Health Buzz: Insulin May Slow Alzheimer's
Study: Insulin Spray May Help Those With Early Alzheimer's
A daily spritz of nasal insulin may slow down Alzheimer's disease, preliminary research suggests. Researchers split 104 people with mild to moderate memory problems into three groups: Thirty six participants inhaled 20 milligrams of insulin twice a day for four months, 38 got 40 mg. twice a day, and 30 were given a saline solution. At the end of the study period, the group treated with 20 mg. of insulin improved in memory tests and their ability to handle day-to-day activities. They were, for example, better able to remember details of a story immediately after hearing it and a short time later, according to findings published Monday in the Archives of Neurology. People who got the higher insulin dose saw no change in memory abilities, while those in the placebo group saw a decline. Insulin, a vital hormone typically associated with diabetes, helps brain cells function; a deficiency could play a role in the progression of Alzheimer's. "As a clinician, I would not tell my patients to get their hopes up," said Jacobo Mintzer, an Alzheimer's expert at the Medical University of South Carolina, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. "But as a scientist, I always get very encouraged when the paradigm shifts." Mintzer was not involved in the study.
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Preventing Alzheimer's Disease: 7 Risks to Consider
Ask most folks to name their biggest fear about growing old and chances are they won't say gray hair and wrinkles, but the devastating loss of their mental capacity. Alzheimer's disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of all dementias, striking as many as 5 million Americans., U.S. News reported in 2010. While the disease has genetic underpinnings, it's also associated with certain lifestyle factors including diet, exercise, and level of education. So what steps can you take to help prevent it?
Some studies suggest that eating more fruits and vegetables and less saturated fat may be the ticket. Others point to folic acid or fish oil supplements as beneficial. Still others have found that drinking moderate amounts of alcohol confers some protection. But an expert panel convened by the National Institutes of Health says there's not enough evidence from any of these studies to warrant making lifestyle changes to lower your risk of Alzheimer's.
"The primary limitation with most of these studies is the distinction between association and causality," wrote the NIH experts in their "state of the science" paper published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine. For instance, people with a higher level of education have a lower risk of Alzheimer's, but that doesn't mean going to grad school will protect you. It could be that those individuals read more books and play more chess in their lifetime than other folks, which continually challenges their brains and has a disease-preventing effect. [Read more: Preventing Alzheimer's Disease: 7 Risks to Consider.]
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Family Caregivers: Exhausted, Stressed--and Abusive?
Bearing the responsibility for an aging parent or spouse can become an increasingly thorny task--and not necessarily because of the need for more and more complex care. Caregivers themselves can sustain emotional, mental, and physical blows that may go unattended in the name of duty to their loved one. Sleep is lost; stress mounts steadily; and something just might give. In the case of caring for someone with dementia, says research published in the British Medical Journal, sometimes that lapse comes in the form of psychological--or even physical--abuse. More than half of family caregivers surveyed in the study reported some abusive behavior toward the person they cared for.
The burden felt by caregivers is real and can manifest itself in a constellation of ways, U.S. News reported in 2009. Phyllis Brostoff, president of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, suggested ways to cope with caregiving.
1. Acknowledge what's going on. It's not always apparent to caregivers how they're being affected by their responsibilities or their loved one's changing condition. Particularly in cases of early dementia, when someone's mental faculties may initially wax and wane in and out of lucidity, a caregiver may feel irritated at having to answer the same question multiple times. "Sometimes the person doesn't realize they're being [verbally] abusive," says Brostoff. Adjusting to and mourning the decline of someone you rely on can be very sad and emotionally taxing, she adds. So if you find yourself feeling as if you hate the person you're caring for, says Brostoff, take it as a sign to get some assistance. [Read more: Family Caregivers: Exhausted, Stressed--and Abusive?]
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