Long-term yogurt consumption tied to decreased incidence of colorectal cancer

 

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Yogurt, which contains live strains of bacteria, is thought to protect against many types of diseases, with some reports indicating it could reduce risk of colorectal cancer. A new study led by investigators from Mass General Brigham finds that yogurt consumption over time may protect against colorectal cancer through changes in the gut microbiome. Using data from studies that have followed participants for decades, researchers found that long-term consumption of two or more servings per week of yogurt was tied to lower rates of proximal colorectal cancer positive for Bifidobacterium, a bacterial species found in yogurt. The study showed that the bacterial species was quite common: about 30 percent of patients with colorectal cancer had detectable Bifidobacterium in their tumor tissue. Their results are published in Gut Microbes.

“Our study provides unique evidence about the potential benefit of yogurt,” said corresponding author Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, the chief of the Program in Molecular Pathological Epidemiology in the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. Ogino is also an American Cancer Society Professor, a Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and an Affiliate Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. “My lab’s approach is to try to link long-term diets and other exposures to a possible key difference in tissue, such as the presence or absence of a particular species of bacteria. This kind of detective work can increase the strength of evidence connecting diet to health outcomes.”

Ogino and colleagues – team OPTISTIMISTICC – are funded by Cancer Research UK through Cancer Grand Challenges, a research initiative co-founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the United States.  OPTIMISTICC aims to transform the understanding of how the microbiome contributes to disease development, progression and response to treatment. As part of this, Ogino’s team aims to define the risk factors and environmental exposures that individuals encounter through life which are behind the rise of early-onset colorectal cancer and ultimately develop strategies to reduce the burden of this type of cancer.

To conduct their study, the researchers used data from two U.S.-wide prospective cohort studies known as the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). The studies have followed more than 100,000 female registered nurses and 51,000 male health professionals, respectively. Participants have been followed since 1976 for the NHS and 1986 for HFPS, answering repeated questionnaires about lifestyle factors and disease outcomes, including questions about average daily intake of plain and flavored yogurt, as well as other dairy products. The researchers also assessed tissue samples for participants with confirmed cases of colorectal cancer, measuring the amount of Bifidobacterium DNA in tumor tissue.

The researchers found 3,079 documented cases of colorectal cancer in the two study populations. Information on Bifidobacterium content was available in 1,121 colorectal cancer cases. Among those, 346 cases (31%) were Bifidobacterium-positive, and 775 cases (69%) were Bifidobacterium-negative. The researchers did not observe a significant association between long-term yogurt intake and overall colorectal cancer incidence, but they did see an association in Bifidobacterium-positive tumors, with a 20 percent lower rate of incidence for participants who consumed two or more servings of yogurt a week. This lower rate was driven by lower incidence of Bifidobacterium-positive proximal colon cancer—a type of colorectal cancer that occurs in the right side of the colon. Studies have found that patients with proximal colon cancer have worse survival outcomes than patients with distal cancers.

“It has long been believed that yogurt and other fermented milk products are beneficial for gastrointestinal health,” said co-senior author Tomotaka Ugai, MD, PhD, of the Department of Pathology at the Brigham and the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Our new findings suggest that this protective effect may be specific for Bifidobacterium-positive tumors.”

The researchers hypothesize that long-term yogurt intake may reduce risk of proximal colon cancer by changing the gut microbiome, including Bifidobacterium, but they note that further research that brings together both basic science and population health studies is needed to draw a definitive conclusion.

“This paper adds to the growing evidence that illustrates the connection between diet, the gut microbiome, and risk of colorectal cancer,” said co-author Andrew T Chan, MD, chief of the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system and co-lead for Cancer Grand Challenges team PROSPECT addressing causes of cancer in young adults. “It provides an additional avenue for us to investigate the specific role of these factors in the risk of colorectal cancer among young people.”

Therapy helps peanut-allergic kids tolerate tablespoons of peanut butter

 

NIH trial informs potential treatment strategy for kids who already tolerate half a peanut or more

Peer-Reviewed Publication

NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

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Eating gradually increasing doses of store-bought, home-measured peanut butter for about 18 months enabled 100% of children with peanut allergy who initially could tolerate the equivalent of at least half a peanut to consume three tablespoons of peanut butter without an allergic reaction, researchers report. This easy-to-implement treatment strategy could potentially fulfill an unmet need for about half of children with peanut allergy, who already can tolerate the equivalent of at least half a peanut, considered a high threshold. The findings come from a trial sponsored and funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and published today in the journal NEJM Evidence. 

“Children with high-threshold peanut allergy couldn’t participate in previous food allergy treatment trials, leaving them without opportunities to explore treatment options,” said NIAID Director Jeanne Marrazzo, M.D., M.P.H. “Today’s report focuses on this population and shows that a very safe and accessible form of therapy could be liberating for many of these children and their families.”

The food allergy treatments currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration were tested in children with low-threshold peanut allergy, who cannot tolerate the equivalent of even half a peanut. These treatments are designed to decrease the likelihood of a reaction to a small amount of peanut despite efforts to avoid it, as might occur with accidental exposure. This approach is not relevant to the estimated 800,000 U.S. children who may have high-threshold peanut allergy, leaving them with only one management strategy prior to the new report: peanut avoidance. 

To address this need, researchers tested whether a low-cost, convenient treatment strategy could help children with high-threshold peanut allergy tolerate a much greater amount of peanut protein than they already did. The mid-stage trial involved 73 children ages 4 to 14 years. Based on parent or guardian report, nearly 60% of the children were white, 19% were Asian, 1.4% were Black, and 22% were more than one race. The study team assigned the children at random to either test the new treatment strategy or continue avoiding peanut.

Those in the peanut-ingestion group began with a minimum daily dose of 1/8 teaspoon of peanut butter. They gradually increased their dose every eight weeks up to 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or an equivalent amount of a different peanut product, such as peanut flour or candies. Dose increases took place under medical supervision at the study site. None of the children in the peanut-ingestion group needed epinephrine to treat severe allergic reactions during home dosing, and only one child needed epinephrine during a supervised dosing visit at the study site. 

After undergoing the treatment regimen, the peanut-consuming children participated in an oral food challenge carefully supervised by the study team to see how much peanut butter they could eat without an allergic reaction. All 32 children who participated in the challenge could tolerate the maximum amount of 9 grams of peanut protein, the equivalent of 3 tablespoons of peanut butter. By contrast, only three of the 30 children in the avoidance group who underwent the oral food challenge after a similar amount of time in the trial could tolerate 9 grams of peanut protein. Three additional children in the avoidance group tolerated a challenge dose at least two doses greater than the amount they could tolerate at the start of the study.

The trial took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and some families preferred to avoid indoor close contact with others at that time, so some children did not return to the study site for the oral food challenge. Using a common statistical technique to account for those missing challenge results, 100% of the ingestion group and 21% of the avoidance group tolerated at least two doses greater than they could at the outset.

Children in the peanut-ingestion group who could tolerate 9 grams of peanut protein during the oral food challenge consumed at least 2 tablespoons of peanut butter weekly for 16 weeks, then avoided peanut entirely for eight weeks. At that point, they were asked to return to the study site for a final oral food challenge. 

Twenty-six of the 30 treated children (86.7%) who participated in the final challenge continued to tolerate 9 grams of peanut protein, indicating they had achieved sustained unresponsiveness to peanut. The three children in the avoidance group who could eat 9 grams of peanut protein without a reaction at the earlier challenge were considered to have developed natural tolerance to peanut. Analyzing these outcomes and including all 73 children who began the trial, regardless of whether they participated in the final challenge, investigators found that 68.4% of the peanut-ingestion group achieved sustained unresponsiveness, while only 8.6% of the avoidance group developed natural tolerance.      

Based on these encouraging results, the investigators want to learn if the same treatment strategy would work for food allergens other than peanuts. Future follow-up is needed to determine the therapy’s effectiveness at inducing long-lasting tolerance of peanut. 

Scott H. Sicherer, M.D., and Julie Wang, M.D., led the trial, which took place at the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute in Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, New York. Dr. Sicherer is director of the Institute and the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Professor of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. He is also chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the Department of Pediatrics and medical director of the Clinical Research Unit in the ConduITS Institute for Translational Sciences at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Wang is a professor of pediatric allergy and immunology in the Elliot and Roslyn Jaffe Food Allergy Institute.  

More information about the clinical trial, called the CAFETERIA study, is available at ClinicalTrials.gov under study identifier NCT03907397.

Reference: SH Sicherer et al. Randomized trial of high dose, home measured peanut oral immunotherapy in children with high threshold peanut allergy. NEJM Evidence DOI: 10.1056/EVIDoa2400306 (2025).

Omega-3s can slow down aging process

 

Many people would like to delay or even stop the aging process. Previous clinical studies have shown that a reduced calorie intake can slow down the aging process in humans. Taking vitamin D or omega-3 fatty acids has also shown promising results in slowing biological aging in animals. However, it was unclear whether these measures would also work in humans.

The therapies previously tested in the DO-HEALTH study led by Heike Bischoff-Ferrari are also associated with a slowing of the aging process. These showed that vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, as well as regular physical activity, reduce the risk of infections and falls, and prevent cancer and premature frailty. “These results inspired us to measure the direct influence of these three therapies on the biological aging process in the Swiss DO-HEALTH participants,” says Bischoff-Ferrari, professor of geriatrics and geriatric medicine at the University of Zurich.

Measuring biological and chronological age

One scientific approach to making biological aging measurable is the use of epigenetic clocks. They record chemical modifications of the DNA molecule, known as methylation, and thus quantify the difference between biological and chronological aging. The DO-HEALTH study has now for the first time investigated how sensitively this molecular biological measurement method reacts to targeted treatment.

The team led by Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, in collaboration with Steve Horvath, senior researcher at Altos Labs Cambridge (UK), who developed the watches, investigated the effect of omega-3s and/or vitamin D and/or simple strength training on biological aging in 777 people over the age of 70. Eight different treatment combinations were tested during the three-year study: subjects took 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D and/or 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids (from algae) daily and/or performed 30 minutes of strength training at home three times a week.

Biological age slowed down
When the researchers analyzed the blood samples, they found that taking omega-3 fatty acids slowed down biological aging across several epigenetic clocks by up to four months – regardless of subjects’ gender, age or body mass index. The combination of omega-3, vitamin D and strength training proved to be even more effective, according to one of the four epigenetic clocks used.

“This result extends our previous findings from the DO-HEALTH study, in which these three factors combined had the greatest impact on reducing the risk of cancer and preventing premature frailty over a three-year period, to slowing down the biological aging process,” says Bischoff-Ferrari. Each of these measures works through different mechanisms that complement each other and, when combined, result in a heightened overall effect, according to the study author.

DO-HEALTH as a validation platform

At the same time, the research team draws attention to the limitations of the study. “There is no generally accepted gold standard for measuring biological age,” Bischoff-Ferrari explains. “However, we analyzed the best currently validated epigenetic clocks, which reflect the state of the art.” To further advance the clinical application of biological clocks, Bischoff-Ferrari, together with leading international researchers in the Global Health Span Extension Consortium, plans to use DO-HEALTH and other global intervention studies as a validation platform for novel biomarkers of aging.

The researchers also point out that the sample consists exclusively of Swiss participants and therefore does not represent the global population of older adults aged 70 years and older. In a next step, they plan to extend their analyses to all DO-HEALTH participants – including people from Germany, France, Austria and Portugal – to account for a greater diversity of genetics and lifestyles.

Literature

Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari et al. Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial. Nature Aging. 3 February 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s43587-024-00793-y

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Meditation induces changes in deep brain areas associated with memory and emotional regulation

 

Peer-Reviewed Publication

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine

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Researchers using intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings from deep within the brain found that meditation led to changes in activity in the amygdala and hippocampus, key brain regions involved in emotional regulation and memory.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published Tuesday, February 4, in PNAS, may help explain the positive impact these practices have and could contribute to the development of meditation-based approaches for improving memory and emotional regulation.

Previous research has shown that meditation—a set of mental techniques to focus attention and awareness—can improve mental well-being and potentially help improve psychiatric diseases like anxiety and depression. In combination with its beneficial clinical effect, previous brain research has shown a connection between meditative practice and brain activity. Yet the specific neural activity underlying meditative practices and their positive effects is still not well understood.

“Traditionally, it has been challenging to study these deep limbic brain regions in humans using standard methods like scalp EEG. Our team was able to overcome this challenge by leveraging data collected from a unique patient population: epilepsy patients with surgically implanted devices that allow for chronic EEG recording from electrodes implanted deep in the amygdala and hippocampus,” said Christina Maher, a neuroscience PhD student in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine and first author of the paper. “It was quite amazing to uncover changes in brain wave activity in these key regions, even during first-time meditation.”

For this study, the research team studied eight neurosurgical patients with drug-resistant epilepsy who were chronically implanted with a responsive neurostimulation system. Participants were self-reported novice meditators prior to the study and completed a five-minute audio-guided instruction (baseline) followed by 10 minutes of audio-guided “loving kindness” meditation. Loving kindness meditation is a specific type of meditative practice that involves focusing attention on thoughts of well-being for oneself and others. To evaluate the loving kindness meditation induction, participants were asked to report their experienced depth of meditation after the session on a scale of 1-10 (higher score = deeper meditation). On average, participants reported a high degree of deep meditation (mean = 7.43).

“We found that loving kindness meditation is associated with changes in the strength and duration of certain types of brain waves called beta and gamma waves,” said Ignacio Saez, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, and Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine and senior author of the paper. “These kinds of brain waves are affected in mood disorders like depression and anxiety, so the possibility of being able to willfully control these through meditation is pretty amazing, and may help explain the positive impact that these practices have on individuals.”

The study is unique in that it used advanced invasive neural recording techniques, which provide much more detailed and precise insight into the brain compared to traditional techniques like scalp EEG. The study took place in the Quantitative Biometrics Laboratory at Mount Sinai West, a lab designed to provide patients with a relaxing environment to receive therapeutic treatment that is free from typical distractions associated with a hospital setting or traditional lab. This naturalistic setting enabled study participants to meditate in a calm environment that is more reflective of real-world experiences, improving the study’s ecological validity.  

The researchers acknowledged a few limitations of the study. The sample size was small and they only looked at the effects of one-time meditation without assessing the impact of repeated practice or following up over time to see if the effects last.

“This study provides a foundation for future research that could contribute to developing meditation-based interventions to help individuals modulate brain activity in areas involved in memory and emotional regulation,” said Dr. Saez. “Meditation is noninvasive, widely accessible, and doesn’t require specialized equipment or medical resources, making it an easy-to-use tool for improving mental well-being. However, it is crucial to note that meditation is not a replacement for traditional therapies. Instead, it could serve as a complementary low-cost option for individuals experiencing challenged with memory or emotional regulation.”

The Mount Sinai research team plans to conduct follow-up studies that will explore the specific relationship between the brain activity observed and mood/mental health outcomes. The next step will be to gather more data on how ongoing medication impacts mental well-being, which will help illuminate the potential therapeutic benefit of meditation in real-world, long-term settings.

Juicing may harm your health in just three days

 Think your juice cleanse is making you healthier? A new Northwestern University study suggests it might be doing the opposite. The study, recently published in Nutrients, found that a vegetable and fruit juice-only diet — even for just three days — can trigger shifts in gut and oral bacteria linked to inflammation and cognitive decline.

How was the study conducted?

Northwestern scientists studied three groups of healthy adults. One group consumed only juice, another had juice with whole foods and a third ate only whole plant-based foods. Scientists collected saliva, cheek swabs and stool samples before, during and after the diets to analyze bacterial changes using gene-sequencing techniques.

What the scientists found

The juice-only group showed the most significant increase in bacteria associated with inflammation and gut permeability, while the plant-based whole food group saw more favorable microbial changes. The juice plus food group had some bacterial shifts but less severe than the juice-only group. These findings suggest that juicing without fiber may disrupt the microbiome, potentially leading to long-term health consequences.

“Most people think of juicing as a healthy cleanse, but this study offers a reality check,” said senior author Dr. Melinda Ring, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine physician.

“Consuming large amounts of juice with little fiber may lead to microbiome imbalances that could have negative consequences, such as inflammation and reduced gut health,” Ring said.

Why fiber matters

Juicing strips away much of the fiber in whole fruits and vegetables, which feeds beneficial bacteria that produce anti-inflammatory compounds such as butyrate. Without fiber, sugar-loving bacteria can multiply. The high sugar content in juice further fuels these harmful bacteria, disrupting the gut and oral microbiome. The study also suggests that reduced fiber intake may impact metabolism, immunity and even mental health.

The oral microbiome responds quickly

Unlike the gut microbiota, which remained relatively stable, the oral microbiome showed dramatic changes during the juice-only diet. Scientists found a reduction in beneficial Firmicutes bacteria and an increase in Proteobacteria, a bacterial group associated with inflammation.

“This highlights how quickly dietary choices can influence health-related bacterial populations,” said Ring. “The oral microbiome appears to be a rapid barometer of dietary impact.”

Next steps

The findings underscore the need for more research on how juice and other diets impact the microbiome, especially in children, who often consume juice as a fruit substitute.

“The nutritional composition of juice diets — specifically their sugar and carbohydrate levels — plays a key role in shaping microbial dynamics in both the gut and oral cavity and should be carefully considered,” said first author Maria Luisa Savo Sardaro, a research associate in the Amato Lab at the department of anthropology at Northwestern University and a professor of food microbiology at San Raffaele University in Rome.

This study also highlights the importance of prioritizing fiber in dietary guidelines and food production. For now, Ring says, “If you love juicing, consider blending instead to keep the fiber intact, or pair juices with whole foods to balance the impact on your microbiome.”

‘Good’ cholesterol may be linked to heightened glaucoma risk among over 55s

 

….while paradoxically ‘bad’ cholesterol may be linked to a lower risk.

Findings challenge received wisdom about what may help and hinder eye health, say researchers‘Good’ (HDL) cholesterol, usually considered to be beneficial for health, may be linked to a heightened risk of the serious eye condition, glaucoma—at least among the over 55s— suggest the results of a large observational study, published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Paradoxically, ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol, usually regarded as harmful to health, may be associated with a lower risk of glaucoma, a condition that damages the optic nerve, potentially leading to irreversible sight loss or total blindness.

The findings challenge received wisdom about what may help and hinder eye health, and suggest that a rethink may be needed of how patients with high blood fats and who are at risk of glaucoma, are treated, say the researchers.

Glaucoma is projected to affect around 112 million people by 2040. Risk factors include age, ethnicity, the build-up of pressure within the eye (IOP), and family history, explain the researchers.

Abnormally high levels of circulating fats (lipids) in the bloodstream have been linked to eye conditions, such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Recently published research has also implied a link with glaucoma, but the findings have been inconsistent, and it’s not clear which type of lipid might be most influential, they add.

To strengthen the evidence base, the researchers drew on 400,229 participants aged 40 to 69 in the UK Biobank Study. They had all filled in a questionnaire, been interviewed, and had undergone a standard panel of blood tests, including those to measure blood fats.

Their health was tracked for an average of 14 years, during which time 6868 (nearly 2%) of them developed glaucoma. 

Compared with participants who didn’t develop glaucoma, those who did, tended to be older, and of non-White ethnicity. They had higher HDL, but lower LDL, cholesterol and a higher waist-to-hip ratio (indicative of central obesity). 

They were also more likely to be ex-smokers, and to be taking statins, and they had a higher prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.

But analysis of the blood test results showed that higher levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol were associated with a heightened risk of glaucoma while higher levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides were associated with a lower risk. 

Those with the highest level of HDL cholesterol in their bloodstream were 10% more likely to develop glaucoma than those with the lowest level, with every (standard deviation) increase associated with a 5% higher risk.  

Similarly, participants with the highest levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides were 8% and 14%, respectively, less likely to develop glaucoma than those with the lowest levels. 

And each (standard deviation) increase in LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and triglycerides lowered the risks by 4%, 3%, and 4%, respectively. 

But these observed associations only persisted among those older than 55, with no significant association seen in those aged 40–55; the findings were also influenced by sex and type of glaucoma.

The researchers drew up a polygenic risk score—a number that provides a personalised measure of genetic susceptibility to diseases by combining genetic risk information from across the genome.

This showed that each additional genetic risk was associated with 5% higher odds of developing glaucoma. But there were no significant individual associations between LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, or triglycerides and glaucoma. 

This is an observational study, and as such, no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. And the researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings, including that blood samples weren’t taken after fasting and only at a single time point. 

The findings might also not be applicable to other ethnic groups, as UK Biobank participants are predominantly of European ancestry.

But they suggest: “These findings challenge existing paradigms about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol in relation to eye health. This could prompt a re-evaluation of lipid management strategies in patients at risk for glaucoma.”

And they conclude: “HDL cholesterol has been regarded as the ‘good cholesterol’ for seven decades. However, this study demonstrates that high levels of [it] are not consistently associated with a favourable prognostic outcome. Further studies are needed to investigate the mechanisms behind these associations.”

The Mediterranean diet has been inversely related to stroke, depression, cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease

 
 
New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has shown that diet could influence the risk of both depression and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Evidence suggests that depressive symptoms are both a risk factor for AD and a reaction to early memory problems.
 
ECU Researcher Dr Samantha Gardener noted that healthy dietary patterns
potentially attenuate some of the negative impact depressive symptoms have on AD-related blood-based biomarker alterations. These biomarkers are biological molecules found in blood that can be measured and used to track progression of the disease.
 
The findings provide insightful contributions to the understanding of the interactions between diet, depressive symptoms, and AD-related blood-based biomarkers.
 
“Nutritional factors can impact brain health through inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular function, neuroplasticity, and via the gut-brain axis. These biological pathways may influence neurotransmitter systems and neuronal function, ultimately affecting mood and cognition,” she said.
The Mediterranean diet, which consists of an abundance of plant foods, olive oil, whole grains, and a moderate intake of red wine, has been inversely related to stroke, depression, cognitive impairment, and AD. In comparison, a typically Western diet which consists of a higher amounts of processed foods and sugars could result in an increased decline in certain brain functions.
 
“The Mediterranean diet is full of antioxidants and flavonoids and a lot of other really interesting compounds that reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, along with healthy fatty acids which are crucial for learning and memory,” Dr Gardener said.
 
“It is crucial to note that while observational studies provide valuable insights, randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of specific dietary interventions on depression and dementia due to AD are needed. Such trials can provide more definitive evidence on the potential benefits of targeted dietary interventions in managing these conditions.”
 
Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to affect around 50 million people world-wide, and is expected to increase to 152 million by 2050.
 
The annual costs associated with the disease and other dementia-related conditions is estimated at  $909 billion annually, or around 1% of the global gross domestic product.
In Australia, an estimated $3.7 billion is spent annually on the diagnosis, treatment and care of individuals with dementia.
 
ECU PhD student Hilal Salim Said Suliman Al Shamsi noted that among individuals diagnosed with AD, depression occurs in about 50%.  
 
“A longitudinal analysis showed that 40% of older adults with a diagnosis of depression progressed to AD over a relatively short median follow-up period of 27 months. The same analysis found that the risk of progression to AD was significantly higher among patients who had an active history of depression over the previous two years than among those with a more remote history of depression,” he said.
 
To date, there are no known specific curative measures for AD, but Dr Gardener said that delaying onset may reduce disease prevalence and its public health burden.
 
“Research identified 14 modifiable risk factors that are proposed to account for around 45% of dementia cases, worldwide. Of these 14 modifiable risk factors, five can be positively impacted by a healthy diet, including hypertension, obesity, alcohol intake and depression.
 
“Other modifiable risk factors include physical activity and sufficient sleep. If we can address all these things, nearly 45% of dementia cases can theoretically be prevented.”