Traces of inflammation in the blood increase the possibility of Alzheimer's disease

People in whose blood there are signs of inflammation are more likely to get Alzheimer's disease, compared with those in whose blood they are no signs, says a study published in the American journal of Neurology.

The study included 691 healthy person of average age of 79 years. Blood tests determined the existence of traces of infection in participants. Their health was monitored over the next 7 years, after which 44 of them were suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

The blood of the participants was tested on cytokines, protein immunological transmitters that trigger the inflammation. Those with the highest levels of cytokines in the blood had twice the chances of Alzheimer's disease. Increased levels of cytokines had 28% women and 30% of men, but among them was 42% of ill.

"These results are new evidence that inflammation plays an important role in the development of Alzheimer's," said study author Zaldy Tan, MD from Harvard University in Boston. Production of cytokines in the future could be an indicator of possible Alzheimer's disease. "

Additional beneficial effects - caffeine prevents inflammation in the brain

In addition, mice that drank water with caffeine showed a 50 percent smaller amount of beta-amyloid, a protein of the brain responsible for the destruction of brain cells in Alzheimer's disease. Further tests showed that caffeine affects the production of enzymes necessary for the production of beta-amyloid, and scientists say that caffeine prevents inflammation in the brain that lead to excessive production of harmful proteins.

Previous tests of the same research team showed that young mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease, which at a young age were given caffeine, were spared from problems with memory.

It all does not mean that people should begin to take huge amounts of caffeine, scientists warn, but they believe that research could be useful in the struggle with Alzheimer's disease.