the majority of people living with Alzheimer’s are women. It was found that women who were part of the paid labor force between ear- ly adulthood and middle age showed a slower rate of memory decline in late-life than those that did not work in paid employment. Two studies cited specific risk genes in the functional connections in the brains of women that might contribute to fast spreading of tau protein. Another study suggests that women have higher levels of brain usage than men therefore explaining better verbal memory that enables women to compensate for early Alz-
heimer’s related brain changes better than men. Many articles suggest that if you live a healthy lifestyle you can prevent Alzheimer’s disease. “Are there any proven Alzheimer’s prevention strate- gies?” according to Dr. Jonathan Graft-Radford (Mayo Clinic) “Not yet.” He is right. The Alzhei- mer’s Society purports that this important issue is often a miscommunication by media. Presently all we are able to do is reduce our risk factors. That is why research is so important and internation- al conferences like the AAIC offers important discussions and developments with worldwide participation. The next Alzheimer’s Association International Conference is July 26-30, 2020 in
Amsterdam, Netherlands.
www.LeisureLivingMagazine.com
Autumn 2019 LeisureLiving | 19
Eating a heart-healthy diet benefits both your body and your brain.