High Blood Pressure Linked to Disability, Dementia

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
Monday, November 19, 2007; 12:00 AM

MONDAY, Nov. 19 (HealthDay News) -- People with high blood pressure are at increased risk for disability and dementia as they age, two new studies suggest.

In the first report, researchers found that high blood pressure increased the risk of developing disabilities, such as not being able to lift objects, walk up or down stairs, or bathe oneself.


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"High blood pressure affects many aspects of a person's life," said lead researcher Dr. Ihab Hajjar, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. "Not only does it affect the vascular system and the heart and the brain and kidney, but it also affects well-being -- the ability to be independent, ability to perform daily activities, and be physically active."
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Eating Grapes May Protect Against Alzheimer's Disease

Study shows grapes' ability to block genes associated with the Alzheimer's
pathway and decrease inflammatory gene expression in the brain

FRESNO, Calif., Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Consuming grapes may help
prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease, according to research presented
this week at the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego,
California. It is the unique combination of components in grapes, which
includes resveratrol, quercetin, catechins and other phytonutrients, that
is thought to be responsible for the protective effects.
Investigators led by Dr. Nancy Berman of the University of Kansas,
School of Medicine presented evidence from a study of aging mice that
compared the effects of a diet with and without grapes. Dr. Berman shared
her findings regarding the ability of a grape-enriched diet to dramatically
increase the expression of critical target genes that block the Alzheimer's
pathway and decrease inflammation in the brain. Alzheimer's is
characterized by the formation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain.
Additionally, oxidative stress and inflammation are thought to play a role
in facilitating neurodegenerative disease.
The data presented by Dr. Berman showed that a grape-enriched diet
induced a 246-fold increase in the expression of transthyretin, a
beta-amyloid scavenger known to reduce plaque formation in Alzheimer's
disease. Additionally, the researchers observed significant inhibition of a
gene that is involved in the inflammation that occurs in normal aging and
appears to be accelerated in neurodegenerative diseases, such as
Alzheimer's.
These results suggest that regular consumption of grapes may be
beneficial for long-term brain health, specifically the prevention of
Alzheimer's disease.
"Preserving brain health is a key concern as we age," said Kathleen
Nave, president of the California Table Grape Commission. "The growing
evidence that eating grapes each day may help protect against degenerative
brain diseases such as Alzheimer's is very exciting."
The Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting is the premier venue for
the world's neuroscientists to debut their cutting edge research to more
than 31,000 neuroscientists and exhibitors from around the world. The
meeting offers learning and professional development opportunities and
provides a place for scientists to gather to present and share ideas.