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Heart problems trigger Alzheimer's disease
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Heart problems increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, according to experts from the medical center of a private research university in Tennessee. Scientists analyzed the results of a study that began 67 years ago, which examined risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease.
For 11 years, specialists monitored the health of volunteers who took part in the project, after which they conducted a comparative analysis of heart function indicators and the risk of senile dementia. During the study, cognitive impairment occurred in 32 participants, 26 of whom were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Those volunteers who had a normal cardiac index were less likely to develop dementia with age, compared to those who had a low cardiac index. As a result, specialists found that with a low cardiac index, people suffered from memory loss several times more often, compared to participants with a healthy heart.
In one of the latest studies, scientists have found that the first signs of Alzheimer's disease become noticeable at a young age. As it turned out, the disease progresses much earlier than previously thought. According to forecasts, by 2050, 44 million people will suffer from various forms of mental decline, since a cure for this disease has not yet been invented, and the world's population is aging at a rapid pace. Specialists from a private university in Illinois conducted a study of the brain of elderly people after death. Among the subjects were people with and without Alzheimer's disease. The specialists also took samples from people aged 20 to 66 years, a total of 13 samples were taken, while the participants at a young age did not suffer from memory problems at the time of death.
As tests have shown, as Alzheimer's disease develops, a toxic protein (beta-amyloid) begins to accumulate in the brain, starting at about the age of 20 (previously it was believed that the protein begins to accumulate 15-20 years before the symptoms of the disease appear). In addition, the same protein was found in the neurons of the brain of young people (these neurons were responsible for memory and attention).
Experts note that quality sleep can help prevent a decline in mental abilities with age. As studies have shown, sleeping 8 hours a day promotes normal brain function, and people who spend enough time at night practically do not experience mental disorders in old age. During sleep, information about the past day is processed and analyzed, which helps strengthen memory and enhances cognitive activity.
Experts from the US chemical community believe that moderate beer consumption can help reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's). This drink contains xanthohumol, which has antitumor and antioxidant properties.
According to experts, neurodegenerative disorders are caused by the oxidative process in nerve cells, and xanthohumol is able to protect brain cells from this type of damage.
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