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(Ivanhoe Newswire) — There are currently about 4.5 million Americans with Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that by 2050, between 13 and 16 millions Americans will have this disease.

Scientists have made strides in investigating what puts an individual at risk for AD and also what helps prevent his chances. Through research, they have found that whatever triggers Alzheimer’s disease begins to damage the brain years before symptoms appear. So, early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is an important step to getting appropriate treatment, care, and support services.

Although there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s, new treatments are on the horizon as a result of accelerating investigation into the biology of the disease. For instance, there are now several drug treatments that may improve or stabilize symptoms and several care approaches and activities that may minimize or prevent behavioral problems.

Risks and Preventions for Alzheimer’s:

Diet Connected to Alzheimer’s Disease: A study finds eating more calories and fats may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in some people.
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Another similiar study finds eating saturated and trans-unsaturated fats may increase a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, the study also reports a high intake of unsaturated, unhydrogenated fats may be protective against Alzheimer’s disease.
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Researchers found that a balanced diet with low levels of saturated fat and cholesterol is linked with a lower risk of mental decline.
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The Other View on Diet: No Link Between Diet and Dementia: One study shows dementia is likely not a result of a diet high in fat.
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New Research Developments in Alzheimer’s Preventatives: Researchers studied ginkgo biloba on more than 3,000 patients, ages 75 years and older, as a way to prevent Alzheimer’s. A second study explores the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as a preventative measure. Researchers are also concentrating on reducing the cost and process of Alzheimer’s treatment.
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Read about how other research on preventatives is progressing.
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Fish Reduces Dementia Risk: According to a French study, elderly people who eat fish or seafood at least once a week are at a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
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Preventing Alzheimer’s? Heart-helping medication could protect against Alzheimer’s. In people who used statins, there was a 39-percent reduced risk of Alzheimer’s.
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Aspirin may Prevent Alzheimer’s: A study of more than 5,000 elderly people in Utah shows those who regularly use aspirin in earlier years are significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
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Folic Acid and Alzheimer’s: Scientists from the National Institute of Aging believe folic acid may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. They say it may control a substance in the brain known to cause damage to nerve cells.
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Blood Pressure Associated with Dementia: A study suggests a person’s blood pressure could be a warning of pending dementia.
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Depressive Symptoms may Lead to Alzheimer’s: A study shows the severity of depressive symptoms in people over age 65 may be related to risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
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New Risk Factor for Dementia: Researchers in Boston have found an increased plasma homocysteine level may be a significant risk factor for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
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Leisure Activity Reduces Alzheimer’s Risk: Engaging in leisure activities may cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by more than a third, say researchers from Columbia University. If people vary the type of activities they participate in, the risk will drop even further.
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Vitamin B-12 Deficiency: 20 percent of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia are B-12 deficient. Here are some ways you can increase your level of b-12.
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Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Dementia: A few alcoholic drinks a week may lower the risk of dementia in older adults, according to a new study in this week’s issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Wine Wins Again: Yet another medical study shows drinking wine may have some health benefits. The newest, from researchers in Denmark, reports people who drink wine occasionally may have a lower risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. People who drank wine weekly or monthly had the most benefit.
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Preventing Memory Problems: Researchers from the University of Wisconsin report middle-aged people with evidence of damage to the small arteries in their retinas have lower scores on tests to measure cognitive abilities.
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Natural Estrogen Good for the Brain: A new study shows elderly patients with lower estrogen levels may have cognitive impairment and may be less able to perform common daily activities than those with higher levels.
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Change in Walking may Signal Dementia: The research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine finds the presence of an abnormal gait in elderly people without dementia predicts the risk of developing non-Alzheimer’s dementia.
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Alzheimer’s in Blacks: Families of blacks with Alzheimer’s disease have a higher risk of developing dementia than white families, according to research.
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Ten Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease
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Detecting Alzheimer’s Earlier:

Alzheimer’s Test: A new testing method could make it possible to identify people with Alzheimer’s and begin early treatment long before symptoms appear.
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Identifying Alzheimer’s Earlier: Researchers have concluded that verbal memory tests may be the most effective way to detect future cases of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Seeing Alzheimer’s: One doctor injected patients with a radioactive chemical marker and examined their brains with a PET scan. The PET scan may flag patients years before they develop symptoms.
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Predicting Alzheimer’s Risk: Doctors have found a few specific elements in the blood and urine that are higher in Alzheimer’s patients than in others.
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Brain Scans Help Predict Alzheimer’s Disease: Brain scans using positron emission tomography, or PET, markedly increase the ability of doctors to predict which patients will develop Alzheimer’s disease as they grow older.
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Earlier Alzheimer’s Diagnosis? A technique may help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s disease before symptoms begin, according to researchers with UCLA.
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Mapping Alzheimer’s: It took dedicated researchers and a super computer to produce this seven-second video image that gives a physical picture of how the devastation of Alzheimer’s is spreading across the brain, which parts of the brain are affected, and how fast.
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Treating and Slowing Down Alzheimer’s:

Drug Effective for Alzheimer’s Disease: There are very limited treatments for patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease. A new study finds the drug memantine is effective in reducing the deterioration of these patients.
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New Hope for Alzheimer’s: Research shows people with Alzheimer’s disease retain the capacity for a specific form of memory, suggesting they may be trained and rehabilitated to preserve some of their mental function.
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Draining Alzheimer’s Disease: The shunt, called The COGNIShunt System, could stop Alzheimer’s from progressing. It’s inserted into the fluid-filled cavity of the brain with a tube running into the abdomen to drain the fluid that surrounds the brain.
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Shunt for Alzheimer’s Disease: Rresearch finds a surgically implanted shunt could help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The research focuses on draining cerebrospinal fluid.
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Rehab for Alzheimer’s: A simple program is helping some patients improve short-term memory. It’s called cognitive rehabilitation, and it uses real-life skills to target different areas of the brain.
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Slow Down Alzheimer’s … Naturally: Research shows fish and fish oil may help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s.
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Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs Help Alzheimer’s: Research shows drugs that lower cholesterol, called statins, may be helpful in treating Alzheimer’s disease.
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Another study also shows drugs that lower cholesterol may reduce a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
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Delaying Alzheimer’s Progression: A new drug that prevents the brain from making more beta-amyloid could prevent the progression, or even stop, Alzheimer’s.
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Treating Alzheimer’s: Lead Researcher Terry Lichtor, M.D., Ph.D., studied a method known as a stereotactic intracranial procedure, to combat the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
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Slowing Alzheimer’s Disease: A commonly used drug for Alzheimer’s may be more powerful than first thought. Doctors from Pittsburgh report drugs called cholinesterase inhibitors (CEI) can help patients short and long term.
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Potential new Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease: An early study of the drug rolipram in mice shows promise for possible use in treating Alzheimer’s disease in people, according to one study.
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New Attack on Alzheimer’s: Geriatric psychiatrist George T. Grossberg, M.D., hopes a new drug — NS-2330 — will help those mood swings associated with AD.
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Psychiatric Symptoms in Dementia Patients: New research shows neuropsychiatric symptoms are prevalent in people with dementia and mild cognitive impairment. More importantly, researchers say the symptoms may be a sign of worsening cognitive ability.
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Alzheimer’s Declines after age 90: A new study shows Alzheimer’s disease may not continue in extreme old age. Researchers found the disease peaks with advanced age, but declines in the early 90s for men and later for women.
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Blood Pressure Drugs for Dementia: Research shows high blood pressure increases the risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease. Therefore, researchers assumed blood-pressure lowering drugs may decrease the risk. In a study published in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, Researchers have found some truth in that assumption.
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Acupuncture for Alzheimer’s: More than 50 percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease experience anxiety and depression. Certain medications can control the symptoms but many patients can’t tolerate the side effects. Now in an effort to find an alternative treatment, one researcher has turned to an ancient method.
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This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.