News from the Alzheimer’s conference in Chicago

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What are the risk factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease? Besides genes, scientists are trying to address whether lifestyle factors or behavioral characteristics also contribute to the disease. Several studies presented today at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference shed some light on the question.

• Previous research suggests that continued, regular social interaction provides some protection against cognitive decline. Researchers in Sweden have found that being unmarried in midlife seems to increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Those people who were married or lived with a significant other at midlife had a 50% lower risk of having dementia in late life compared to those who lived alone.
• A study from Israel found that people who ruminate, that is, they think repetitively about their problems, may be less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. They found higher rates of the disease in people who said they tended to forget their difficulties easily compared to those who ruminate over difficulties. The researchers say they don’t understand how ruminating is protective, but the study suggests that individual personality and cognitive styles may contribute to the risk of dementia.
• Regular exercise has also been tightly linked to a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. A Brazil study found that people with metabolic syndrome (those who have a higher risk of developing diabetes, hypertension and stroke) also have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Regular physical activity can lower the risks for developing all of those conditions.
• Finally, a study from France examined more than 16,000 people as they aged to determine which risk factors were most predictive of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Nine percent of the people developed dementia. The most predictive variables were (in order): impairment in planning, memory problems exhibited on tests, subjective complaints about memory or cognitive failure, presence of the ApoE gene, use of psychotropic medication, severe head trauma, diabetes, stroke and problems with language. Smoking, not drinking and being female also predicted dementia.

- Shari Roan