Alzheimer's Answer »

Marwan Sabbagh, M.D., a geriatric neurologist and leading expert in Alzheimer's research, founded the Sun Health Research Institute's Cleo Roberts Center for Clinical Research. He is a leading investigator for several prominent national Alzheimer's prevention and treatment trials, including the Alzheimer vaccine studies. He has authored or coauthored more than seventy medical and scientific articles on Alzheimer's research. Dr. Sabbagh is also a staff physician at Boswell Memorial Hospital, where he specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's. He is an adjunct professor at Midwestern University and Arizona State University.

A front-line researcher offers cutting-edge advice on preventing and slowing the progress of Alzheimer's

Drawing on the most up-to-date information available on the disease as well as experiences from his clinical practice, Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, a leading expert in Alzheimer's research, translates the current ideas driving Alzheimer's treatment into practical information you can use to determine your risk and develop a prevention strategy. You'll find tools for assessing your personal Alzheimer's risk and "What You Can Do" sections to help you keep your brain and body healthy, plus information on the treatment of Alzheimer's and its complications.

• Gives you the most up-to-date information on Alzheimer's and Alzheimer's prevention
• Written by a neurologist specializing in geriatric neurology and dementia who is one of the country's leading experts in Alzheimer's research
• Includes exciting revelations, such as finding that early onset Alzheimer's can be significantly slowed in its progress, giving the patient as many as ten to fifteen added years of quality life

There are an estimated 5.2 million people living with Alzheimer's in America today. If you or someone you love is at risk of developing the disease or wishes to slow its advancement, this book will give you vital information to help you reduce risk and safeguard health and quality of life.

Publishers Weekly

This sobering review of the current research on and recommendations for Alzheimer's argues for identifying and combating risk factors decades before symptoms appear. Like other major conditions affected by obesity, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, among others, Alzheimer's is growing at a rapidly increasing rate. Neurologist Sabbagh has been involved in many important Alzheimer's research trials and founded the Sun Health Research Institute's Cleo Roberts Center, a facility for studying age-related diseases, located in the geriatric community-dense Sun City area of Phoenix. He explains the mechanisms by which the brain undergoes devastating changes that manifest as Alzheimer's; the differences between age-related memory loss, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia; and ways to assess genetic liabilities and risk factors from lifestyle choices. Although treatment goals and expectations for those with Alzheimer's are modest, Sabbagh says most risk factors can be offset well before retirement age through diet, physical and mental exercise, brain-specific supplements and, in some cases, medications that lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, manage blood sugar and decrease inflammation. Sabbagh covers such concerns as exposure to toxic substances linked to neurological conditions and suggests many potent weapons to counteract development of brain plaque: omega-3 fatty acids, resveratrol, quercetin, folic acid, huperzine A, green tea and curcumin, among others. A guide to symptoms, diagnosis and treatment will prove helpful to patients and their families, while an overview of new drugs that could halt progression and possibly heal damaged brain cells offers hope for thefuture. (Feb.)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Foreword   Justice Sandra Day O'Connor     ix
Acknowledgments     xi
Introduction     1
Preventing Alzheimer's
Alzheimer's Disease     9
Alzheimer's and the Brain     35
Is Preventing Alzheimer's Disease Really Possible?     45
Real Risks
Your Alzheimer's IQ: Know Your Risk     61
Diabetes     81
Body Weight and Obesity     88
Stroke, Cerebrovascular Disease, and Heart Disease     98
Cognitive Killers     107
Blood Pressure and Hypertension     122
Estrogen and Hormone Replacement Therapy     130
Real Recommendations
Eating Your Way out of Alzheimer's     139
Red Wine and Other Alcoholic Beverages     156
Managing Your Cholesterol and Lipids     164
Exercising Your Way toward Prevention     175
Staying Sharp with Mental Exercises     182
Anti-inflammatories and Alzheimer's     191
Vitamins May Protect     198
Supplements: Real Hope or Empty Promises?     212
If You Have Alzheimer's Disease
Get Help: Alzheimer's Is Treatable     237
The Future of Alzheimer's Disease     255
References     267
Index     299