New source of Alzheimers: the liver!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303134435.htm

The article claims the cost of treating alzheimers could cost 20 trillion in the year 2050, I suspect a typo, 20 billion may be more like it. But this new work seems to point to the liver as the cause, and if so an easy path to effective treatment.

Anyone see the Swedish movie 'A song for Martin'?

Originally posted by sonhouse
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303134435.htm

The article claims the cost of treating alzheimers could cost 20 trillion in the year 2050, I suspect a typo, 20 billion may be more like it. But this new work seems to point to the liver as the cause, and if so an easy path to effective treatment.

Anyone see the Swedish movie 'A song for Martin'?

It says 'accumulated' costs between 2010-2050 - which is actually a 40 year period, and is probably an accurate guesstimation, given the personal family costs included with real medical costs. ( I read this article this morning with interest, too! )

What I don't quite get, is that the leader of the team said it was an 'unexpected' find. Given that they've only just been making observations, I would hazard a guess that it is not 'unexpected', but is a further development of standard theses and tests and has, therefore, only just been observed.

I can't say it surprises me. We all know the liver is the body's main filter, and as far as I know - please correct me if I am wrong - the brain doesn't have much of its own filtering system? If that is the case, and I hope I AM wrong, then the things which have been new introductions to our bodily system intake over recent years, artifactual, must test the liver beyond its currently developed capacities? If there are new oxidised molecules containing mixes of elements and proteins, the liver wont pick them up, will it?

They would further to enter the system as unprocessed, and eventually reach our endorphin ( lymphatic, opioid etc ) receptors to wreak havoc?

Purely speculative questions, as I am no biologist.

-m.

Originally posted by mikelom
If that is the case, and I hope I AM wrong, then the things which have been new introductions to our bodily system intake over recent years, artifactual, must test the liver beyond its currently developed capacities?

Is the incidence of Alzheimers going up? The article suggests that nearly half of those 85 and over in the US suffer from it. Did that age range have a lower percentage in the past, and do other countries have different stats?
I am just curious as I know little of the disease and wonder why you suggest recent chemicals are to blame (and not old age).

Originally posted by twhitehead
Is the incidence of Alzheimers going up? The article suggests that nearly half of those 85 and over in the US suffer from it. Did that age range have a lower percentage in the past, and do other countries have different stats?

Well, for one, twenty years ago most people never even made it to 85.

This is a factor which is often overlooked, not just in Alzheimer's research. People are panicking over the increase in cancer rates. Many more people will get cancer these days than in the good old 19th century, and obviously this is all the fault of the evil 20th century technology. Well, some of it is - a very, very small some of it. By far most of it is thanks, not due, to 20th century technology: most of us get cancer not because we're being made feeble, but because we're healthy enough not to die of tuberculosis, the plague, or frecking measles by the time we're thirty. Be grateful.

Richard

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Well, for one, twenty years ago most people never even made it to 85.

Well thats what I wanted to know. Is there and increase unexplained by increasing life expectancy.
I must note that one reason I know practically nothing about Alzheimers, is I come from a country where life expectancy is under 40.

Originally posted by twhitehead
Well thats what I wanted to know. Is there and increase unexplained by increasing life expectancy.

I'm hardly an expert, but AFAIK not. Certainly the senile old dodger was a well-known comedy(!) figure centuries ago, so it must at least not have been very rare among those lucky enough to live that long. And when it comes to pre-senile dementia (or whatever the official term is), I'm not at all sure that we have had sufficient knowledge to discriminate it from certain other forms of mental disease for all that long. Not reliably, anyway.

Richard

i think it has something to do with aluminum. high levels of aluminum are found in the brains of alzheimer's patients. my great-grandmother had alzheimer's and she also had cast-aluminum cookware. prior to the invention of modern aluminum smelting processes it was more expensive than gold.

aluminum cookware is on the outs. i wonder if the industry knows something they're not telling us?

aluminum soda cans are coated inside with bisphenol-containing plastic. so we've only got to worry about the bisphenol.

Originally posted by zeeblebot
i think it has something to do with aluminum. high levels of aluminum are found in the brains of alzheimer's patients. my great-grandmother had alzheimer's and she also had cast-aluminum cookware. prior to the invention of modern aluminum smelting processes it was more expensive than gold.

aluminum cookware is on the outs. i wonder if the industry k ...[text shortened]... d inside with bisphenol-containing plastic. so we've only got to worry about the bisphenol.

ok, i used to think that, now i have to revisit, after reading this. maybe.

http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=99

Aluminium and Alzheimer's disease

Originally posted by zeeblebot
ok, i used to think that, now i have to revisit, after reading this. maybe.

http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=99

Aluminium and Alzheimer's disease

The question there would be 'do aluminum atoms cross the blood brain barrier'?
or some aluminum compound.

Originally posted by sonhouse
The question there would be 'do aluminum atoms cross the blood brain barrier'?
or some aluminum compound.

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Public_Health_Statement_for_Aluminum

http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_myths_about_alzheimers.asp

Seems an unlikely source of human illness, according to these sites....