|
PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY CONSUME ALCOHOLIC HAD ONE-HALF RISK OF DEVELOPING ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
01 June 2000 - Boston University
| Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have shown that people who regularly consume alcoholic beverages had approximately one-half the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease when compared to non-drinkers. These finding appear in the recent issue of the journal Alzheimer’s Reports. |
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have shown that people who regularly consume alcoholic beverages had approximately one-half the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease when compared to non-drinkers. These finding appear in the recent issue of the journal Alzheimer’s Reports. The researchers evaluated the joint effects of smoking and alcohol consumption on risk of developing AD among 238 diagnosed AD patients and 699 control subjects from the Framingham Study. They found that moderate and high drinkers of alcohol, (the cutoff defined according to USDA guidelines of up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women), had a 50 to 60 percent less chance of developing AD compared to those who consumed little or no alcohol. These results were similar for both men and women. "Alcohol consumption within nationally recommended limits may offer some protection against developing Alzheimer’s disease, yet it would be premature to recommend this as a prophylaxis until the protective mechanism is fully understood," says senior author Lindsay Farrer, PhD, chief of the genetics program and a professor of medicine, neurology and public health at Boston University School of Medicine and Public Health. However, the results of this study suggest that the association between smoking and risk of developing AD is not as clear cut. While smokers and non-smokers were equally likely to develop AD, the researchers found that among women who carry the e4 variant of the apolipoprotein E gene, smokers were at greater risk for developing AD than non-smokers. In contrast, smoking afforded some protection against AD among women lacking APOE e4. In men there appeared to be no link between smoking and AD regardless of the APOE status. "This unexpected pattern of association may be an example of how genetic and lifestyle factors conspire to increase or decrease risk of disease," says Farrer. Clearly this is fertile ground for additional research."
http://www.bu.edu/
About: Boston University
Boston University has a well-deserved reputation for excellence in research in a wide range of disciplines and a demonstrated commitment to fostering innovative interdisciplinary research. The Office of the Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Education supports the University in facilitating research at the both the student and faculty levels.Our mission is to enhance and encourage research at Boston University and to provide a climate conducive to maintaining the University at the cutting edge of research and scholarly activities. We work with the Boston University community to plan and coordinate interdisciplinary research and represent the University in research matters related to Inter-University consortia. To encourage new, innovative, and cross-disciplinary efforts, this office administers the Special Program for Research Initiation Grants (SPRInG). We showcase graduate research at Science & Technology Day. This annual event features nearly 200 research posters by graduate students from both the Medical and Charles River Campuses working in a wide range of disciplines. Our annual research magazine, Research at Boston University, informs a wide audience about a selection of our significant research findings and ongoing studies at Boston University. We also maintain a strong presence on the web through this site and through the Science Coalition’s website, which brings our research successes to the attention of Congress and other policy makers in the federal government. To assist Boston University researchers, this office oversees the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and coordinates with the Office of Sponsored Programs on the Charles River Campus , the research administration on the Medical Campus, the Office of Research Compliance, and the various graduate programs. For the development of commercially viable ideas, we administer the Provost's Innovation Fund and work closely with the Office of Technology Transfer. We also coordinate proposals where there are institutional limits to the number of proposals that may be submitted, cost sharing requirements, significant laboratory renovations, or other special circumstances. This office assists departments and centers to achieve a diverse faculty and graduate student body through our membership and activities with the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and through our affiliation with the Clare Boothe Luce program of the Henry Luce Foundation. |
More News:
• For June 2000
• From Boston University
• For University
|
