Inverse link between cancer and Alzheimer's

[Anaxagoras]

In a small bit of good news for people with terrible diagnoses, having cancer appears to protect against getting Alzheimer's disease -- and vice versa.

What began as a hunch by a handful of researchers is confirmed in a study published today in the journal Neurology. People diagnosed with Alzheimer's were found to have a 43% lower risk of developing cancer than those without the disease, and people with cancer ran a 35% lower chance of developing Alzheimer's, according to the study of 25,000 residents of the Italian city of Milan.

I wonder if this actually means anything important or potentially useful.

[DrMatt]

In a small bit of good news for people with terrible diagnoses, having cancer appears to protect against getting Alzheimer's disease -- and vice versa.

What began as a hunch by a handful of researchers is confirmed in a study published today in the journal Neurology. People diagnosed with Alzheimer's were found to have a 43% lower risk of developing cancer than those without the disease, and people with cancer ran a 35% lower chance of developing Alzheimer's, according to the study of 25,000 residents of the Italian city of Milan.

I wonder if this actually means anything important or potentially useful.

It... what were we talking about?

[Cool Hand]

In a small bit of good news for people with terrible diagnoses, having cancer appears to protect against getting Alzheimer's disease -- and vice versa.

What began as a hunch by a handful of researchers is confirmed in a study published today in the journal Neurology. People diagnosed with Alzheimer's were found to have a 43% lower risk of developing cancer than those without the disease, and people with cancer ran a 35% lower chance of developing Alzheimer's, according to the study of 25,000 residents of the Italian city of Milan.

I wonder if this actually means anything important or potentially useful.

Yes. Older people generally fear developing Alzheimer's far more than they do cancer. This is good news. There is some revolutionary thinking going on in some circles among neurologists concerning diet, especially the potentially harmful effects of gluten and a grain based diet.

CH

[Doctor X]

If you have cancer . . . you do not live long enough to die of Alzheimer's.

If you have Alzheimer's . . . you do not care if you get cancer.

I know too many who had both.

--J.D.

[Anaxagoras]

In a small bit of good news for people with terrible diagnoses, having cancer appears to protect against getting Alzheimer's disease -- and vice versa.

What began as a hunch by a handful of researchers is confirmed in a study published today in the journal Neurology. People diagnosed with Alzheimer's were found to have a 43% lower risk of developing cancer than those without the disease, and people with cancer ran a 35% lower chance of developing Alzheimer's, according to the study of 25,000 residents of the Italian city of Milan.

I wonder if this actually means anything important or potentially useful.

Yes. Older people generally fear developing Alzheimer's far more than they do cancer. This is good news. There is some revolutionary thinking going on in some circles among neurologists concerning diet, especially the potentially harmful effects of gluten and a grain based diet.

CH

Gluten? Is that why there's so much "gluten-free" these days?

Unfortunately for me, I love food with gluten in it, like breads and pasta.

[Tiosylanyl]

In a small bit of good news for people with terrible diagnoses, having cancer appears to protect against getting Alzheimer's disease -- and vice versa.

What began as a hunch by a handful of researchers is confirmed in a study published today in the journal Neurology. People diagnosed with Alzheimer's were found to have a 43% lower risk of developing cancer than those without the disease, and people with cancer ran a 35% lower chance of developing Alzheimer's, according to the study of 25,000 residents of the Italian city of Milan.

I wonder if this actually means anything important or potentially useful.

Yes. Older people generally fear developing Alzheimer's far more than they do cancer. This is good news. There is some revolutionary thinking going on in some circles among neurologists concerning diet, especially the potentially harmful effects of gluten and a grain based diet.

CH

Gluten? Is that why there's so much "gluten-free" these days?

Unfortunately for me, I love food with gluten in it, like breads and pasta.

No, there have always been some gluten-free products due to Celiac Disease. However, there are other forms of gluten sensitivity that have given rise to fad diets that some people follow whether or not their sensitivity is real or perceived. There's even a belief among the Jenny McCarthy type of autism advocates that insist that gluten has a direct impact on the severity of a child's autism. I don't believe that there's been any definitive evidence regarding a link between gluten and Alzheimer's though, at least none I've come across yet.

ETA: on a quick Google search, I did come across a six year old article about a Mayo Clinic study that found a possible link between gluten and Alzheimer's for individuals with Celiac Disease. All of the other hits on the search were pretty suspect, the most recent of which relate to some guy trying to sell books.

[Cool Hand]

http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surpr ... rain+brain

The author is a practicing neurologist in Florida in his 60s.

Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, blows the lid off a topic that's been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more. Dr. Perlmutter explains what happens when the brain encounters common ingredients in your daily bread and fruit bowls, why your brain thrives on fat and cholesterol, and how you can spur the growth of new brain cells at any age. He offers an in-depth look at how we can take control of our "smart genes" through specific dietary choices and lifestyle habits, demonstrating how to remedy our most feared maladies without drugs. With a revolutionary 30-day plan, GRAIN BRAIN teaches us how we can reprogram our genetic destiny for the better.

It's an intriguing read and its core idea is gaining increasing support from other MDs. Bottom line: grain was introduced into humans' diets with the birth of agriculture and civilization circa 10,000 years ago. Prior to that, we hunter-gatherers existed primarily on meats, leafy vegetables, roots, nuts, seeds, and berries. Those are the things we evolved to eat, digest, and metabolize. Carbohydrates are not necessary for humans to thrive, and may be doing us far more harm than good, especially when it comes to neurological health. The brain craves dietary fat, and we cannot live without it. Stop demonizing fat and embrace it and protein sources as your primary sources of calories. Carbs not just bad, but much worse than we've ever thought, and for different reasons.

Not advocating for it, just relaying his message, but I'm trying out his dietary suggestions.

CH

[Tiosylanyl]

This guy doesn't get into the specific claims regarding gluten, but does make points regarding the overarching message of in that book.

I'm not saying that Dr. Perlmutter couldn't be correct, but I tend to be wary of anyone making claims like this and trying to sell a book, regardless of his professional qualifications, especially when there aren't other studies currently out there to support his hypotheses. I would also note that he serves as a medical advisor to Dr. Oz who, while having impressive credentials himself, has been known to regularly advocate woo remedies on his show. So far to me this just has hallmarks of a fad diet for people who don't suffer from Celiac Disease or other gluten sensitivity.

[Anaxagoras]

Yeah, the first thing I noticed was the endorsement from Dr. Oz on the cover, which honestly makes me more skeptical, not less.

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/ ... ydr-oz-an/

Then there’s Dr. Mehmet Oz, “America’s doctor.” Dr. Oz is a relatively new frequent topic of this blog. That’s because, although Dr. Oz has been borderline flaky for a long time, it was only over the last several months (the last three months, actually) that he went completely off the deep end, defending a man whom I consider to be one of the foremost purveyors of quackery on the Internet, Dr Joe Mercola; inviting a yogi on the show who promoted Ayruvedic medicine; promoting a faith healer; and finally, featuring self-proclaimed psychic medium John Edward and even asking whether psychics are the new therapists. As JREF so aptly states in its presentation of the Media Pigasus Award, Dr. Oz

…has done such a disservice to his TV viewers by promoting quack medical practices that he is now the first person to win a Pigasus two years in a row. Dr. Oz is a Harvard-educated cardiac physician who, through his syndicated TV show, has promoted faith healing, “energy medicine,” and other quack theories that have no scientific basis. Oz has appeared on ABC News to give legitimacy to the claims of Brazilian faith healer “John of God,” who uses old carnival tricks to take money from the seriously ill. He’s hosted Ayurvedic guru Yogi Cameron on his show to promote nonsense “tongue examination” as a way of diagnosing health problems. This year, he really went off the deep end. In March 2011, Dr. Oz endorsed “psychic” huckster and past Pigasus winner John Edward, who pretends to talk to dead people. Oz even suggested that bereaved families should visit psychic mediums to receive (faked) messages from their dead relatives as a form of grief counseling.

Unfortunately, the JREF award presentation doesn’t include all of Dr. Oz’s offenses. This is not JREF’s fault, because I’m sure the people preparing the awards finished them up a while ago. It was only just yesterday that Dr. Oz, not content with faith healing and psychic mediums, decided that he would embrace The One Woo To Rule Them All. That’s right; I’m talking about homeopathy. It was featured prominently two segments in yesterday’s show, first Alternative Pain Treatments (part II is here). First, Dr. Oz asks, “Could the ultimate antidote for your pain be found among the ancient secrets and cutting edge innovations of alternative treatments?”

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the ... ith-dr-oz/

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/dr-oz-revisited/

[silverdrake]

http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surpr ... rain+brain

The author is a practicing neurologist in Florida in his 60s.

Renowned neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, blows the lid off a topic that's been buried in medical literature for far too long: carbs are destroying your brain. And not just unhealthy carbs, but even healthy ones like whole grains can cause dementia, ADHD, anxiety, chronic headaches, depression, and much more. Dr. Perlmutter explains what happens when the brain encounters common ingredients in your daily bread and fruit bowls, why your brain thrives on fat and cholesterol, and how you can spur the growth of new brain cells at any age. He offers an in-depth look at how we can take control of our "smart genes" through specific dietary choices and lifestyle habits, demonstrating how to remedy our most feared maladies without drugs. With a revolutionary 30-day plan, GRAIN BRAIN teaches us how we can reprogram our genetic destiny for the better.

It's an intriguing read and its core idea is gaining increasing support from other MDs. Bottom line: grain was introduced into humans' diets with the birth of agriculture and civilization circa 10,000 years ago. Prior to that, we hunter-gatherers existed primarily on meats, leafy vegetables, roots, nuts, seeds, and berries. Those are the things we evolved to eat, digest, and metabolize. Carbohydrates are not necessary for humans to thrive, and may be doing us far more harm than good, especially when it comes to neurological health. The brain craves dietary fat, and we cannot live without it. Stop demonizing fat and embrace it and protein sources as your primary sources of calories. Carbs not just bad, but much worse than we've ever thought, and for different reasons.

Not advocating for it, just relaying his message, but I'm trying out his dietary suggestions.

CH

Sounds like he's leaning toward the Paleo Diet fad.

[Doctor X]

How does one "reprogram" his "genetic destiny?"

Without powerful mutagens, of course.

As a Humble--Yet MagNIfIcent--poster noted: "a process, not an attribute."

--J.D.

[Witness]

I woulden't trust a book with the journalistic subtitle "The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Grain and Sugar – Your Brain's Silent Killers"… I read a parody of that style, "Salad, the Silent Killer"!

Dietary prescriptions come and go, ~ 15 years ago drinking coffee was linked to pancreas cancer, recently even the classical distinction between "bad" and "good" (unsaturated) fats has been challenged, and there was also an article in Scientific American against vitamin supplements (statistically life shortening, it seems).

And I always smell a kind of christian stance: what gives you pleasure must be bad. As the soul concept has mostly evaporated, well, then it's bad for your body.

The pagans were more pragmatic: everything you don't eat or drink, you will have to take it as medicine.