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) Obesity 'linked to Alzheimer's disease'
While obesity has been linked to a lot of major health problems, Alzheimer's disease has recently been connected to the condition.Alzheimer's disease is the latest condition which has been linked to being extremely overweight, following a new piece from scientists in the US.
According to the Pittsburgh-based Cardiovascular Health Study, researchers looked into those people with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-30 – classified as overweight – and compared it to those with a BMI of above 30, or clinically obese.
It was discovered that brain shrinkage – commonly associated with the neurodegenerative disease – was four per cent higher in those who were overweight, while obesity shrank the average brain by eight per cent.
Lead investigator Cyrus A. More>>
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) Think Public in Alzheimer's Society service design task
The consultancy has worked with people with dementia, their carers and other health professionals to develop post-diagnosis services for Alzheimer's sufferers.The project is in response to the Department of Health's national dementia strategy, released last November.Paul Thurston, head of design at Think Public, says, ‘The main challenge was to signpost services that are ... This content is only accessible to subscribers of Design Week. To subscribe click here. . More>> - (
) Group helps families cope with challenges of Alzheimer's
There have been many advances in diagnosing and addressing Alzheimer's since my father developed the disease.Dad was never easy-going, and we didn't immediately suspect the cause as he grew crankier with years.
By the time Dad, an engineer and math whiz, could no longer balance his checkbook, he wouldn't seek help.
He was eventually diagnosed with advanced Alzheimer's when he was hospitalized shortly before his demise.
I've talked, read and written about the disease a great deal since, but was taken aback when a friend, still fighting tears, revealed that her otherwise healthy, 60-something mother just had been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's.
What could I say to help or comfort her or others in the same situation?
The executive director of the West Virginia Alzheimer's Association chapter gave me some practical tips, developed in her eight years with the group and now, as her mother is in the early stages of the disease. More>>
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) Alzheimer's is taxing on patients, caregivers alike
Living with Alzheimer's can feel a lot like groping your way through a dark tunnel. The disease attacks the memory, making the simplest daily activities impossible. For the loved ones nearby, the darkness of never knowing from day to day how the disease will manifest can seem overwhelming. . More>> - (
) Editorial: Orchids and onions
ORCHIDS to organizers of the annual Alzheimer's Association Memory Walk, to be held Sept. 26, beginning at Aurora Medical Center and proceeding along Mariners Trail. The walk helps raise funds for the state Alzheimer's Association. We hope the long run of great weather holds out one more week for this worthwhile event.ORCHIDS to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for developing a system to forecast the location and intensity of algal blooms on the Great Lakes. It will focus initially on Lake Erie, where the problem of algal blooms is particularly acute, but the agency hopes eventually to expand the system's reach across the Great Lakes. Some algal blooms produce toxins that can endanger human and animal health. They also can form layers of ugly, smelly scum along beaches, which hurts the tourism economy. More>>