Risk Factors for Alzheimer's Disease: A Prospective Analysis from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging

Abstract

A prospective analysis of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease was a major objective of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, a nationwide, population-based study. Of 6,434 eligible subjects aged 65 years or older in 1991, 4,615 were alive in 1996 and participated in the follow-up study. All participants were cognitively normal in 1991 when they completed a risk factor questionnaire. Their cognitive status was reassessed 5 years later by using a similar two-phase procedure, including a screening interview, followed by a clinical examination when indicated. The analysis included 194 Alzheimer's disease cases and 3,894 cognitively normal controls. Increasing age, fewer years of education, and the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele were significantly associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, wine consumption, coffee consumption, and regular physical activity were associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. No statistically significant association was found for family history of dementia, sex, history of depression, estrogen replacement therapy, head trauma, antiperspirant or antacid use, smoking, high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke. The protective associations warrant further study. In particular, regular physical activity could be an important component of a preventive strategy against Alzheimer's disease and many other conditions.

Smoking exacerbates amyloid pathology in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

“…The aetiology of sporadic AD is not well known, but several risk factors have been shown to increase the probability of developing the disease 3 . Although the main risk factor for AD is aging, various others factors have also been proposed, including gender, ApoE polymorphism, the coexistence of other disorders (such as cardiovascular diseases, brain injury, diabetes and Down syndrome) and several lifestyle conditions, including physical activity, education, diet or smoking 4,5 .…”

Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Developing Dementia in the Elderly: The Contribution of Prospective Studies

“…When the ApoE4 allele was present, the HR was below 1.00 only for light drinkers, and above 1.00 for heavier drinkers ( Several other prospective studies have reported an association between alcohol consumption and dementia. A Canadian study (6) reported that at least weekly consumption of alcohol was associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease (OR=0.68, [0.47-1.00].…”

Characterization of Japanese-American men with a single neocortical AD lesion type

“…An especially interesting finding was that education, well known to be associated with higher risk of dementia [28] and AD, [18,21,41,47] was not associated with any of the AD lesion groups. This supports data from the Nun Study indicating that educational attainment was not related to fulfillment of neuropathologic criteria for AD.…”