Alzheimer's: A diet rich in fruit and vegetables lowers your risk by 40 per cent.

Better cardiovascular health might guard against the damaging effects of these mutant genes - and perhaps prevent Alzheimer's, says John Hardy of University College London, a pioneer of the plaque hypothesis. "This is pushing very much on the idea that we should focus on heart fitness," he says.

Meanwhile, the third gene to be implicated in Alzheimer's was a variant of the PICALM gene, which draws fats and proteins into brain cells, and may also be active around synapses. The researchers suggest that the variant associated with Alzheimer's may cause too much fat to be drawn into cells, killing them.

What's more, in January research by Deborah Gustafson of the University of Gothenberg in Sweden linked obesity to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Nikos Scarmeas of Columbia University Medical Center in New York and colleagues found that the risk of Alzheimer's was reduced by a third in volunteers who were physically active, while those who ate a diet rich in fruit and vegetables lowered their risk by 40 per cent.

SHOOT: Shows you how ordinary health - eating properly and getting exercise - covers a multitude of sicknesses.

clipped from www.barchester.com Healthcare News 28/08/2009 While obesity has been linked to a lot of major health problems, Alzheimer's disease has recently been connected to the condition. According to the Pittsburgh-based Cardiovascular Health Study, researchers looked into those people with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-30 - classified as overweight - and compared it to those with a BMI of above 30, or clinically obese. It was discovered that brain shrinkage - commonly associated with the neurodegenerative disease - was four per cent higher in those who were overweight, while obesity shrank the average brain by eight per cent. Lead investigator Cyrus A. Raji recommended: "That could mean exercising, eating right and keeping weight under control can maintain brain health with aging and potentially lower the risk for Alzheimer's and other dementias." clipped from www.newscientist.com Rapid cognitive decline was evident in people who had infections, which trigger inflammation