Page 20 - Florida Sentinel 10-30-15 Edition

Health
Alzheimer’s Risk Higher Among African Americans
5 Reasons Not To Ditch Coffee
Balance is
key – too much
of anything can
be bad for you –butacup(or
two) isn’t going to kill you, and there are a few reasons it may actually help you!
1. Mood Booster - Accord- ing to the study, participants who drank 4 cups of coffee a day were 20% less likely to be clini- cally depressed versus those who only drank one.
2. Concentration - Not only does coffee make you more alert and therefore better able to take in new information, it im- proves your brain’s capability to form new short term memories.
3. Metabolism Boost - The caffeine in coffee helps to speed up your metabolism, making the rate at which your body burns fat faster. One or two cups a day can make a difference. Black coffee is the best, as cream and sugar decreases health benefits.
4. Makes Your Heart Happy - Peopl who drink 3-5 cups of coffee daily are less likely to develop clogged arter- ies. Again, black coffee drinkers have the best advantage.
5. Cancer - A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncol- ogy discusses how a test group of colon cancer patients were observed and it was found that those who were regular coffee drinkers had a lower risk of death from cancer and a re- duced risk that the cancer would return. Another study done at Rutgers University found that individuals who are both regular coffee drinkers and exercisers were 62% less likely to develop skin tumors.
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Alzheimer’s Disease is still a mystery to a lot of people who don’t know its origins.
Dr. Amanda G. Smith, Medical Direc- tor of the Florida Alzheimer’s Disease Re- search Center at the University of South Florida, said Alzheimer’s isn’t a new disease, and has actually been around for more than a century.
“Dr. Aloysius Alzheimer discovered the disease in 1906 as he described changes he had noticed in a patient. Since then, it has been misconstrued. It was during the 1970s that Alzheimer’s was brought up again, this time as a cause of dementia.
“Alzheimer’s is an abnormal protein buildup in the brain that occurs 10-to-15 years before any symptoms are seen. The buildup is called brain plaque, and if it’s rec- ognized before the disease has started to progress, the symptoms can be eliminated. Once the disease has started to progress, there can only be treatment, no cure.”
Dr. Smith said because of the difficulty family members have in handling a loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s, there are several support groups available for families and individuals.
DR. AMANDA SMITH
“In most cases, Alzheimer’s is part of the aging process. There are also several differ- ent risk factors.
“One of the first symptoms usually is someone repeating questions or stories, or having trouble planning bills, judging dis- tances, getting lost in our surroundings, and misplacing things and not being able to re- member where to find them.”
Dr. Smith said it’s difficult and heart breaking watching a loved one suffer from this disease because of its progressive attack.
“If the onset of Alzheimer’s is caught early enough, it can be treated with a pap scan, but that’s very expensive and not cov-
ered by most medical plans.
“There have been efforts to make the
treatment affordable, but so far nothing has been successful. The procedure can run as high as $4,000.”
Dr. Smith said from their research, they have learned that Alzheimer’s is more exten- sive among people with lower educational levels.
“Among African Americans, there are unique risk factors tied to cardio vascular risks. African Americans have more cases of high blood pressure and diabetes, and are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
“Alzheimer’s is the 4th leading cause of death among African Americans, mostly be- cause they are not likely to be diagnosed due to a lack of seeking medical attention until the disease has progressed.”
Dr. Smith said their goal is to educate people, because the more they can intervene, the more they can help.
“If people begin to show changes in their memory and behaviors, they need to be ex- amined. Intervention is always best.
“There are treatments that can slow down the progression of the disease, but it can’t be cured. Slowing down the progres- sion can help relieve a lot of the burden from a family.”
PAGE 8-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2015