Tom Murphy
RedwoodAge.com
A pair of research studies found strong ties between the American diet and soaring rates of deadly Alzheimer's and other diseases among aging boomers.
A study at Rhode Island Hospital associated nitrates in everything from hot dogs to fertilizer to age-related diseases, while a separate study in Florida suggested five cups of caffeinated coffee a day could help reverse dementia stemming from Alzheimer's.
The results from both studies are preliminary. However, because consuming moderate amounts of caffeine and avoiding nitrosamines won't hurt most adults, they reflect relatively safe lifestyle changes that may limit fatal diseases as we age. About one in eight boomers - nearly 10 million Americans - are expected to develop Alzheimer's during their lives.
A study led by Dr. Suzanne de la Monte in Rhode Island found "strong parallels" between deaths from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines found in processed foods, preserved foods and fertilizers. The research team suggested the exposure is related to the "pandemic" of such diseases.
"We have become a 'nitrosamine generation,'" said de la Monte. "Not only do we consumer them in processed foods, but they get into our food supply by leeching from the soil and contaminating water supplies used for crop irrigation, food processing and drinking."
About 90 percent of the compounds known as nitrites and nitrates have been shown to lead to increased rates of cancers in humans. They're found in bacon, cured meat and cheese products. They're also commonly found in fertilizers, pesticides and cosmetics. Nitrosamines are formed when nitrites react with other proteins, such as when bacon or ground beef is fried.
Nitrosamines can affect gene reproduction, damaging DNA and altering cells in much the same way as diseases like Alzheimer's.
“All of these diseases are associated with increased insulin resistance and DNA damage," said de la Monte. "Their prevalence rates have all increased radically over the past several decades and show no sign of plateau. Because there has been a relatively short time interval associated with the dramatic shift in disease incidence and prevalence rates, we believe this is due to exposure-related rather than genetic etiologies.”
Soaring Death Rates
While death rates rise with age, the researchers found the death rates from
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's among those 75 to 84 rose much more rapidly from
1968 to 2005 than it did for other aging diseases, such as vascular diseases.
For example, the death rate from cerebrovascular diseases declined during that
period, while the rate for Alzheimer's rose 150 times.
“This relatively short time interval for such dramatic increases in death rates associated with these diseases is more consistent with exposure-related causes rather than genetic changes," de la Monte wrote. “Moreover, the strikingly higher and climbing mortality rates in older age brackets suggest that aging and/or longer durations of exposure have greater impacts on progression and severity of these diseases.”
The researcher said if the study's conclusions are correct, "potential solutions include eliminating the use of nitrites and nitrates in food processing, preservation and agriculture" as well as trying to purify any water meant for human consumption. Consumers could also just eat a lot less processed foods such as cold cuts, burgers and bacon.
The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, as was the study about caffeine. The latter study, conducted at the University of South Florida, was based on a study of 55 mice, but may have big implications for humans.
Cup of Joe
It found when the mice received caffeine equal to about five cups a day for
humans, their memory impairment was reversed. It also found caffeine limited
development of beta amyloid proteins that are thought to cloud neuron
connections in the brain during Alzheimer's.
While this isn't the first time that research suggested a connection between Alzheimer's and caffeine, it advances the theory to a level where researchers may try to replicate results in humans.
“The new findings provide evidence that caffeine could be a viable ‘treatment’ for established Alzheimer’s disease, and not simply a protective strategy,” said Dr. Gary Arendash, who led the study. “That’s important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people, it easily enters the brain, and it appears to directly affect the disease process.”
The mice in the study were genetically altered to develop memory problems that mimicked Alzheimer's in 70-year-old humans. Half the mice received water with caffeine; the other half just got water. The caffeine dose was about equal to five 8-ounce cups of regular coffee a day, or about the level found in two cups of coffee at Starbucks. It also equaled about 14 cups of tea, or 20 soft drinks.
After two months, the mice on caffeine showed almost a 50 percent reduction in beta amyloid, the protein forming plaque in Alzheimer's.
The researchers also tried caffeine on normal mice, but found no change. “This suggests that caffeine will not increase memory performance above normal levels," said Arendash. "Rather, it appears to benefit those destined to develop Alzheimer’s disease.”
