Tag Archives: Blood pressure

Health, Medical, Research, Science

ACE inhibitors may boost brainpower…

BLOOD PRESSURE DRUGS

Scientists and medical practitioners have long recognised that taking blood pressure drugs may slow the onset of Alzheimer’s.

But, now, researchers have uncovered evidence that the drugs, known as ACE inhibiters, may actually boost brainpower.

Those with high blood pressure are more at risk of developing Alzheimer’s and similar diseases, but the study found their memory and thinking skills were protected by the drugs they were taking.

ACE inhibitors – medicines which include ramipril, captopril and perindopril – have become increasingly popular over the past decade, particularly for younger patients.

Researchers in Ireland and Canada investigated drugs which target a specific biochemical pathway called the renin angiotensin system – a hormone system which is thought to affect the development of Alzheimer’s.

The study by researchers compared the rate of cognitive decline in 361 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia (caused by problems in the blood supply to the brain), or a mix of both. Of that group, 85 were already taking ACE inhibitors; the rest were not.

Also analysed was the impact on 30 patients, with an average age of 77, who were taking the drugs for the first time.

The patients were assessed over six months, using the Standardised Mini Mental State Examination or the Quick Mild Cognitive Impairment tests.

The study found that those taking ACE inhibitors experienced marginally slower rates of cognitive decline than those who were not. The findings were first disclosed in the journal BMJ Open.

Scientists from University College Cork in Ireland and McMaster University in Ontario also found that the brainpower of those patients who had been newly prescribed ACE inhibitors actually improved. This suggests for the first time that such drugs may not only halt cognitive decline, but may actually improve brainpower.

The researchers said:

… Although the differences were small and of uncertain clinical significance, if sustained over years, compounding effects may well have significant clinical benefits.

They warn that ACE inhibitors are harmful to some patients, so if wider and larger studies confirm they work well in dementia, it may be only certain people with high blood pressure who stand to benefit.

Previous studies have linked other forms of blood pressure medication with anti-dementia benefits.

A statement issued by the Alzheimer Society, said:

… Any drug which halts cognitive decline is potentially exciting because it has the ability to radically improve quality of life.

But Dr Simon Ridley of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

… This is a short study with a small number of participants. It is unclear if the (improvement) could be due to the control of blood pressure, a different effect of the drugs or another factor.

Among the most widely used ACE inhibitors are perindopril (also known as Coversyl), ramipril (Tritace), captopril (Capoten), trandolapril (Gopten), fosinopril (Staril), lisinopril (Zestril and prinivil).

They work by stopping the body from creating the hormone angiotensin II. This has a variety of effects but essentially relaxes blood vessels and helps reduce the amount of water re-absorbed by the kidneys – helping to decrease blood pressure.

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Health, Medical, Research, Science

Resveratrol in health supplements ‘undo effects of exercise’…

RED WINE HEALTH PILLS

Experts have warned that health supplements containing the ‘miracle ingredient’ from red wine could undo the positive effects of exercise.

A daily dose of the antioxidant resveratrol cancelled out many of the benefits of a two-month-long exercise programme, a study has found.

When examining the effects of exercise alone, the results were as expected – blood pressure, the levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol and other harmful blood fats were lowered.

But if combined with a course of supplements, most of the positive effects vanished.

Resveratrol has become increasingly popular as study after study has credited the compound with health-boosting properties, from extending life and battling obesity to warding off heart disease.

Most research to date, however, is carried out on mice or rats, rather than in the human body. This latest study is proving that tests in rodents are not being replicated in humans.

Resveratrol, which is found in the grape skins that give red wine its colour, is supposed to boost health by mopping up dangerous oxygen molecules known as free radicals that attack cells and tissues and are blamed for health issues ranging from ageing to cancer.

The Danish scientists behind the latest study say these free radicals may be needed for the body to recover after exercise. Without them, many of the benefits of exercise – such as lowering blood pressure and increasing oxygen uptake – may disappear.

In the study, 27 men in their mid-sixties were asked to perform eight weeks of high-intensity exercise training – with half the group given 250mg of resveratrol a day and the other group receiving a placebo.

While scientists expect to get the same result from women and younger men, researchers have said that wine lovers need not worry about the effect of the odd glass of red wine on their exercise routine. The amount of resveratrol in the supplements studied was far higher than can be obtained from drinking wine alone. It could, though, easily be obtained from supplements.

It is thought that high doses of vitamin C might have a similar effect.

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