据凯特·凯兰（ Kate Kelland ） 2012 年 9 月 6 日 为 NewsDaily 撰文披露了路透社 (Reuters) 当天的消息， 对于银杏提取物能防止老年痴呆症的结论提出相反的论证。法国研究人员组织的一个大型的科学研究发现，人们每天 2 次服用一定剂量的银杏叶提取物，对于脑损疾病的治疗与服用安慰剂相比较，显示不出疗效差异。该研究成果 2012 年 9 月 6 日 在杂志《柳叶刀神经学》（ The Lancet Neurology ）网站发表—— Bruno Vellas , Nicola Coley , Pierre-Jean Ousset , Gilles Berrut , Jean-Franois Dartigues , Bruno Dubois , Hélène Grandjean , Florence Pasquier , Franois Piette , Philippe Robert , Jacques Touchon , Philippe Garnier , Hélène Mathiex-Fortunet , Sandrine Andrieu . Long-term use of standardised ginkgo biloba extract for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease (GuidAge): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet Neurology, Early Online Publication, 6 September 2012, doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70206-5 . 甚至专家指出 , 任何希望通过服用草药提取物来逃离阿兹海默氏症（老年痴呆症）都是白费心机，浪费钱财。（ 这种断言是否成立需要事实和案例来说明，一概而论未免有些武断！——编译者注） 阿兹海默氏病协会的女发言人杰斯·史密斯（ Jess Smith ）说：“有一阵子 , 人们都希望银杏叶提取物可以成为治疗阿兹海默氏病的神奇药物 , 然而 , 近年来研究结果已经反复证明了它在预防该疾病或减缓症状方面并没有任何好处。这次试验历时 5 年 , 涉及 2854 法国人，年龄在 70 岁或者以上老年人以及那些担心他们的记忆力衰退，已经拜访过医生的人。对 1406 名患者服用银杏药片 , 另有 1414 人服用一种味道和外观与银杏药片相似的安慰剂。研究人员然后用标准测试来评估病人的记忆、认知功能和痴呆状态。五年后 , 银杏 组的 61 人（占受试者人数的 4.34% ）被诊断出患有阿兹海默病 , 而安慰剂组有 73 人（占受试者人数的 5.16% ） , 被诊断出患有阿兹海默病。由法国图卢兹（ Toulouse, France ） Casselardit 医院的 Bruno Vellas 领导的研究小组，根据上述结果得出的结论为：两组不同的结果没有统计学意义上的差别。 这项研究似乎也证实了美国弗吉尼亚大学（ University of Virginia ）医学院的斯蒂文 · 迪克斯基（ Steven T. DeKosky ）博士等人的合作研究结果：在 2000~2008 年之间，随访 6.1 年对 3069 人年龄在 75 岁以上认知正常者 2587 人，轻度认知功能障碍者 482 人。对其分 2 组进行观察研究，试验组每天服用 2 次各 120-mg 银杏提取物，参与者 1545 人；对照组服用安慰剂，参与者 1524 。 然后每 6 个月接受一次检查，随访 6.1 年后发现， 2 组受试者的痴呆症发病率基本相当，服用银杏药物组出现 277 例痴呆症，对照组出现 246 例；痴呆发病率分别是 3.3% （银杏组）和 2.9% （对照组）。他们由此得出结论： 每天服用 2 次各 120-mg 银杏提取物 并未对于 轻度认知功能障碍者和 认知正常者 的 痴呆发病率 产生影响。更多信息请浏览： Steven T. DeKosky, Jeff D. Williamson, Annette L. Fitzpatrick, Richard A. Kronmal, Diane G. Ives, Judith A. Saxton, Oscar L. Lopez, Gregory Burke, Michelle C. Carlson, Linda P. Fried, Lewis H. Kuller, John A. Robbins, Russell P. Tracy, Nancy F. Woolard ， Leslie Dunn, Beth E. Snitz, Richard L. Nahin, Curt D. Furberg. Ginkgo biloba for Prevention of Dementia ： A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA ， 2008, 300(19): 2253-2262. 2009 年的研究发现所得结果是类似的。 美国弗吉尼亚大学（ University of Virginia ）医学院的斯蒂文 · 迪克斯基（ Steven T. DeKosky ）博士 作为研究项目负责人，根据他们对 3069 名 75~96 岁的老年人进行调查研究， 1545 人每天服用 2 次各 120mg 银杏药物， 这一剂量被认为可有效提高记忆水平； 另有 1524 人 服用安慰剂， 然后每 6 个月接受一次检查 。 6.1 年后发现， 2 组受试者的痴呆症发病率基本相当。 与安慰剂组相比,服用银杏提取物 每日两次各120mg的试验组并没有使老年人认知下降与认知正常或轻度认知障碍者的痴呆症发病率降低。 测试最初，一些人曾表现出轻微思维困难症状，但是银杏药物也没能阻止痴呆症在这些人身上发生。虽然银杏提取物可以改善记忆，但并不能预防老年痴呆症的发生。目前医学界对老年痴呆症并无任何特效药，银杏虽然可以在一定程度上改善大脑的记忆功能和改进血液循环，但对认知功能全面衰退的阿兹海默病等痴呆症却没有任何预防作用。研究同时指出，对 70 岁以上的老人而言，大量使用银杏还会增加脑溢血的发生。所以，试图服用银杏提取物防止阿尔茨海默病的老年人应该慎重选择。 更多信息请浏览： Beth E. Snitz, Ellen S. O’Meara, Michelle C. Carlson, Alice M. Arnold, Diane G. Ives, Stephen R. Rapp, Judith Saxton, Oscar L. Lopez, Leslie O. Dunn, Kaycee M. Sink, Steven T. DeKosky. Ginkgo biloba for Preventing Cognitive Decline in Older Adults ： A Randomized Trial. JAMA , 2009, 302(24): 2663-2670. “丑陋的事实粉碎了”美好的理论（“ NICE THEORY "DESTROYED BY UGLY FACT " ） Bruno Vellas 说 , 虽然研究结果暗示定期使用银杏叶子提取物对于老年人可能患有阿兹海默氏症并没有预防效果 , 但是长期使用银杏叶子提取物和其他潜在的预防措施是否有效需要进行长期的更多研究来检证。据估计全世界大约有 1800 万人患有老年痴呆症 , 随着人口的老龄化发展、老年痴呆症疾病的比率预计会激增。尚无治愈和一些有效的治疗方法来应对致命的大脑疾病 , 是其影响记忆力、思维和行为能力 , 这无疑对于整个世界来说，都将是日益沉重的社会负担和经济负担。“事实上 , 这种衰弱症的患病率预计到 2050 年将翻两番，表明研究预防性治疗这一疾病需要引起高度关注 。英国埃克塞特大学（ The University of Exeter ）补充医学的前任主管 Edzard Ernst 教授认为，这项研究的发现虽然让那些想要借助草药救助的人感到失望，但是依然是重要的。他在电子邮件发表评论谈到，这是迄今为止最大的银杏叶子提取物的应用试验 , 结果令人失望，而且以失败告终，表明这种草药不可能降低患老年痴呆症的风险。又一个美丽的草药理论被一个丑陋的事实所粉碎。 事实是这样的吗？！
想象一下，一位研究阿尔兹海默症的科学家，用当年阿尔兹海默症博士的显微镜，来观察世界上第一位阿尔兹海默症病人的脑切片，是多么令人兴奋的事情。我正是怀着这份激动与喜悦，参观了一百多年前发现老年痴呆症的阿罗伊斯·阿尔兹海默博士的故乡。 2012年6月24日，2012NGF会议结束以后，组织者Michael Sendtner带我们去了马克特布海特。那是一座位于维尔兹堡南部的小镇，阿罗伊斯·阿尔兹海默正是在那儿诞生的。这里属于德国南方的乡村，此起彼伏的山脉上铺摆着绿油油的农田，草木茂盛，放眼望去，一片碧绿，令人想起了荷兰画派风景画所展示的悠闲。雨后的空气是如此的清新，郁郁葱葱的大地与碧蓝的天空交相辉映，呈现出了安逸宁静的氛围，而就在这份宁静安逸之下，创造出了许多能载入历史的名人轶事。 Michael是维尔兹堡大学的一位非常有造诣的神经生物学家和精神病医师，也是一位具有“文艺复兴”精神气质的科学家，精通艺术、音乐和历史。从他那儿，我了解到了许多科学历史和维尔兹堡大学的文化。维尔兹堡大学是德国历史最悠久的大学（大约在500年之前建校）。19世纪时，这里聚集了许多著名的科学家，形成了一个浓郁的学术氛围，有不少留芳百世的发现。比如说由于1842年那场革命的缘故，Rudolf Virchow被迫离开柏林，来到了维尔兹堡。他与也在柏林的Theodor Schwann（雪旺）曾围绕神经系统的细胞是起源于流体还是干细胞的问题上，展开过激烈的争论，这一争论导致了神经细胞和胶质细胞的发现及神经系统的现代观。雪旺也因此发现了一种包裹周围神经的胶质细胞——后称为“雪旺氏细胞”；而Virchow则提出了细胞学说——现已成为了现代细胞生物学的基础。还有Albert Koelliker ，他是一位痴迷于显微镜技术的解剖学家，这种兴趣使得他与卡尔·蔡司（Carl Zeiss）成为了好朋友，而如今，Carl Zeiss已经成为了显微镜的代名词。Koelliker同样也是 Hans Speemann的老师和朋友，而后者在后来成为了发育生物学的一位教父般人物。通过在维尔兹堡大学对海胆的研究，Theodor Boveri证实了染色体载有遗传物质，重新点燃了人们对孟德尔定律的激情。或许，与阿尔兹海默最有关联的要数Franz Nissl了，他发明的用苯胺染料对脑切片染色的方法(尼氏染色法) 至今仍在沿用。具有讽刺意味的是，从维尔兹堡附近移居美国加州的Levi Strauss，用同样类型的苯胺染料，制造出世界上第一条蓝色Levi’s牛仔裤。谁的发明更有名（有用）呢？ 就是在这样一种浓重的学术氛围中，阿罗伊斯·阿尔兹海默开始学医，后来成为了一名精神病医师和神经病理学家。在维尔兹堡大学学习期间，Albert Koelliker教授通过显微镜的镜头将他引入到了一个神秘而迷人的世界。Franz Nissl对他的影响也很大，他教授阿尔兹海默染色的技巧，最终他们成为了好朋友，并且一起合作了7年之久。阿尔兹海默的许多有关脑病理的难题都是用Nissl的银染色法解决的。除了这些人以外，曾经在那里执教的科学大腕，例如Schwann、Boveri，还有Koelliker的朋友Santiago Ramón y Cajal（神经生物学的开山鼻祖）都或多或少地影响了阿尔兹海默的科学生涯。 1901年11月25日，是医学史上最重要的一天之一。在这一天，Auguste D，一位51岁的老妇人带着痴呆的表情走进了法兰克福医院，接受了阿罗伊斯·阿尔兹海默的诊治。阿尔兹海默详细地记录了对她的第一次问诊，还给她拍了一张照片，这张照片后来也变成了神经病学中最著名的照片之一。而Auguste D.也成为了第一个得到记载的老年痴呆症的病例。通过对Auguste的观察后，阿尔兹海默发现，虽然她表现出理解能力下降、迷惑、偏执、幻听等症状，她最主要的病症还是记忆力的逐渐下滑。1906年，Auguste D.死后，阿尔兹海默用Nissl的染色方法对她的脑切片进行染色，再通过显微镜仔细的观察。发现了Auguste脑切片有两个明显特征：小粟粒灶——后来被命名为淀粉样斑块，还有被着上很深颜色的神经原纤维——现在被称为为神经纤维缠结。这项发现后来被Purusini、Kraepelin、Fischer等人证实，1910年，Kraepelin教授将这种严重的老年痴呆症命名为“阿尔兹海默症”。 然而和科学史上诸多优秀的天才一样，在当时，阿尔兹海默所提出的这种新的大脑疾病并没有受到医学界的太大关注。1906年，在图宾根举行的一次科学会议中，阿尔兹海默首次报告了Auguste D.的病例，还展示了漂亮的神经纤维缠结、淀粉样斑块和活性神经胶质细胞的样本。他原以为在讲述完Auguste D.的病例之后，现场反响会很强烈，可令阿尔兹海默吃惊的是，现场竟然没有人提问。据一本名为《阿尔兹海默：一位医生的一生及其职业生涯》《Alzheimer: The Life of a Physician the Career of a Disease》的书中记载，当时的会议主席说道：“好吧，尊敬的阿尔兹海默同事，谢谢你的报告，很显然这个病例不需要进行讨论了”。显然，阿尔兹海默当时的发现是超前的，所以整个医学界根本没有意识到他的结果的重要性。事实上，直到80年以后，这项重大的发现才得到应有的重视。而今天“阿尔兹海默”这个名字早已在医学界和科学界里如雷贯耳，在普通人甚至是政客当中也不会陌生。据估计，如果在2050年之前还没有对该病的治疗措施的话，那么世界人口的5%将会变成该病受害者，而所造成的财政负担会将经济推向崩溃。到2013年，美国国立卫生研究院对阿尔兹海默症的研究投资将达到有史以来的最高点：5.29亿美元。美国总统奥巴马甚至在2011年签署了阿尔兹海默症国家行动计划的法律文件。谁会想到100年以前，一名维尔兹堡的普通医生，会对当今人们的健康生活产生如此巨大的影响！ 我们已经再也不能忽视阿尔兹海默症了。不过，要不是有一对夫妇锲而不舍的努力，我们也许不可能有对阿尔兹海默博士以及他对科学的贡献的深入了解。 这就是法兰克福大学精神病系的主任Konrad Maurer博士和他的太太Ulrike。我很庆幸在参观阿罗伊斯·阿尔兹海默的故居博物馆时遇见了他们。1989年，Ochsenfurter大街15a号的户主以及全世界都得知了这里曾经是阿罗伊斯·阿尔兹海默的住处。这也触发了作为阿尔兹海默粉丝的Maurer博士的兴趣。在他的不懈努力下，终于说服了制药巨头美国礼来公司买下了这栋房子。经过妻子Ulrike的改造后，这栋房子变成了科学会议 厅和阿尔兹海默博物馆。多年来，由阿尔兹海默博士亲自所写的有关Auguste D.的病史诊断记录遍寻无着。Maurer展开了精疲力竭的搜寻，终于在1995年，一个偶然的机会，他们发现了全部的文件被错放在了精神病科的地下室里。退休以后，Maurer夫妇对阿尔兹海默从学术到生平的研究，变成了两人的一个新的事业。他们从阿尔兹海默的孙辈那儿收集了大量的文物、家具、照片、信件等等。他们还说服了慕尼黑大学的Mehraein教授，让他贡献出了4片Auguste D.的脑切片样本。他们甚至还找到了阿尔兹海默当年用过的显微镜！通过这个显微镜，参观者就可以用阿尔兹海默100年前相同的工具观察Auguste D.女士的淀粉样斑块与神经纤维缠结了。 在我和Maurer博士的谈话中，我问他下一步打算做什么。他告诉我，他们已经确定了Auguste D.的坟墓，并且得到了家属允许证，对她剩余的躯体进行DNA分析，再与他们现有的脑切片样品进行比对。“这样就可以观察她的易感基因（如ApoE4、presenilin、Aβ、tau等等）是否有突变。” 我兴奋地说：“现在的技术已经可以对Auguste D.做全基因组测序了！”是啊，用现代高科技，将重新点燃对这尘封了百年之久的病例的痴迷和好奇。那么阿罗伊斯·阿尔兹海默和Maurer教授的痴迷追索，是否也会对我们今天对医学科学的探索有所启迪呢？ Chasing the footsteps of Dr. Alzheimer – Discover how Alzheimer’s disease was discovered Imaging what a pleasure it would be for a scientist studying Alzheimer disease to have a chance to touch the very microscope with which the Alzheimer’s disease was first discovered? This was exactly the thrill I experienced when I visited the birthplace of Dr. Alois Alzheimer, the person who discovered Alzheimer’s disease. On June 24, 2012, after the NGF2012 meeting, the organizer Dr. Michael Sendtner took us to Marktbreit, a small town south of Würzburg where Alois Alzheimer was born. This is a beautiful southern Germany countryside, with farmland on wavy hills covered by thick grass, reminding me of Dutch landscape paintings. The air was incredibly fresh after days of rain wash. The green carpet merged with blue sky, emanating a tranquility that stands the test of history. Michael is an accomplished neurobiologist/psychiatrist from the Würzburg University, and a “Renaissance” scientist who is well versed in arts, music and history. From him I indulged a high dose of science history and culture of Würzburg Univ., one of the oldest universities (founded more than 500 years ago) in Germany. In the 19th century, many famous scientists gathered here, creating a rich intellectual environment for extraordinary discoveries. The 1848 revolution forced Rudolf Virchow to leave Berlin and come to Würzburg. The debate between Virchow and Theodor Schwann who also had worked in Berlin before 1848 on whether the nervous system is made of cells that are generated feely in fluid or cells that originate from stem cells has led to the discovery of neurons and glial cells and our modern view on the nervous system. Schwann went on to discover the cells that envelope the nerve fibers – now called Schwann cells, and Virchow formulated cell theory, which forms the foundation for modern cell biology. Albert Koelliker also came to Wuerzburg in 1847. He was an anatomist fascinated by microscopic techniques. It was not surprising that he and people trained by him like Ernst Haeckel became friends of Carl Zeiss, whose name is the synonym for microscope today. Through his study of sea urchins at Würzburg, Theodor Boveri demonstrated that chromosomes carry heredity materials, thus connecting Mendel’s law to cell biology. He was also a teacher and friend of Hans Spemann, who later became a paramount figure in developmental biology. Perhaps the most relevant was Franz Nissl, who developed a method of staining brain sections using aniline dye, which is still used today. Ironically, the same type of aniline dye was used by Levi Strauss, who moved from a place not far from Wuerzburg to America and invented the blue jeans. It was in such a rich intellectual environment that Alois Alzheimer was trained first as a medical student and then as a psychiatrist and neuropathologist. During his doctoral thesis at Würzburg Univ., Prof. Albert Koelliker introduced him to the mysterious but fascinating world through the lens of a microscope. He was also heavily influenced by Franz Nissl, who apparently taught him the staining techniques. They became close friends and collaborated for seven years. Much of Alzheimer’s work on brain pathology made use of Nissl's silver staining method. It is not difficult to imagine that other scientific giants such as Schwann, Boveri, and even Santiago Ramón y Cajal, who as a friend of Koelliker may have an impact on Alzheimer’s scientific career. Nov. 25, 1901 may turn out to be one of the most important days for the history of medicine! On that day, Auguste D. a 51-year old lady with signs of dementia walked in the Frankfurt Hospital, where she was examined by Dr. Alois Alzheimer. He took detailed notes on the first interview of her, and perhaps even took a picture of her, which became one of the most famous pictures of a patient today. This is what we know the very first case of Alzheimer’s disease. Through his care of Auguste, Alzheimer noticed that although she exhibited reduced comprehension, disorientation, paranoia, and auditory hallucinations, her main symptom was the progressive decline of memory. After her death in 1906, Dr. Alzheimer performed detailed microscopic study of Mrs. Auguste D’s postmortem brain sections using Nissl staining method. This study revealed two distinctive features of Auguste’s brain: small miliary foci which were later known as amyloid plaques, and "deeply stained bundles of neurofibrils" that are now called neuritic tangles. This discovery was confirmed by Purusini, Kraepelin, Fischer, etc. In subsequent years, and Kraepelin named this serious senile dementia "Alzheimer’s disease" in 1910. Like many geniuses in the history of science, the description of a new brain disease by Alzheimer did not receive much attention by the medical community at the time. In 1906, Alzheimer presented the case of Auguste D. for the first time, with beautiful slides showing neurofibrillary tangles, plaques and activated glia, at a scientific meeting in Tübingen. Expecting lively discussions after his lecture, Dr. Alzheimer was surprised that there were no questions. According to the book “Alzheimer: The Life of a Physician the Career of a Disease”, the chairman of the conference remarked: “So then, respected colleague Alzheimer, I thank you for your remarks. Clearly there is no desire for discussion.” And clearly, Alzheimer was way ahead of his time, and the medical community did not recognize the importance of his results. Indeed, the significance of the discovery was not appreciated until 80 years later! Today, the name “Alzheimer” rings thunders not just to medical and scientific community, but to ordinary people and even politicians as well. It is estimated that 5% of the total population will suffer from the disease, if there were not treatment by the year 2050. The investment in research on Alzheimer’s disease by the US National Institutes of Health will reach an all time high of $529 million by 2013. Even the US President Barack Obama signed the National Alzheimer’s Disease Project Act (NAPA) into law in 2011. Who would have thought an ordinary doctor of Würzburg more than 100 years ago would make an impact this big on human health today! While we can no longer ignore “Alzheimer” as a disease, we would not have known much about Dr. Alzheimer and his scientific contributions, should there not be the relentless effort of a single man, Dr. Konrad Maurer, director of psychiatry department at Frankfurt University, together with his wife, Ulrike. I consider myself fortunate to have the opportunity to get to know this couple during my visit to Alois Alzheimer’s birth house, now. In 1989, the owner of Ochsenfurter Strasse 15a, as well as the world, became aware that this was the birth place of Alois Alzheimer. This triggered the interest of Dr. Maurer, who was a fan of Alois Alzheimer. After tireless effort, Maurer persuaded the Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly to purchase the house. Through the hands of Ulrike, the house was transformed into a conference place and an Alzheimer museum. For many years, the medical record of Auguste, with hand-written notes by Dr. Alzheimer, was nowhere to be found. Maurer launched an exhaustive search, and in 1995, they found by accident that the whole file was misplaced in the basement of the department. The Maurers have turned their interest in the work and life of Alzheimer into a new career after their retirement. They collected numerous artifacts, furniture, photographs, letters, etc. from the grandchildren of Alois Alzheimer. They convinced Prof. Mehraein of Munich Univ. to hand over 4 slides of Auguste D’s brain sections. They even managed to find Alzheimer’s original microscope. With that, visitors could look at the plaques and tangles of Mrs. Auguste the same way as what Alzheimer did 100 years ago! During my conversation with Dr. Maurer, I asked him what’s next for him. He told me that they have now located the burial place of Auguste D, and got the consent to do some DNA analysis of her remains, in comparison with the brain samples they have. “You can look to see if she had mutations in some of the susceptibility genes such as ApoE4, presenilin, and also Aβ, tau, etc.” I got excited. “The current technologies may even allow you to do whole genome sequencing”. I can see that these topics ignite new excitements in a 100-year old case….
可以推迟脑退化症和其他痴呆症发生的科学方法 友人转发来如下一文，是美国加州大学 老年中心主任 G.Small 博士写的文章，及其中文译文。感到：通俗易懂，颇具参考价值。 特介绍于下： 防止大脑退化 , 值得一读！ 下面是美国加州大学 老年中心主任 G.Small 博士写的文章。 这篇文章通俗易懂，值得广为传阅。 虽然我不是医学方面的人，但也曾参与阿兹海默氏症的研究，稍知皮屑（比毛小得多），为了方便不太熟悉专业名词的朋友们阅读，斗胆把文章译成中文，其中错误难免。 收件人中有不少是资深医生，译错了请立即指正，以免误人，衷心致谢。 阅后若觉得有用，请传送给你关心的所有亲友。 UCLA ( University of California at Los Angeles ) ON ALZHEIMERS Food for Thought 协助思维的食品 "The idea that Alzheimer's is entirely genetic and unpreventable is perhaps the Greatest misconception about the disease," says Gary Small, M.D., director of The UCLA Center on Aging. Researchers now know that Alzheimer's, like heart Disease and cancer, develops over decades and can be influenced by lifestyle Factors including cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, depression, education, Nutrition, sleep and mental, physical and social activity. 洛杉矶加州大学老年中心主任 Gray Small 博士说：「那种认为脑退化症 ( 译注 - 阿兹海默氏症 - 过去亦称老人痴呆症，按香港医务卫生署建议改为脑退化症 - 下同 ) 完全来自遗传的和不可预防的想法，是对这个病症的最大误解。」，研究人员现在已经明白，脑退化症就像心脏病和癌症，是经年累月发展起来的病症，是受生活方式因素所影响，这些因素包括胆固醇、血压、肥胖、癌症、忧 、教育、营养、睡眠、脑力、体力和社交活动等等。 The big news: Mountains of research reveals that simple things you do every day might cut your odds of losing your mind to Alzheimer's. 好消息：大量的研究指出，只要每日做一些简单小事就有可能把脑退化症发病机会降低。 In search of scientific ways to delay and outlive Alzheimer's and other Dementias, I tracked down thousands of studies and interviewed dozens of Experts. The results in a new book: 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's and Age-Related Memory Loss (Little, Brown; $19.99). Here are 10 strategies I found most surprising. 为了寻找可以推迟脑退化症和其他痴呆症发生的科学方法，我阅读了过千份报告及访谈了数十名专家。结论就在一本新书：《你能做得到的 100 件简单事情可以预防脑退化症和与老年有关的痴呆症》。下面是我认为最值得惊喜的 10 项策略。 1. Have coffee. In an amazing flip-flop, coffee is the new brain tonic. A large European study showed that drinking three to five cups of coffee a day in Midlife cut Alzheimer's risk 65% in late life. University of South Florida Researcher Gary Arendash credits caffeine: He says it reduces dementia-causing amyloid in animal brains. Others credit coffee's antioxidants. So drink up, Arendash advises, unless your doctor says you shouldn't. 1. 喝咖啡。得给咖啡平反，现在认为咖啡是一种新的补脑品。根据欧洲大量研究表明，中年时每日饮 3-5 杯咖啡，晚年时出现脑退化症的风险可以下降 65% 。美国南佛罗里达研究人员 Gary Arendash 赞许咖啡，他说咖啡可以减少动物脑中的导致失忆的类淀粉含量。其他研究人员则因抗氧化剂的功用给咖啡加分。 Arendash 劝人多饮咖啡，除非你的医生认为你不宜饮咖啡。 2. Floss. Oddly, the health of your teeth and gums can help predict dementia. University of Southern California research found that having periodontal disease before age 35 quadrupled the odds of dementia years later. Older people with tooth and gum disease score lower on memory and cognition tests, other studies show. Experts speculate that inflammation in diseased mouths migrates to the brain. 2. 牙线。说来也怪，牙齿和牙龈的健康有助于预诊痴呆症。南加州大学研究表明， 35 岁之前有牙周病的人，老年时患痴呆症的机会比没有的人多四倍。其他研究亦有患牙齿及牙龈病患的长者在记忆力和认知能力测试上得分较低。专家们推测是由于口腔感染炎症向大脑迁移。 3. Google. Doing an online search can stimulate your aging brain even more than reading a book, says UCLA's Gary Small, who used brain MRIs to prove it. The biggest surprise: Novice Internet surfers, ages 55 to 78, activated key memory and learning centers in the brain after only a week of Web surfing for an hour a day. 3. 使用谷歌搜索 ( 译注 - 上网 ) 加州大学的 Gary Small 用核磁共振证实，上网搜索比阅读书本更能刺激长者的大脑。最令人惊讶的是： 55-78 岁的新手，只要一个星期每日上网一小时，便能活化大脑的主记忆和学习中心。 4. Grow new brain cells. Impossible, scientists used to say. Now it's believed that thousands of brain cells are born daily. The trick is to keep the newborns Alive.. What works: aerobic exercise (such as a brisk 30-minute walk every day), strenuous mental activity, eating salmon and other fatty fish, and avoiding obesity, chronic stress, sleep deprivation, heavy drinking and vitamin B deficiency. 4 新生大脑细胞。 以前科学家们老是说大脑不可能产生新的细胞。现在却认为大脑每日产生万千个新细胞，关键是怎样使这些新细胞存活。 方法是：带氧运动（例如每日急散步 30 分钟），紧张的脑力活动，进食沙文鱼和其他含脂肪高的鱼，避免过胖、慢性应激、剥夺睡眠、酗酒和维生素 B 缺乏。 5. Drink apple juice. Apple juice can push production of the "memory chemical" acetylcholine; that's the way the popular Alzheimer's drug Aricept works, says Thomas Shea, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts . He was surprised that old mice given apple juice did better on learning and memory tests than mice that received water. A dose for humans: 16 ounces, or two to three apples a day. (Important - apples are heavily sprayed so go for the organic juice) 5. 饮苹果汁。麻萨诸萨斯大学的 Thomas Shea 博士这样说，苹果汁可以促进「记忆化学物」乙酰胆碱的产生。这也就是治疗脑退化症常用药 Aricept 的作用机理。他用苹果汁饲喂的老龄老鼠比用水饲养的老鼠，在学习和记忆试验中表现得比较优胜。 人类的服食剂量： 16 安士或每日 2-3 个苹果。 ( 注意 - 苹果通常喷 大量农药，饮有机果汁较佳 ) 6. Protect your head. Blows to the head, even mild ones early in life, increase odds of dementia years later. Pro football players have 19 times the typical rate of memory-related diseases. Alzheimer's is four times more common in elderly who suffer a head injury, Columbia University finds. Accidental falls doubled an older person's odds of dementia five years later in another study. Wear seat belts and helmets, fall-proof your house, and don't take risks. 6. 保护头颅。若 头颅受到撞击，那怕是年轻时期的轻度撞击，也会使晚年时痴呆症增加。职业美式足球运动员发生与记忆有关的疾病比常人高 19 倍。哥伦比亚大学发现，年轻时头部受伤的人得脑退化症的机会是常人的 4 倍。另一项研究表明意外跌倒受伤，五年后发生痴呆症的机会增加 2 倍。配戴安全带，戴头盔，家中防滑，不要冒险。 7. Meditate. Brain scans show that people who meditate regularly have less cognitive decline and brain shrinkage - a classic sign of Alzheimer's - as they age. Andrew Newberg of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine says yoga meditation of 12 minutes a day for two months improved blood flow and cognitive functioning in seniors with memory problems. 7. 冥思。脑部扫描显示，经常沉思默想的人，在年龄日长时，脑退化症的典型症状 — 认知衰退和脑萎缩，比较少。宾夕凡尼亚医学院的 Andrew Newberg 说，记忆力有问题的的长者，若每日作 12 分钟的瑜伽冥想，实践两个月，便可改进血液流通和思考功能。 8. Take vitamin D. A "severe deficiency" of vitamin D boosts older Americans' risk of Cognitive impairment 394%, an alarming study by England 's University of Exeter finds. And most Americans lack vitamin D. Experts recommend a daily dose of 800 IU to 2,000 IU of vitamin D3. 8. 服食维他命 D 。英国埃克塞特大学的研究惊人地发现，由于严重缺乏维他命 D ，美国的长者的认知障碍症急升 394% 。专家建议 每日服食维他命 D3 ， 800-2000 国际单位。 9. Fill your brain. It's called "cognitive reserve." A rich accumulation of life experiences - education, marriage, socializing, a stimulating job, language skills, having a purpose in life, physical activity and mentally demanding leisure activities - makes your brain better able to tolerate plaques and tangles. You can even have significant Alzheimer's pathology and no symptoms of dementia if you have high cognitive reserve, says David Bennett, M.D., of Chicago 's Rush University Medical Center . 9. 充实大脑，即所谓 " 认知储备 " 。生活经验的累积 — 教育、婚姻、社交、具刺激性的工作、语言技巧、生活有目标、要动脑的休闲活动 — 都可以令大脑较好地忍受色斑和 结 ( 译注 — 色斑 plagues 通常指 amyloid plaques 淀粉质色斑，是在脑退化症患者的大脑所发现的结构异常特征。 tangles 是指 neurofibrillary tangles 是脑退化症患者大脑神经原纤维溷乱状态。这两者都是脑退化症患者死后尸剖的诊断依据 ) 。芝加哥鲁殊大学医学中心的 David Bennet 博士认为，如果有丰富的认知，学习知识储备，一个人可以有明显的脑退化症的病理学病徵，但没有痴呆的病状。 10. Avoid infection. Astonishing new evidence ties Alzheimer's to cold sores, gastric ulcers, Lyme disease, pneumonia and the flu., Ruth Itzhaki Ph.D., of the University of Manchester in England estimates the cold-sore herpes simplex virus is incriminated in 60% of Alzheimer's cases. The theory: Infections trigger excessive beta amyloid "gunk" that kills brain cells. Proof is still lacking, but why not avoid common infections and take appropriate vaccines, antibiotics and antiviral agents? 10. 预防感染。英国曼彻斯特大学 Ruth Itzhaki 博士新近的证据令人惊讶地证明疱疹，胃溃疡，莱姆病 ( 译注 - 一种由蜱传播的全身疾病 ) ，肺炎，流感都与脑退化症有密切关系。按他的估计 60% 脑退化症的元凶是单纯疱疹病毒。理论是：感染激发产生多馀的淀粉样蛋白 " 煳 " 从而杀死脑细胞。虽然证据尚未充足，但是为甚麽不注射适合的疫苗、服抗生素、抗病毒药物来避免感染呢？ What to Drink for Good Memory ？ A great way to keep your aging memory sharp and avoid Alzheimer's is to drink the right stuff. 喝甚麽来改善记忆？ 饮正确的饮料是保持你的记忆力和避免得脑退化症的好方法。 a. Tops: Juice. A glass of any fruit or vegetable juice three times a week slashed Alzheimer's odds 76% in Vanderbilt University research.Especially protective: blueberry, grape and apple juice, say other studies. a. 上选：果菜汁。细西州范德堡大学研究结果，一个星期饮三次，每次一杯任何的水果蔬菜汁可以减少 76% 的脑退化症。 特别有效的是果汁是：蓝莓、葡萄、苹果汁。 b. Tea: Only a cup of black or green tea a week cut rates of cognitive decline in older people by 37%, reports the Alzheimer's Association. Only brewed tea works. Skip bottled tea, which is devoid of antioxidants. b. 茶。据阿兹海默症协会报告，对长者而言，每星期一杯红茶或绿茶就可以把认知衰退减少 37% 。但只有热水冲泡新鲜茶叶才有效，不要饮罐装茶，罐装茶没有抗氧化剂。 c. Caffeine beverages. Surprisingly, caffeine fights memory loss and Alzheimer's, suggest dozens of studies. Best sources: coffee (one Alzheimer's researcher drinks five cups a day), tea and chocolate. Beware caffeine if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure, insomnia or anxiety. c. 含咖啡因饮料。没想到，有数十个研究证实咖啡因可以对抗记忆衰退和脑退化症。最佳选择：咖啡 ( 一名脑退化症研究者一天饮五杯咖啡 ) ，茶、巧格力。但咖啡因对孕妇、高血压患者、失眠症患者、焦躁症患者不宜。 d. Red wine: If you drink alcohol, a little red wine is most apt to benefit your aging brain. It's high in antioxidants. Limit it to one daily glass for women, two for men. Excessive alcohol, notably binge drinking, brings on Alzheimer's. d. 红酒 : 饮小量红酒对日渐老化的大脑有好处。红酒含大量抗氧化物。妇女一天不可超过一普通玻璃杯，男士两杯 300 C .C 。 ( 译注 - 我对这一段有怀疑， daily glass 通常是指家庭常用水杯，标准是 8 安士或 250 毫升，亦有以 500 毫升作一杯，一天饮两杯 300 C .C 红酒是不是太多了罢 ) 过量的酒精，豪饮均可招致脑退化症。 e. Two to avoid: Sugary soft drinks, especially those sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. They make lab animals dumb. Water with high copper content also can up your odds of Alzheimer's. Use a water filter that removes excess minerals. e. 有两种饮品不可以饮： 含糖高的饮料，特别是果糖含量高的玉米糖浆。它使试验动物反应迟钝。含铜高的水，也可以使患老人痴呆症机会升高。应当使用可以除去多馀矿物质的滤水器。 Ways to Save Your Kids from Alzheimer's. Now Alzheimer's isn't just a disease that starts in old age. What happens to your child's brain seems to have a dramatic impact on his or her likelihood of Alzheimer's many decades later. 不让你们的孩子患上脑退化症的方法。脑退化症不是年纪长大后才会发生。现在对孩子大脑所发生的事情对他们数十年后发生脑退化症有着极大影响。 Here are five things you can do now to help save your child from Alzheimer's and memory loss later in life, according to the latest research. 根据最新研究，现在开始做五件事，就可以减少你的孩子从日后的脑退化症和记忆缺失发生。 1. Prevent head blows: Insist your child wear a helmet during biking, skating, skiing, baseball, football, hockey, and all contact sports. A major blow as well as tiny repetitive unnoticed concussions can cause damage, leading to memory loss and Alzheimer's years later. 1. 预防头颅受撞击坚持要孩子在骑单车、熘冰、打篮球、足球、曲棍球、其他有肢体接触的运动时一定要戴头盔。严重的撞击和虽然不显眼、但重 的脑震荡都会做成伤害，日后会出现脑退化症和记忆缺失。 2 Encourage language skills: A teenage girl who is a superior writer is eight times more likely to escape Alzheimer's in late life than a teen with poor linguistic skills. Teaching young children to be fluent in two or more languages makes them less vulnerable to Alzheimer's. 2. 鼓励学习语言技巧一个有高超写作能力十来岁女孩，能逃过脑退化症的机会是 8 倍于一个文字语言技巧差的少年。教孩子流利地掌握两三种语言，可让他们不易受脑退化症攻击。 3. Insist your child go to college: Education is a powerful Alzheimer's deterrent. The more years of formal schooling, the lower the odds. Most Alzheimer's prone: teenage drop outs. For each year of education, your risk of dementia drops 11%, says a recent University of Cambridge study. 3. 一定要孩子上大学教育是防止脑退化症的强力武器。在学校越读多几年书，发病机会就越低。多数的脑退化症患者，都是年青时期辍学。剑桥大学近年的研究，多读一年书，脑退化症发病机会下降 11% ！ 4. Provide stimulation: Keep your child's brain busy with physical, mental and social activities and novel experiences. All these contribute to a bigger, better functioning brain with more so-called 'cognitive reserve.' High cognitive reserve protects against memory decline and Alzheimer's. 4. 提供刺激用体力、脑力、社交活动和新奇的经历使孩子的大脑忙碌起来。所有这些都有利于建立更大更好、更多的 " 认知储备 " 。高认知储备可预妨记忆衰退和脑退化症。 5. Spare the junk food: Lab animals raised on berries, spinach and high omega-3 fish have great memories in old age. Those overfed sugar, especially high fructose in soft drinks, saturated fat and trans fats become overweight and diabetic, with smaller brains and impaired memories as they age, a prelude to Alzheimer's. 5. 拚弃垃圾食品。使用浆果类、菠菜、和奥米加 (OMGA) 3 含量高的鱼类饲养的试验动物，在老年时仍保有很好的记忆力。而用含糖高，尤其是含高果糖的饮料，饱和脂肪及反式脂肪 饲料喂饲的，当 们年老时，就有超重，糖尿，大脑体积较细和记忆力受损，这些都是脑退化症 .
据《每日科学》报道，一项跨度32年，1500女性参与的研究表明：女性中年腰部积累大量脂肪，到老年患痴呆症的机率是对比组的2倍。 同时中年腰围大于臀围女性容易因心脏病和中风未老先逝。 详情见： Fat Around the Middle Increases the Risk of Dementia http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114803.htm
标签: 痴呆症
