Two drinks and twenty Cigarettes a day raises risk of Alzheimer's
Heavy smokers and drinkers develop Alzheimer’s six to seven years earlier than those who do not smoke or drink, a study presented to a scientific meeting in Chicago has claimed.
Heavy smokers and drinkers develop Alzheimer’s six to seven years earlier than those who do not smoke or drink, a study presented to a scientific meeting in Chicago has claimed. Carrying the gene that predisposes people to the disease will also reduce the age at which the onset of Alzheimer’s occurs. The worst possible combination is to smoke, drink and carry the gene, which on average reduces the age at which Alzheimer’s is diagnosed by 8.5 years. Heavy drinking, defined in this study as More than two drinks a day, accelerated onset by 4.8 years, and heavy smoking (20 Cigarettes a day) by 2.3 years. Carrying a gene called APOE variant 4 accelerated onset by three years. The study was presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting by a team from Mount Sinai Medical Centre in Miami Beach. It looked only at people who had already been given a diagnosis of probable or possible Alzheimer’s. The study does not throw light on whether drinking or smoking causes the disease. It simply claims that among people who develop Alzheimer’s, smoking and drinking are linked to an early onset of symptoms. Other studies have found that drinking one to three alcoholic drinks a day is linked to a lower risk of dementia of all sorts. A Dutch study showed that the incidence of dementia in drinkers was 42 per cent lower. The new study, led by Ranjan Duara, gathered information about the drinking and smoking habits of the patient, and also carried out tests for the APOE gene. The team found that 27 per cent of the patients had the damaging variant of APOE, 7 per cent were defined as heavy drinkers and 20 per cent smoked 20 or More Cigarettes a day. Dr Duara said: “These results are significant because it’s possible that if we can reduce or eliminate heavy smoking and drinking, we could substantially delay the onset of Alzheimer’s for people and reduce the number of people who have [it] at any point. “It has been projected that a delay in the onset of the disease by five years would lead to a nearly 50 per cent reduction in Alzheimer’s cases.” He added that drinking and smoking were two of “the most important preventable risk factors”. Of the 938 people looked at in the study, only 17 combined all three risk factors. They developed Alzheimer’s at an average age of 68.5 years. The 374 people with none of the risk factors developed the disease at an average of 77 years. A second study presented to the conference suggested that high cholesterol levels at 40 increased the risk of Alzheimer’s by about 50 per cent. Susanne Sorensen, head of research at the Alzheimer’s Society, said that dementia placed a huge burden on society. “This research adds to the weight of evidence on drinking and smoking habits and the risk of developing dementia. “The best way to reduce your risk is to eat a balanced diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins and to exercise regularly. Not smoking, drinking only in moderation and getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly throughout life are also important.”