Modern
medicine has let us cheat death. We can replace organs, take pills to stave off
heart disease, cure many cancers, and control previously fatal conditions such
as diabetes. As a result, the average life expectancy is 80, whereas 100 years
ago it was 52. Yet now, if these other illnesses don’t get us, it seems that
dementia will.
More than
800,000 Britons suffer from some form of the disease, with 75 per cent of them
having Alzheimer’s. All lead to mental decline, memory loss, speech and
movement problems, and death.
The world’s
bestselling medication for Alzheimer’s (AD) is donepezil, marketed as Aricept
until its UK patent ran out last month – and it’s now 80 per cent cheaper as a
result.
 |
| Decline: A diseased brain, left, beside a healthy one |
But while
donepezil improves memory function in
patients with mild to moderate AD or with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) –
minor memory problems that may be a precursor to dementia – it helps only a
third of full AD sufferers; others will get no benefit or suffer side effects.
For those
for whom it works, the drug improves quality of life for a year or two. After
that, since the brain damage caused by the disease progresses, patients may
show a marked decline. Modest as its effects are, it is widely used because it
is the best drug of its kind. But I believe if we are to beat this horrific
illness, a more broadminded approach is needed.
It’s a
folly that such huge amounts are pumped into searching for a ‘new Aricept’.
While donepezil has had some success, countless other similar drugs have
foundered.
The
fundamental problem with Alzheimer drug research is that it is almost entirely
based on the ‘amyloid hypothesis’, a theory about what causes AD that appears
increasingly invalid.
Amyloid is
an insoluble toxic protein deposited between the nerve cells of the brain that
has been shown to kill them. In 1991, scientists in London discovered that a mutated gene in the
precursor protein to amyloid (beta-amyloid) caused a rare genetic form of AD.
Since then, drug companies have considered that manipulating amyloid lies at
the heart of dealing with AD.
But this
puts all their eggs in one basket. Billions of pounds have been spent, and
every single trial has failed. Some drugs made the symptoms of dementia worse.
Research
should be geared towards intervening at an early stage. This is key to slowing
down or stopping nerve cell death associated with AD. Once the nerve cells have
died and the brain has shrunk, it’s too late.
 |
| Research into Alzheimer's should be geared towards intervening at an early stage |
I am the
founding director of the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing
(OPTIMA), which studies the causes of dementia. Last year we recruited 270 elderly people with memory
problems and gave them Vitamin B tablets – folic acid (800 micrograms), B12
(500 micrograms) and B6 (20 milligrams).
The
supplements, which cost as little as 10p a day, were found to slow shrinkage of
the brain by an average of 30 per cent a year – and slow the rate of cognitive
decline – in people with high blood levels of homocysteine. Raised levels of
this amino acid can increase the risk of developing AD three or four-fold.
By
regulating homocysteine with B vitamins,
we showed for the first time it is possible to slow the progress of the
disease, if you start early. More trials are needed to test whether continued treatment can delay its progress
indefinitely, but B vitamins have been shown to be as good clinically as
Aricept – and better in that they slow the disease progression rather than ease
the symptoms.
There is no
way of knowing who is predisposed to AD,
apart from extremely rare familial forms of AD.
But those
with memory problems should have their homocysteine measured and be started on
B vitamins, under medical guidance. Normal
dietary intake isn’t enough. One (200ml) glass of semi-skimmed milk
contains 2.5 micrograms of B12, and most manage to eat five micrograms a day.
But we do know people with high Vitamin B intakes are less likely to develop
dementia, so every little helps.
Large-scale
studies are needed to see if nutrition and exercise can slow the conversion of
memory impairment to Alzheimer’s disease. We also need to know if they improve
the response to drugs such as donepezil.
For OPTIMA,
the next step is a trial of 1,000 people with MCI to see if B vitamins prevent the conversion to dementia
over a two-year period. Can AD be beaten? I am optimistic.
The author
is Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford and
co-founder of OPTIMA.
Evidence for homeopathy builds
"The Many 'Shoulds' " – Jan 26, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)
"The Many 'Shoulds' " – Jan 26, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)
(Subjects: Religion/Worship, Lightworkers, Food, Health, Prescription Drugs, Homeopathy, Innate (Body intelligence), New Age movement, Global Unity, ... etc.) - New !
"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - New !
"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Lose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Pedal wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - New !
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