Friday 20 July 2012

New Biomarker in the Blood May Help Predict Alzheimer’s Disease


New Biomarker in the Blood May Help Predict Alzheimer’s Disease
This new research is interesting as we've known for some time that the earliest signs of Alzheimer's can be detected up to 25yrs prior to diagnosis and it can lay dormant for most of that time.

This new research, linking earlier onset to higher ceramide levels, gives us the chance to see if lowering ceramides may delay onset.

MAGNESIUM deficiency INCREASES ceramide production.
There are lots of online calculators enabling you to check your diet at least meets the RDA for magnesium for your age/sex.

Magnesium absorption from food/water is less in vitamin D deficient people.
CityAssays Vitamin D Blood Spot test £25 enables you to check if 1000iu/daily/D3 per 25lbs weight raises your vit d3 status to 125nmol/l ~ 50ng/ml the level at which Vitamin D is most effective as an effective anti-inflammatory agent.

Ceramides are potent proinflammatory agents so people with higher vitamin D, magnesium, omega 3 and melatonin levels will be better able to deal with them.

If indeed it turns out to be the case that higher inflammatory ceramides are the driving force for Alzheimer's oneset then maintaining an effective reserve of natural anti inflammatory agents is simply common sense.

1 comment:

  1. 'Fatty blood’ early warning sign of Alzheimer’s
    NHS CHOICES article on same paper.

    I'll put my comment here as the chances are it will be banned from the NHS site. (I've had previous run in's with their moderators)

    You say "it is still unclear how it could contribute to the development of methods to slow the progression of the condition. " but surely, if we know what causes or is associated with higher levels of ceramides, it may be possible to reduce ceramide levels.

    For example we know "Short-term magnesium deficiency upregulates ceramide" and "de novo synthesis of ceramide is associated with magnesium deficiency". We also know 60% US adults (and probably a similar percent of UK adults) consume less magnesium than the RDA.
    It would them make sense for people to check magnesium daily intake using an online magnesium calculator or nutritional databank and correct magnesium insufficiency status?
    Surely no harm can come from ensuring people meet the current magnesium RDA recommendations. If correcting magensium insufficiency lowers ceramide levels it may also delay Alzheimer's onset. It shouldn't be too difficult to work out that if higher levels of inflammatory ceramides speed up Alzheimer's onset lower levels of inflammation may slow progression.

    Ceramides are associated with inflammation.

    One of the reasons magnesium deficiency may be implicated is that like Vitamin D3, Omega 3 and melatonin, magnesium helps our ability to resolve inflammation.

    While it may be too early to say for certain that omega 3 DHA inhibits cytokine-induced inflammation and reduces ceramide formation there are grounds for saying it may be a smart bet.

    @ 125nmol/l ~ 50ng/ml, Vitamin D3 works best as an anti-inflammatory agent, it probably does this via inhibition of ceramide enzymes. In the same way that correcting magnesium insufficiency is safe and cheap so maintaining 25(OH)D at the same level humans living naked outdoor lives achieve natural Vit d 3 equilibrium cannot be argued against on cost or safety grounds.

    Ceramides are the new player in the insulin resistance-inflammation story so it makes sense, if we think fructose consumption raises ceramides, to consider ways diet could be less imflammatory while simultaneously improving our body's response to inflammation.

    It may also make sense to consider what leads to the degradation of ceramides?
    Adiponectin comes to mind first and it's fairly well known how we can raise adiponectin levels with resveratrol, curcumin, vitamin D3, dha, magnesium, melatonin.

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