Quit smoking and drinking

People who drink or smoke heavily develop Alzheimer’s disease a few years sooner than those with more moderate habits, according to a new study presented to the participants of the American Academy of Neurology in Chicago on Wednesday.

The study involved 938 people, all at least age 60, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Relatives provided data on their drinking and smoking histories. The researchers, who were from the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, also identified participants with APOE4, the gene associated with the development of Alzheimer’s later in life. The results were striking:

* Patients who were categorized as heavy drinkers (consuming over 2 alcoholic drinks per day) developed the disease 4.8 years sooner than those who drank less.

* Patients categorized as heavy smokers (smoking at least 1 pack per day) developed Alzheimer’s 2.3 years earlier than people who smoked less.

* Patients having the APOE4 gene and also smoked and drank excessively had Alzheimer’s disease almost 9 years sooner than people who did not have these three risk factors.

Alzheimer’s disease refers to a dementing disorder where changes in the brain, regardless of the age of onset, cause loss of memory, confusion, and behavioral problems. It is not an inevitable part of the aging process. The cause of the disorder is unknown and it affects a small proportion of elderly Americans (about 5-6 percent).

Most patients are over 65 years of age, although there are some under 50. It still means there are over 10 million Americans who have the disease. Previous research has found that among the U.S. population, 1 percent of those aged 65-74 suffer from severe dementia, rising to 7 percent of those aged 75-84 and to 25 percent of those older than that.

The research team noted that the current understanding of Alzheimer’s disease is that it develops slowly for long years before clinical symptoms become more manifest. Smoking and drinking by themselves affect the brain directly, causing damage to nerve cells and synapses (the connections between cells).

Smoking in any amount is unhealthful and leads to higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and other medical problems. Moderate drinking has been shown to benefit health. While the definition of moderate drinking has been a little fluid (an influential study in the Netherlands defines moderate drinking as 3-4 drinks a day), the research team recommends no more than two a day.

Safety Tips:

* Quit smoking. The research teams says simply cutting back does not work. You will have to quit.

* Have only 1-2 drinks a day. There is no study that shows having 3-4 drinks is better than 1-2 drinks. You’ll be safer with the lower limit.