Coming soon: A test to detect Alzheimer`s early?

London: Coming soon: A simple test to detect Alzheimer`s disease, the most common form of dementia, before its symptoms appear, say scientists.

Alzheimer`s is currently diagnosed only after patients become demented.

Now, an international team, led by the Lund University in Sweden claims to be developing the test after it found changes in spinal fluid can predict the disease with nearly 90 percent accuracy nearly a decade before Alzheimer`s sets in.

In their research, the scientists analysed biomarkers -- substances in the spinal fluid which are linked to Alzheimer`s disease. They looked at 140 people with mild memory problems and found a certain combination of biomarkers identified those at high risk of dementia.

The research, which also involved Skane University Hospital and the University of Gothenburg, suggested about 90 percent of patients who had both mild cognitive impairment and the telltale changes in spinal fluid composition would develop Alzheimer`s within 10 years.

"Therefore, these markers can identify individuals at high risk for future AD at least five to 10 years before conversion to dementia," they wrote in the latest edition of the `Archives of General Psychiatry` journal.


"Hopefully, new therapies that can retard or even halt progression of the disease will soon be available. Together with an early and accurate diagnosis, such therapies could be initiated before neuronal degeneration is too widespread and patients are already demented," the scientists added.

Dr Simon Ridley of Alzheimer`s Research UK hailed the research. "Early detection would allow new treatments to be trialled much earlier, when it`s thought they`d be more beneficial," he said.

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Vitamin rich diet, fish oil helps prevent Alzheimer’s

London: People taking diets high in several key vitamins or in health-boosting omega-3 fatty acids are less likely to develop the brain shrinkage linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new research.

This means people who regularly eat oily fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines or large amounts of fruit and vegetables could delay the disease or stop it developing.

So the scientists claimed that making simple changes in diet could prevent death from Alzheimer’s disease.

“It is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet,” a newspaper quoted study author Dr Gene Bowman as saying.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish like salmon and mackerel have been shown to cut the risk of heart disease, help people recover from heart attacks, slow mental decline and reduce the risk of blindness.

Previous research has shown that eating fish can reduce people’s risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 47 per cent and even slow its progress.

But the latest study found that people with diets high in omega-3 fatty acids and in vitamins C, D, E and the B vitamins have higher scores on mental tests than people with diets low in those nutrients.

“Although there is no sure-fire way of preventing Alzheimer’s yet, we know that risk factors for heart disease and stroke can also increase the risk of dementia,” said Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“The best advice at the moment is to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, and keep healthy by not smoking, taking regular exercise and keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check,” he added.

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