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Alzheimer's & Dementia

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Choline linked to better memory & healthier brains
  • A large, long-running study of middle-aged men found that higher dietary intake of choline was linked to a lower risk of dementia and better memory & verbal abilities.
  • A mouse study found that offspring of those given high amounts of choline showed better memory. Both mother and offspring showed lower levels of inflammation in the hippocampus.

Dietary choline linked to reduced dementia risk & better cognition

Gum disease may have ties to Alzheimer’s

Analysis of post-mortem with and without dementia has found lipopolysaccharide, a component of an oral bacterium (Porphyromonas gingivalis), in four out of 10 Alzheimer’s disease brain samples, but not in any of the 10 brains of people who didn’t have Alzheimer’s.

Fish reduces Alzheimer's risk for those with APOE gene
  • A new study finds that seafood consumption reduces Alzheimer's pathology, but only in those with the Alzheimer's gene APOEe4. While fish oil didn't appear to affect brain health, the omega-3 acid found in flaxseed did.

I've spoken before about how the presence or absence of the “Alzheimer's gene” may affect which lifestyle changes are beneficial for you.

Reduced face memorization ability in those with MCI
  • A small study suggests that the ability to remember faces specifically is impaired in those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

A small Japanese study has found evidence that those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) show a specific decline in their ability to recognize faces, and this is accompanied by changes in the way they scan faces.

Inflammation linked to brain health
  • Study indicates APOE4 carriers are only at greater Alzheimer's risk if they have chronic inflammation.
  • Large study finds increasing inflammation linked to more white matter damage.
  • Common causes of chronic inflammation include cardiovascular disease, heart failure, diabetes, high blood pressure and infections.

Link found between chronic inflammation and Alzheimer's gene risk

Education & IQ linked to later cognitive decline & dementia
  • A large, long-running study found those with a college education maintained good cognition substantially longer than those who didn't complete high school.
  • A very large online study found that higher levels of education were strong predictors of better cognitive performance across all ages (15-60 years), but this was more true for types of cognition such as reasoning and less true for processing speed.
  • A large study of older men found that their cognitive ability at age 20 was a stronger predictor of cognitive function later in life than other factors, such as higher education, occupational complexity or engaging in late-life intellectual activities.

Americans with a college education live longer without dementia and Alzheimer's

This brain training program cuts dementia risk
  • A large 10-year study investigating the benefits of a brain training program for older adults found that training designed to improve processing speed & visual attention in particular reduced dementia risk.

Findings from the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) Study, which followed 2,802 healthy older adults for 10 years, has found that those who participated in computer training designed to improve processing speed and visual attention had a 29% lower risk of deve

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