A review of epidemiological studies and research in animal models has led scientists to conclude that caffeine could be used to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease.

Gary W Arendash and Chuanhai Cao studied the effects of caffeine on a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Results showed that mice given caffeine in their drinking water from young adulthood into old age suffered less memory impairment and had lower brain levels of amyloid, the abnormal protein that is thought to play a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Further studies revealed that just 1-2 months of treatment with caffeine restored memory and reduced brain levels of amyloid in "aged" cognitively impaired mice. The authors concluded: "These results indicate a surprising ability of moderate caffeine intake (the human equivalent of 500 mg caffeine or 5 cups of coffee per day) to protect against or treat Alzheimer's disease in a mouse model for the disease and a therapeutic potential for caffeine against Alzheimer's disease in humans."

(Source: World Health Net)

Building on previous research which linked gum disease with heart problems, Richard Watt, from University College London (United Kingdom), and colleagues studied whether toothbrushing behavior is associated with cardiovascular disease and markers of inflammation.

The team analyzed data collected on 11,869 men and women, mean age 50 years, enrolled in the Scottish Health Survey. Over the eight-year long study period, the subjects self-reported their frequency of daily tooth brushing, while the researchers assessed hospital records to estimate the risk of cardiovascular disease events or death according to oral hygiene.

Accounting for factors that contribute to heart disease risk, the team found that those subjects with the worst oral hygiene were at 70% increased risk of developing heart disease, as compared to those who brushed their teeth twice a day. In addition, the subjects with poor oral hygiene tested positive for increased levels of blood markers of inflammation, namely C-reactive protein and fibrinogen.

(Source: World Health Net)

Researchers in Boston have established a link between Down’s Syndrome patients and patients with Alzheimer's which may lead to early detection of the latter disease. Down’s Syndrome patients often develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease before they reach 30. Lee Goldstein, from Boston University School of Medicine (Massachusetts, USA), and colleagues have found that the specific Alzheimer’s brain protein, amlyoid beta, develops at a very early stage in the eyes of Down’s Syndrome patients, with the protein then leading to the formation of cataracts.

Explaining that the lens of the eye provides a window to the brain, the team suggests that the same amyloid beta protein that accumulates in the brain may also collect in the eye tissue of Down’s patients Moreover, these findings confirm increased [amlyoid beta ] accumulation as a key pathogenic determinant linking lens and brain pathology in both [Down’s Syndrome] and [Alzheimer’s Disease].” The researchers are hopeful that a technology to scan the eye to measure amyloid beta protein levels may lead to a method of reliably detecting Alzheimer’s Disease at an early stage.(Source: World Health Net)

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Another Eye Test Could Eventually Detect Alzheimer's in Early Stages"

Here are the five steps to perfect posture:-

• Pull your shoulder blades back slightly toward each other and down away from your ears.
• Lift your chest up and out.
• Pull your head back just enough to keep it in line with your spine.
• Position your pelvis or hips to create or maintain a natural arch in your lower back.
• Pull your belly button in toward your spine without changing or tilting your hips or losing the arch in your lower back.(Source: RealAge, June 2006)

Anti-aging research shows tomatoes protection against sun damage --- A little tomato paste every day can do more for your skin than investing hundreds of dollars in facial creams. NOT only will it save you money according to a new study, it may protect you from wrinkles and cancer. In the study the participants supplemented their diets with 2.5 tablespoons of tomato paste mixed with two teaspoons of olive oil every day for ten weeks, while a control group took the olive oil alone.

The volunteers also sat under a sun lamp three times during the ten-week trials - at the beginning, middle and end of the period. By week ten the group ingesting the tomato paste had 40 percent less sun-damage than the control group. This is due to the high levels of lycopene, an antioxidant which protected the skin from sun damage, in tomatoes.

Other foods which offer sun protection are spinach, blackberries, pomegranates and dark chocolate. These foods do not mean you no longer need to protect your skin with a reliable sunscreen and controlled sun exposure.

(Source: Realage website)

Anti-aging developments provides cheaper alternative to botox ---A medication for facial spasms, Dysport, has recently also been approved for aesthetic as well as therapeutic use. Although it was developed as a neuro-muscular blocking agent in the treatment of cervical dystonia has also been found to temporarily improve the appearance of wrinkles giving the patient a more youthful and relaxed appearance.

Dysport is injected directly into the skin around deep wrinkles and expression lines temporarily relaxing and paralyzing the muscles that cause them. It could be described as a poor woman’s boot as it is less expensive than its better-known competitor and fewer injections are required to have the desired effect. Another is the fast acting effects of the products even though like botox it only paralyses muscles temporarily.

However there are some problems associated with the product as the solution which is injected into the skin is less concentrated than botox and can more easily spread from the injection site. Other side effects when using dysport as an anti-aging agent are nose and throat irritations, headache, pain around the site of t he injection upper respiratory tract infections, swollen and/or drooping eyelids, nausea and inflammation of the sinuses.

(Source; Ivanhoe Women's Channel - First reported 30 March 2010)

Anti-aging developments use light to treat aging and sun-damaged skin ---Another new anti-aging treatment on the market is called broadbank light. It is a light based technology to treat aging and sun-damaged skin. By targeting haemoglobin and melanin and encouraging the production of elastin and collagen, which smoothes and firms skin making it look younger? Photo-thermal energy released during the procedure also reduces redness, and targets freckles, age spots and any unsightly pigmentation. For several weeks after treatment the treated skin can be darker and flake, before positive effects are revealed.

(Source; ivanhoe Women's Channel - First reported 30 March 2010)

Anti-aging developments provide another botox alternative---Another injectable, non-surgical treatment for deep wrinkles and expression lines is a poly-L-lactic acid called Sculptra. It was seen to produce natural looking results lasting up to two years in a random study of patients in whom it had positive results in correcting the first signs of facial aging. It contains a « biocompatible, biodegradable, synthetic material used by the medical profession for many years already. Temporary side effects include swollen, red, tender skin, bruising, itching and even bleeding. Bumps and lumps have also been recorded but these too only last temporarily and were resolved without treatment.

(Source; ivanhoe Women's Channel - First reported 30 March 2010)