Vitamin D, calcium disappoint in dementia study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Vitamin D and calcium supplements taken together in low doses offered no protection against dementia in a large U.S. study of older women, but scientists are still holding out hope for vitamin D alone.

Past research has suggested that vitamin D might protect against memory loss and overall functional decline in the aging brain. But more than 2,000 women in the new study who took 400 international units of vitamin D and 1,000 mg of calcium daily for an average of eight years developed cognitive impairments at the same rates as a comparison group on placebo pills.

During the many years that study was ongoing, however, experts gained a better understanding of how calcium and vitamin D might have conflicting effects, so the combination of the two might explain the disappointing results, the study's authors say.

"I think the definitive study will just look at the effects of vitamin D," said lead author Dr. Rebecca Rossom, from HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research, a nonprofit arm of a health maintenance organization (HMO) based in Minneapolis.

But this study is important because it "gets closer to how women take vitamin D now," as a way build bone density, Rossom added.

Her team's report, which is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, is also the first to use the rigorous approach known as a randomized, double-blind trial with a placebo group to look at the possible effects of vitamin D and calcium on cognitive decline.

Rossom and her colleagues analyzed data on 4,100 women who were simultaneously enrolled in two trials, including the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Calcium and Vitamin D trial that ended in 2005, and a WHI memory study.

All of the women, who averaged 71 years old at the outset of the studies, were also free of cognitive problems to start.

Half of the women were assigned to take the supplements and the rest were given identical looking dummy pills.

Ultimately, about 100 women, or five percent, in each group developed mild cognitive impairment - a term that can include everything from memory trouble to the serious dementia found in Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers note that since the study ended, guidelines on vitamin and mineral intakes have changed. Currently the U.S. Institute of Medicine suggests getting 600 IUs per day of vitamin D for men and women up to age 70, and 800 IUs for older people. Suggested calcium amounts range from 700 mg to 1,300 mg per day, based on age, with an upper limit of 3000 mg. In both cases, intake recommendations cover both food and supplement sources.

So, the authors point out, their findings are specific only to the assigned amounts of vitamin D and calcium taken by women in the study - which are relatively low by today's standards.

More than 16 million Americans suffer from some form of cognitive impairment, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the problem is expected to grow as more baby boomers age. Vitamin D might still be viewed as potentially offering a measure of protection against a condition with no formal treatment, if its effects can be decisively demonstrated.

"The sum of information shows conflicting evidence," said Katherine Tucker of Northeastern University, who was not involved in the current study.

"Some recent studies suggest that too much calcium could have negative effects. The preponderance of evidence shows that vitamin D is protective, but some studies have shown no effect," she told Reuters Health.

But, Tucker said, "This study by no means closes the door on the need for more research to clarify vitamin D's effects."

Rossom's team acknowledges their study's limitations. In addition to the doses of supplements in the trial, the results are strictly limited to women, who were mostly white. Also, older age is a significant risk factor for dementia and the study participants, by comparison, were relatively young.

"The next step is to test a higher dose of vitamin D," said study coauthor JoAnn Manson of Harvard Medical School. "Higher doses will bring a study population to an achieved blood level that has been associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline in (past) studies."

Manson is currently leading a large clinical trial designed primarily to look at the effects of vitamin D and omega-3's on cancer risk, but the study will also monitor cognitive function. Results are expected in 2017.

A French study slated to finish next year is examining the cognitive effects of vitamin D versus a placebo in patients who already have Alzheimer's disease.

"The bottom line is that we still just don't know," Tucker told Reuters Health. "We're in the process of gathering more scientific evidence and will need to continue to do so until more studies point in a certain direction."

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/VCIs9H Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, online November 23, 2012.

By Kathleen Raven
Reuters Health


http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_132038.html

Binge drinking increases risk of cognitive decline

Moderate drinking and binge drinking among older people increase the risk for cognitive decline and memory loss, according to two studies presented today at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 in Vancouver, Canada.

Adults ages 65 and older who reported binge drinking at least twice a month were 2½ times more likely to suffer cognitive and memory declines than similar-aged adults who don't binge-drink. In this study, binge drinking is defined as four or more drinks on one occasion.

"It's not just how much you drink but the pattern of your drinking," says lead author Iain Lang of the University of Exeter in England. "Older people need to be aware, if they do binge-drink, of the risks and they should change their behaviors."

Binge drinking appears to be a big problem in the USA. The findings follow a study in January by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that one in six adults in the USA are binge drinkers and those in the 65-plus age group binge-drink more often than any other age group. In that survey, binge drinking is defined as men having five or more drinks within a short period of time and women having four or more drinks.

Those most likely to binge-drink have incomes of more than $75,000 a year, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends moderation, if you do drink. It describes moderate drinking as no more than one drink a day for women and no more than two drinks for day for men.

Lang's eight-year study on binge drinking followed 5,075 U.S. adults ages 65 and older and assessed cognitive function and memory in a telephone survey. Among the findings: 4.3% of men and 0.5% of women reported drinking heavily twice a month or more; another 8.3 % of men and 1.5% of women reported doing so once a month or more.

Earlier studies have noted drinking alcohol in moderation, especially red wine, might decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia and premature death.

"The many dangers of misuse of alcohol, and some of the possible benefits, have been widely reported, and there needs to be clarification by the scientific community," says Bill Thies, chief scientific and medical officer for the Alzheimer's Association. "Certainly no one should start drinking in order to reduce Alzheimer's risk."
In another study reported at the conference, researchers found moderate alcohol consumption had no protective properties in the mental functions of older women. The study followed 1,306 women ages 65 and older for 20 years. Among the highlights:

•Women who changed from not drinking to drinking over the course of the study had a 200% increased risk of cognitive impairment compared with non-drinkers.

•Women who reported drinking more in the past than at the beginning of the study were at a 30% increased risk of developing cognitive impairment compared with non-drinkers.

•Moderate drinkers in the late phrase of the study were roughly 60% more likely to develop cognitive impairment compared with nondrinkers.

"Alcohol use in late life many not be beneficial in older women," says lead author Tina Hoang of The Veterans Health Research Institute in San Francisco. "It may be that the brains of older individuals are more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol."



http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-07-18/alzheimers-binge-drinking/56310294/1

How singing helps people with dementia

http://agescotland.wordpress.com/2012/05/31/how-singing-helps-people-with-dementia/


There’s no denying that singing makes us feel good. It’s joyful, exhilarating and fun. Even those that feel they can’t carry a tune in a bucket get a kick out of belting out a ditty.

The simple act of song has been shown to have physical benefits , as well as extremely positive impacts for older people with dementia. Singing brings mental and emotional stimulation, and engages people in social environments.

Watch this uplifting video of Musical Minds , a choir for people with dementia and their carers, based in East Ayrshire. It’s difficult not to sing along too…

Assistam o vídeo pelo link!! Emocionante!!