Alzheimers mention

Nurses General Nursing

Published

An interesting read. But like everything else, it comes down to money...

Pfizer had clues its blockbuster drug could prevent Alzheimer’s. Why didn’t it tell the world?

Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

Just found this article on a new possible vaccine for prevention/treatment of AD.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/possible-alzheimers-prevention-breakthrough-reported/ar-AACI2FX?ocid=spartanntp

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
7 hours ago, myoglobin said:

I don't believe that AD prevalence is the same in all SES groups. That is because AD involves the interplay of both genetic an lifestyle factors. While the genetic factors may be more or less evenly distributed, lifestyle factors are not. We know for example that obesity and DMII are heavily distributed towards lower SES. Thus, it should follow that AD distribution skews towards lower socioeconomic status.

Again, AD pathology has no bearing on socioeconomic status. Maybe onset and/or management yes, but not AD itself. SES status is irrelevant to the AD itself.

As for obesity and DMII, we already know the lack of ability to buy and eat more healthy food choices is a big factor, as is stress, environment, etc. so that's not an equivalent comparison IMO.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.

I am supporting the hypothesis that DM2, stress, diet, and depression may play a role in the actual risk of developing AD. Since these factors are at least correlated to SES then SES could also be expected to correlate.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
11 hours ago, myoglobin said:

I am supporting the hypothesis that DM2, stress, diet, and depression may play a role in the actual risk of developing AD. Since these factors are at least correlated to SES then SES could also be expected to correlate.

As a diabetic I don't see the correlation as many of the diabetics I know are in fact from Bachelor's degree are above, middle to high income status. There are definitely some socio economic correlations but correlation is not the same thing as causation. I have spent about a year convincing my doctor to take me off Metformin. There is an Austrian study which shows a link between Metformin and increased dementia risk. Let's be clear that there are several types of dementia that are not Alzheimer's: Frontal lobe dementia, Lewey body dementia and vascular dementia. In fact although Metformin is the gold standard for diabetes treatment in the US many people cannot tolerate the side effects (Flatulence, diarrhea, gastric upset) which may keep them from adopting healthier lifestyles.

There is no clear answer to who will and who will not develop Alzheimer's in fact and I have to look for the study the Mongolian people live comparatively long lives considering the physical danger of the nomadic lifestyle. The mountain people eat almost no vegetables. Their diet consists mostly of full fat dairy (Yak's milk) and animal sourced protein and fat. They are fairly active though.

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/877965

https://www.clydefitchreport.com/2012/08/mongolias-meat-diet-an-inconvenient-truth-for-veganism/

Hppy

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.

The evidence for a link between AD is strong enough that there is actually a movement to term AD DM3 given the evidence of insulin resistance in neural tissues.. There is a well established link between obesity, DM2, and lower income levels.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
10 hours ago, myoglobin said:

The evidence for a link between AD is strong enough that there is actually a movement to term AD DM3 given the evidence of insulin resistance in neural tissues.. There is a well established link between obesity, DM2, and lower income levels.

Every person who has taken a beginning class in statistics knows there is a huge difference between correlation and causation. Yes many people with Alzheimer's have DMII but that may simply be a function of a malfunctioning immune system as DMII is now categorized as a auto-Immune disease.

I'm going to go play in my corner of the reality sandbox now.

Hppy

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
6 hours ago, hppygr8ful said:

Every person who has taken a beginning class in statistics knows there is a huge difference between correlation and causation. Yes many people with Alzheimer's have DMII but that may simply be a function of a malfunctioning immune system as DMII is now categorized as a auto-Immune disease.

I'm going to go play in my corner of the reality sandbox now.

Hppy

THIS!

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.

Of course there is a difference between correlation and causation, but sometimes there is also a causal relationship. I am arguing, as do an increasing number of MD’s that it is at least partly causal, albeit complex and multimodal. Thus, certain life style practices such as exercise, diet, stress reduction through meditation and other means, DM2 prevention( or treatment through low carb diet), HTN prevention (or mitigation through DASH diet) can sometimes prevent or at least mitigate AD.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment