Dr. Lam Author of
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A new study suggests that people with both Alzheimer's disease and high blood pressure or diabetes are more likely to die sooner than people who have Alzheimer's disease only.
The study involved 323 people. Results showed that people with both Alzheimer's disease as well as diabetes were 2 times as likely to die sooner than people with Alzheimer's disease alone. Similarly, people with Alzheimer's disease as well as high blood pressure were two and a half times more likely to die sooner than those with Alzheimer's disease and normal blood pressure.
SOURCE: Helzner EP, Scarmeas N, Cosentino S, Tang MX, Schupf N, Stern Y. Survival in Alzheimer disease A multiethnic, population-based study of incident cases. Neurology 2008;71:1489-1495.
My Views
Less than 30 years ago, the prevailing medical wisdom declared that "senility" was the result of either normal aging or hardening of the arteries. Today we are getting closer to truly understanding the causes of the major neurological disease of old age, the aging brain, for which one of the many symptoms is failing memory. As the brain ages, mental and physical functions are impaired. The most extreme form of this process can lead to death.
While the rest of our body reaches its prime around age 30, starting its natural progression of declining health soon thereafter, our brain does not start losing its major functions until our 60s.
The high blood sugar level often acts as an abrasive agent in our blood vessels. This adds insult to an already decompensating brain in Alzheimer's disease, which needs healthy blood vessels to carry oxygen for optimum healing. The bottom line is clear – reduce sugar intake to maintain a healthy brain.
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