National effort to combat Alzheimer's disease begins; as research continues, there are preventive steps you can take

Country singer Glen Campbell, who has Alzheimer's disease,
stands with wife Kim during a national conference Tuesday.
Associated Press photo by Charles Dharapak.

With numbers expected to jump to 16 million Americans by 2050, research is being conducted in earnest to find a way to ward off Alzheimer's disease.

One plan of attack is testing therapies before people show symptoms of memory loss, since the disease starts attacking the brain at least 10 years before memory problems appear. An international study will see if an experimental drug can halt the disease in "people who appear healthy but are genetically destined to get a type of Alzheimer's that runs in the family," reports Lauran Neergaard for The Associated Press. In another study, researchers will see if a nasal spray that shoots insulin to the brain can help patients with early memory problems.

Part of the challenge in combatting the disease is researchers are still not sure what causes it. "The chief suspects are a sticky gunk called bata-amyloid, which makes up the disease's hallmark brain plaques, and tangles of a protein named tau that clogs up dying brain cells. One theory: "Amyloid may kick off the disease while tau speeds up the brain destruction," Neergaard reports.

Given the expected increase in the number of people with Alzheimer's, the Obama administration has adopted a national strategy to fight the disease, part of which is a website that is a "one-stop shop for families" to offer information about dementia and links to community resources. Today, there are 5.4 Americans with Alzheimer's or related dementias.

There are steps people can take to protect their brains from the disease, including intellectual and social stimulation to help build "cognitive reserve." Doing crossword puzzles, for example, can help. So can physical activity. "Any time your heart is healthier, your brain is healthier," said Dr. Elizabeth head of the University of Kentucky. Diet is another consideration, since foods that are heart healthy are brain healthy, including omega-3 fatty acids found in fish. (Read more)

Where you live can affect your weight, studies find

A child's weight can be determined in part by what neighborhood he or she grows up in, a new series of studies indicate. (Photo by Getty Images)

In one of the studies, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers examined neighborhoods in King County, Wash., and San Diego County, Calif., and rated them in terms of physical activity and nutrition for kids ages 6 to through 11. A neighborhood received a high rating if its residents could easily walk to places like stores, libraries and parks. They also got a good grade if they had several grocery stores where healthy foods are sold, reports Kim Carollo for ABC News.

Poor-rated neighborhoods had few grocery stores or had lots of fast food restaurants. They also had few parks. "The biggest difference we found in rates of obesity were in the places where the environment was good for both nutrition and physical activity, the rates were less than 8 percent, but if the nutrition and physical activity were not good, the rates went up to 16 percent," said Brian Saelens, a co-author and professor of pediatrics at Seattle Children's Research Institute. (Read more)

The findings, explored using geographic information systems, are in keeping with an op-ed piece by Susan Blumenthal, public-health editor for the Huffington Post. Making the link between poverty and obesity, she points out the difference an affordable housing project has made in Greenbridge in King County, an immigrant community where more than 54 percent of adults are overweight or obese and more than 85 percent of children in grades 8, 10 and 12 do not meet federal physical activity recommendations.

The neighborhood is "being designed and built as models for creating an environment that promotes healthy diets and active lifestyles for their residents," she explains. The neighborhood now boasts an elementary school, a Head Start program, a Boys and Girls Club, community gardens to grown fresh fruits and vegetables, a library, play areas, walking path, a food bank, a community center and a public health clinic.

"This integrative approach has turned a trouble neighborhood into a welcoming place to live," she writes. "Initiatives like this one that involve not only individuals but the entire family and community provide a model for how to improve the health of cities across our nation." (Read more)

Single best thing we can do for our health is exercise

In an innovative video that draws a complete picture of the answer, Dr. Mike Evans asks the question "What is the single best thing we can do for our health?"

It turns out that whether a person wants to reduce the risk of knee arthritis, dementia, Alzheimer's, diabetes, hip fractures, anxiety, depression, fatigue and low quality of life, the key is exercise.

"The best thing you can do for your health is to spend half an hour being active," said Evans, an associate professor of family medicine and public health at the University of Toronto. "Low fitness was the strongest predictor of death."

The 9-minute video is worth a watch.

Happily, a survey shows more doctors like Evans are telling their patients to get out and exercise. Nearly 33 percent of adults who went to the doctor in the previous year said their doctor told them to be more physically active. In 2000, just 23 percent did, the survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

The survey found more women were told to do so than men, reports Mike Stobbe of The Associated Press. Of patients with chronic health issues, diabetics were told the most often. Cancer patients were least likely.

The widest margin of increase was in patients ages 85 and older. In 2000, just 15 percent were told by their doctors to exercise. In 2010, nearly 30 percent were. "It's very encouraging that doctors feel people at that age still have time to live and can make their health better," said Pat Barnes, a CDC health statistician who was the lead author of the report. (Read more)

September is national Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

September has been proclaimed national Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, with President Obama asking Americans to "take action by learning about and engaging in activities that promote healthy eating and greater physical activity by all our nation's children."

The U.S. childhood obesity rate has tripled since the 1970s, with 1 in 3 American children now either overweight or obese. As such, experts say one third of "children born in 2000 will develop Type 2 diabetes during their lifetime, with many others at risk of obesity-related illnesses including heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer and asthma," reports Julian Pecquet of congressional newspaper The Hill.

Childhood obesity is especially prevalent in Kentucky. The state has the the seventh highest obesity rate nationwide and the fourth highest rate of childhood obesity. Reporters can find by-county obesity rates by clicking here, but by-county childhood obesity rates are not available because counties are collecting data in different ways and at different ages, Sarah Walsh of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky said recently.

While the problem is a big one, there are initiatives underway to tackle it, including first lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move," which helps communities make healthy food and exercise choices. It also includes a partnership with grocery stores to increase food choices in areas that do not have easy access to healthy foods. (Read more)

'Most sedentary' designation sparks Lexingtonians to stand up; Herald-Leader coverage is an example to follow

Lexington's recent designation as the most sedentary city in the country by Men's Health magazine has got its residents talking, exercising and sharing their stories.

First, the city had a tongue-in-cheek Sedentary Parade with stationary floats and non-marching bands. Then, the Lexington Herald-Leader invited readers to share their stories about how they stay active to disprove the designation. The stories were published online Wednesday (with this couch potato illustration).

They include stories of people who have lost weight and run in marathons. It also includes the story of Robert F. Wachs, a 79-year-old man who has walked 4,500 miles in the last four years. "Once a month or so, I walk to downtown Lexington to get a haircut and then walk back to my home. This is a seven-mile round trip," he wrote.

The stories are accompanied by a calendar of upcoming exercise opportunities in the area.

There are also several features under the Stand Up Lexington heading, which include in-depth stories of how Lexingtonians are getting fit. They range from a woman sharing her weight-loss story on her blog to a badly injured trucker who is now participating in an Ironman triathlon. (Photo of Brennan Donahue by H-L's Tom Eblen)

The Herald-Leader has offered a good example for how a newspaper can provide an outlet for readers to share their stories, dispel an unflattering designation and inspire others to get active. Other newspapers across Kentucky could do the same with a variety of health-related topics.