ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of height, Apolipoprotein E genotype (APOE) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using a case-control design, subjects were recruited from the research registry of the University Memory and Aging Center of Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland. On entry to the study, height was measured on 239 probable or possible AD patients and 341 healthy controls living in northeast Ohio. Risk of AD was modeled as a function of quartile of height, APOE genotype, years of education and year of birth. Analyses were stratified by gender. For men, cases were more likely to be shorter when compared to controls (p=0.001). There was only a small difference in mean height between AD cases and controls among women (p=0.05). For men, height in the highest quartile [>179.7 cm (70.75 in)] had a 59% lower risk of developing AD that in the lowest quartile [< 169.5 cm (66.75 in)], controlling for year of birth, and education (p=0.03). For women without an APOE epsilon4 allele, increasing height was associated with lower risk for AD (OR=0.88; p=0.01) but no significant association was found for women with at least one epsilon4 allele (OR=1.03; p=0.56).
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/epidemiology , Apolipoprotein E4/metabolism , Body Height , Aged , Alleles , Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Case-Control Studies , Female , Genotype , Humans , Male , Risk Factors , Sex DistributionABSTRACT
The objective was to study the associations between participation in different types of mentally stimulating leisure activities and status as Alzheimer's disease (AD) case or normal control. Research suggests that participation in leisure activities, especially mentally stimulating activities, is associated with a lower risk for AD. However, no study has yet evaluated associations between AD and different types of mental leisure activities, especially those involving "novelty seeking." The authors used a case-control design to compare participation in activities across the life span in persons with AD and normal controls. Cases (n = 264) were recruited from clinical settings and from the community. Controls were drawn from 2 populations. Control group A members (n = 364) were the friends or neighbors of the cases or members of the same organizations to which the cases belonged. Control group B members (n = 181) were randomly drawn from the community. The 2 control groups did not differ in their responses to most activity questions, so they were combined. Factor analysis of activity questions identified 3 activity factors: (1) novelty seeking; (2) exchange of ideas; and (3) social. Logistic regression analysis indicated that, adjusting for control variables, greater participation in novelty-seeking and exchange-of-ideas activities was significantly associated with decreased odds of AD. The odds of AD were lower among those who more often participated in activities involving exchange of ideas and were lower yet for those who more frequently participated in novelty-seeking activities. We conclude that participation in a variety of mental activities across the life span may lower one's chances of developing AD.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/psychology , Exploratory Behavior , Leisure Activities , Patient Participation , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Occupations , Risk Factors , Socioeconomic Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
A number of dietary elements and foods have been reported to be either risk or protective factors for the development of dementia and Alzheimer disease (AD). These include fat, fatty acids, antioxidants, fish, homocysteine/methionine, vitamins and alcohol. We propose that brain diseases with aging are not be only the result of pathogenic processes, but also due to the failure of protective mechanisms, and that diet influences the success of these protective mechanisms. Both animals and humans with genetic forms of AD do not get the disease until a certain time in mid or late life. Therefore, there must be protective factors responsible for the delayed onset of disease.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/epidemiology , Diet , Dietary Fats/adverse effects , Black or African American , Aged , Animals , Apolipoproteins E/metabolism , Case-Control Studies , Fishes , Humans , Meat , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
Most studies of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have focused on a single precipitating alteration as the etiological event rather than global changes closely linked to aging. Recent evidence suggests that the most significant of these global changes are metabolic. Here we present data indicating that metabolic rate, nutrition, and neuronal size are all early indicators of AD. Understanding the cellular and molecular basis for these changes may open a new dimension to understanding AD.
Subject(s)
Alzheimer Disease/metabolism , Alzheimer Disease/pathology , Animals , Carbohydrate Metabolism , Cell Size , Diet , Humans , Neurons/pathologyABSTRACT
In a case control study of genetic and lifestyle risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD), we obtained recalled food consumption frequencies translated to nutrients and averaged over 2 age periods of adult life, 20 to 39 and 40 to 59 years. The proportion of controls with the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 (APOE epsilon4) genotype was significantly higher in the lowest tertile of fat consumption (36.3% of energy) compared with controls with epsilon4 in the highest tertile of fat intake (44.6% of energy). Healthy older persons with the epsilon4 allele who survived to be included in this study may be protected with lower dietary fat intake and other healthy behaviors. Diet-genotype interactions may have important influences on disorders of later life.
