Studies Conflict: Does Red Wine Cause Azheimer's -- or Cure It?

I have some REALLY bad news for some of my friends.  Red wine has been found to be a risk factor for Alheimer's Disease (AD).

According to sciencedaily.com, "Researchers at the Buck Institute found a link between . . ApoE4, a cholesterol-carrying protein" present in 25% of us, and another, SirT1, an "anti-aging protein that is targeted by resveratrol, present in red wine."

"The biochemical mechanisms that link ApoE4 to Alzheimer's disease have been something of a black box. However, recent work from a number of labs, including our own, has begun to open the box," sciencedaily.com quotes Dale Bredesen, MD, founding CEO of the Buck Institute.

But some of the abnormalities for AD could be avoided by increasing the SirT1 proteins, scientists found, and this finding could lead to a new type of screening for AD prevention and treatment, experts say.
.
AD affects over 5 million Americans -- there are no treatments that are known to cure, or even halt the progression of symptoms that include loss of memory and language, sciencedaily.com reports. "Preventive treatments are particularly needed for the 2.5% of the population that carry two genes for ApoE4, which puts them at an approximate 10-fold higher risk of developing AD, as well as for the 25% of the population with a single copy of the gene."
 
But before you pour out that lovely merlot, another study in February found the exact opposite, also reported in sciencedaily.com. "Natural chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step of the Alzheimer's disease pathway, according to new research from the University of Leeds."

In early-stage laboratory experiments,  the Web site notes, "The researchers identified the process which allows harmful clumps of protein to latch on to brain cells, causing them to die. They were able to interrupt this pathway using the purified extracts of EGCG from green tea and resveratrol from red wine."

So, what to do?  Continue to drink your red wine, but as in all things, in moderation.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Herbal Supplements? Even Green Tea Extract Can Lead to Liver Damage

Take herbal supplements? You might want to listen up. A new study is warning that new information is showing that some supplements may damage the liver, along with over the counter drugs and even those prescribed by physicians, according to newswise.com. The rate of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), a rare adverse drug reaction which is challenging to diagnose -- and which can lead to jaundice, liver failure and even death -- is increasing more and more.  Experts put it down to the overwhelming use of herbal supplements and other drugs in the last 10 years.  “A lot of consumers have a preconceived notion that if it’s a natural product, it must be safe. But that is not necessarily the case,” the Web site quotes Herbert Bonkovsky, MD, FACG, co-author of the guidelines. “Most of these products are not well-regulated and have very little oversight. Traces of heavy metals and prescription drugs have even been found in some herbal and dietary supplements. We encourage patients to
Read more

Social Media Replacing Human Contact? Nah

I used to think my son only talked to his "girlfriend" (did I mention he'll be 12 in June?) in school.  Then I happened to walk by his computer and saw her on his screen.  They Skype.  About three hours a day.  Then I got it.  It's real.  Kids mostly communicate electronically these days. But Joe McKendrick at smartplanet.com believes there are reasons social media won't completely replace face-to-face interactions.  For one, there's less distraction.  If you're sitting at your computer, you're scanning for emails or googling or watching the news, in addition to talking to someone.  When you're actually with someone, it's harder to do this -- though, Joe, are you living on Mars? Have you never seen a teen texting at the table, while talking to you, or God forbid, driving? Most of McKendrick's points have to do with the office, and meeting in person to do business rather than connecting online.  I have to admit here, it makes sense.  He
Read more

Be Humble. Your Employees May Work Harder

You wouldn't know it from our current crook- er - commander-in-chief but it pays to be humble , new research is showing. It’s good to be humble when you’re the boss – as long as that’s what your employees expect, according to newswise.com. Researchers studying workplaces in China found that some real-life teams showed more creativity if the employees rated their bosses as showing more humility. “Whether leader humility is a good thing really depends on the team members’ expectations,” says  Jia (Jasmine) Hu , lead author of the study and associate professor of  management and human resources  at The Ohio State University’s  Fisher College of Business . Humble leaders are most effective when team members expect a low degree of distance between the leaders and followers, Hu explains. When there is "low power distance" (I assume, this means when the boss is humble), employees share power with their boss in a collaborative way. But humility may be seen as a weaknes
Read more