Where is your angry wig? You are going to need it.

It is impossible to keep up with the spurious claims and bad journalism surrounding cures and treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. But I like a challenge...

Scientists May Have Just Discovered The Key To Halting Alzheimer's
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With an aging population and no new dementia drugs in over a decade, the need to find treatments that can slow or stop disease progression is greater than ever."Dr. Doug Brown, director of research at Alzheimer's Society

The real findings are buried into the story--"The findings also suggest that a diet and lifestyle focused on fighting inflammation could be important in preventing Alzheimer's. The researchers noted, however, that it's too early to make recommendations."--But not too early to offer false hope and hype a potential pharmaceutical solution?

Drugs to treat Alzheimer's Disease will be available within decade, say scientists

A treatment for Alzheimer’s disease will be available within a decade and could ultimately be prescribed like statins to prevent the onset of the illness, experts have predicted.--

And we bury the real findings again. Although I suspect the hat tip to life-style improvements is just a stage for developing and expanding the potentially on-label use of drugs already on the market. Drugs, like statins that remain controversial as actual benefits become hard to separate from a problematic side-effect profile and dubious health outcome benefits. The FDA also weighs in with concerns about statins--including cognitive impairment and type 2 diabetes. 

But there is reason for hope because since the 1980s dementia rates have actually fallen by 20 per cent because of life-style improvements, meaning that people do not now get diseases like Alzheimer’s so early. 
A recent study by Cambridge University suggested that cholesterol in the body could be driving vascular dementia, so controlling diet could help prevent up to 30 per cent of cases. 
“Reduction in the proportion of elderly cases might relate to the fact we are getting better at controlling cholesterol,” added Professor Hardy.

Go teetotal to reduce dementia risks, NHS says

The healthy link in the quote above also contains information that may be familiar. "“While we don’t yet have sure-fire ways to prevent dementia, evidence suggests that eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, not smoking, not drinking to excess and keeping weight, blood pressure and cholesterol in check can all help lower the risk of the condition,”

I will leave you with an interesting story about nutrition and cholesterol. It makes me want to put my wig away--at least for awhile...

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I have written a book about Improving Numeracy in Medicine--designed as a guide for distinguishing evidence from hype.