BlogHer - Could Ibuprofen Prevent Alzheimer's? A link between Diabetes and Alzheimer's? - Comments

UPDATE: Anti -inflammatories did not ward off dementia

Catherine Morgan — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:39:05 -0500

UPDATE: Anti -inflammatories did not ward off dementia

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at catherine-morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Thanks Debra.

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:28:03 -0500

Thanks Debra. Those are a lot of really great tips. :-)

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at Catherine-Morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

Not taking preventative Ibuprofen

debra roby — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:05:41 -0500

Catherine,

I'm not taking a preventative dose of ibuprofen. Heck, I'm not even taking that baby aspirin. I figure I might take the ibuprofen at any time for pain relief (I have a tendency toward tendonitis) and don't want to worry about dosages.

What I am doing:
taking a statin. I've been on these for over 20 years now. Studies are showing that statins are prevent plaque formation not only in blood vessels, but also in some brain tissue.

watching my cholesterol level and my blood glucose level. Again, keeping these in a healthy range shows benefits for both diseases.

getting cardio exercise 3-4 times/week. Oxygenating the brain as well as challenging the cardiovascular system.

including balance and brain-body exercises in my workout. There is some evidence that we can strengthen brain connections through these movements.

intaking sufficient omega- fatty acids. Eating fish, nuts, and olive oils.

getting 7 hours of good sleep most nights. Sleep is when the body heals itself. It's a gift to my future to get that shut-eye at night.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

Hi Deb. Thanks for the additional information

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 06 May 2008 11:18:41 -0500

Hi Deb. Thanks for your comment and additional information. I'm wondering if your doctor has recommended that you take ibuprofen as a preventative measure, or is it something you are doing on your own? Do you take it for other reasons also (ie: arthritis, pain)? We have Alzheimer's in our family, and I know my mother is very concerned about it.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at Catherine-Morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog

That Ibuprofen story's been around a while.

debra roby — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:00:59 -0500

I first read about the ibuprofen link when they studied a family with a strong genetic link to early-onset AD in the early 90s. Those family members who for one reason or another had taken long courses of an NSAID either had onset delayed several years or had the severity of the disease lessened a while. (note: early onset hits before 65, is genetic, typically runs the course quickly with most patients dead within 5 years).

They were then hypothesizing about the effectiveness of NSAIDs for EOAD, and for more normal AD. And wondering if the anti-inflammatory reduced sites where plaque might accumulate. Much like taking a baby aspirin to help prevent heart disease.

Now much of the work appears to be indicating that the same disease mechanism that causes heart disease is a major cause of regular AD. The body (for reasons unclear) seems to either develop disease in one system or the other, sometimes both. Your mentioned link to diabetes would strengthen the metabolic disease link tmentioned in these studies.

Since my family history shows I'm likely to get either heart disease or Alzheimer's (with a slight chance of early onset), I do try to keep on the news here. And I'm encouraged that that the steps I take to prevent one, appear to be likely to work to prevent both.

Debra
A Stitch In Time
Deb's Daily Distractions

Could Ibuprofen Prevent Alzheimer's? A link between Diabetes and Alzheimer's?

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:06:16 -0500

I guess most of us either know or have known someone with Alzheimer's. Maybe that person was even a relative. Like many other diseases, Alzheimer's is thought to run in families. That is why when I read that there was a new study linking the long-term use of ibuprofen to a decrease in risk for Alzheimer's, I had to learn more.

But don't go out and buy a bottle of Motrin just yet. Although this study seems promising, there is no recommendations that anyone should take ibuprofen for the purpose of preventing Alzheimer's. Much more needs to be studied in order to determine whether the benefits of ibuprofen outweigh the risk of long-term use.

From WebMD...

The long-term use of ibuprofen and possibly other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers may help protect against Alzheimer's disease, but it is still not clear if the risks outweigh the potential benefits.
Use of ibuprofen pain relievers like Advil and Motrin for more than five years reduced Alzheimer's risk by 44% in a study reported in the May issue of Neurology.

Long-term users of several other types of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) also had a lower than expected risk of Alzheimer's. Ibuprofen users seemed to derive the most protection after five years of use, but researcher Steven C. Vlad, MD, of Boston University School of Medicine, says it is far too soon to recommend the use of this or any other NSAID to lower Alzheimer's risk. "I would not advise patients to start taking an NSAID to prevent Alzheimer's," Vlad tells WebMD. "There are too many known risks associated with this class of medications, and we would need a lot more research to figure out the risk-benefit ratio."

In researching this ibuprofen study, I came across another recent study. This study seems to link Diabetes to an increased risk for Alzheimer's.

From A Weight Lifted: Diabetes and Alzheimer's Linked

Did you know that people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes have a 30 to 65 percent greater risk for Alzheimer's? Until now, researchers have been mystified as to the reason behind the link, but a recent study (published in the current online issue of Neurobiology of Aging by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies) has pinpointed the molecular connection.

Here are some more Alzheimer's related blogs....

Rust-Tex: Help End Alzheimer's Disease

This quilt is up for auction now through May 10 to raise money for the the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI), which is an Internet-driven, grassroots, totally volunteer effort to raise awareness and fund research through art. Ami Simms founded the AAQI in January 2006 because her mother has Alzheimer's disease. All profit is donated to Alzheimer's research. My quilt uses rust dyed fabric, seed beads, plastic beads, metal leaves, cotton boucle. It is machine pieced, machine quilted, couched, and free motion machine embroidered. The cat is made of ultra suede and colored with water soluble colored pencils. The entire piece is 8.875" x 8.875". Mine is not the only one up for auction. You can see them all here. Your generous bid is appreciated by the artists who made these beautiful quilts and by everyone struggling to end this disease.

From ask allison: the middle-aged woman's go to girl: Alzheimer's and Caregiving

One of my fellow mid-life lady bloggers, Karen over at Mid-life's a Trip, has some excellent blog posts related to caregiving and Alzheimer's. As caregiver to her mother who has Alzheimer's, and dear friend to a 50 something woman with the disease, she holds the subject close to her heart. A great informational resource as Karen points out is a recent article in the NY Times. This excellent guide provides information on causes, treatments, exams and tests, and more.

I found this video on Alzheimer's and Caregivers at Alzheimer's Notes...

Also See:

Mondays With Mother: An Alzheimer's Story -- In 2002 my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It is a hard road, and we live it one day at a time. This is a chronicle of her disease and my Monday visits with her.

BlogHer Contributing Editor Laurie wrote - Alzheimer's and Another Love: How Spouses Cope

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan at Catherine-Morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election Blog