'Fat Letters' Take the Stage in Childhood Obesity Debate

If their kids are frequently tardy, truant or failing to turn in homework, parents of U.S. schoolchildren expect to be notified. And in some districts, they might be contacted about yet another chronic problem: obesity. The "fat letter" is the latest weapon in the war on childhood obesity, and it is raising hackles in some regions, and winning followers in others. "Obesity is an epidemic in our country, and one that is compromising the health and life expectancy of our children. We must embrace any way possible to raise awareness of these concerns and to bring down the stigmas associated with obesity so that our children may grow to lead healthy adult lives," said Michael Flaherty, a pediatric resident physician in the department of pediatrics at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139942.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Nicotine Addiction Level May Predict Weight Gain in Ex-Smokers

Smokers with a serious nicotine addiction are more likely to gain weight than folks who are less addicted when they try to quit, even if they use nicotine replacement therapy, according to a new study by Japanese researchers. The people who quit smoking as part of the study gained an average 2.4 pounds over three months, even though they received support from nicotine patches or the oral medication varenicline (Chantix), which blocks the effect of nicotine on the brain, doctors from Kyoto Medical Center reported in the August issue of PLoS One. But those smokers with a heavy nicotine addiction experienced three times more weight gain than smokers who were less addicted, the researchers found. "Smoking itself is a weight controller," Edelman said. "The more addicted you are, the more cigarettes you smoke, so you would expect weight gain to happen when you quit." http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139949.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

Insulin Pumps Better Than Injections for Kids With Type 1 Diabetes: Study

Devices called insulin pumps may work better at controlling blood sugar in children with type 1 diabetes than insulin injections, a new study finds. They might also cause fewer complications, the Australian researchers said. "This is the largest study of insulin-pump use in children," wrote a team led by Dr. Elizabeth Davis of the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth. "It also has the longest follow-up period of any study of insulin-pump therapy in children. Our data confirm that insulin-pump therapy provides an improvement in glycemic control, which is sustained for at least seven years." The study was published Aug. 18 in the journal Diabetologia. Davis's team compared outcomes for 345 children, aged 2 to 19, who were using insulin pumps to control their type 1 diabetes to a similar number of children who were receiving insulin injections. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139865.html

Health Tip: Foods That May Harbor Listeria

Listeria, a bacterium that may lead to a form of food poisoning, is unusual in that it can thrive in the cold temperatures of your refrigerator, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says. The agency's foodsafety.gov website says these foods can harbor the germ and trigger listeriosis, an infection that can be dangerous to pregnant women and others with a weaker immune system. Common sources of listeria include: Prepared deli meats and hot dogs. Refrigerated meat spreads and pates. Unpasteurized milk and other dairy products. Brie, camembert, feta and other cheeses that may be made with unpasteurized milk. Smoked, refrigerated seafood. Raw vegetable sprouts. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139859.html

Fruit-Rich Diet Might Lower Aneurysm Risk

Eating lots of fruit might decrease your risk of developing a dangerous abdominal aortic aneurysm, according to a large, long-running study. An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of the part of the aorta -- the largest artery in the body -- that runs through the abdomen. If an aneurysm ruptures, there is a high risk of death from bleeding. Ultrasound screening can detect the condition. In this study, researchers analyzed data from more than 80,000 people, aged 46 to 84, in Sweden who were followed for 13 years. During that time, nearly 1,100 of them had abdominal aortic aneurysms, including 222 whose aneurysms ruptured. People who ate more than two servings of fruit a day (not counting juice) had a 25 percent lower risk of the condition and a 43 percent lower risk of rupture than those who ate less than one serving of fruit a day. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139874.html

Endocannabinoids trigger inflammation that leads to diabetes

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have clarified in rodent and test tube experiments the role that inflammation plays in type 2 diabetes, and revealed a possible molecular target for treating the disease. The researchers say some natural messenger chemicals in the body are involved in an inflammatory chain that can kill cells in the pancreas, which produces insulin. A report of the finding appears online in Nature Medicine. “This study is a significant milestone in an ongoing exploration of the endocannabinoid system’s role in the metabolic complications of obesity,” says Kenneth R. Warren, Ph.D., acting director of NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which led the study. Endocannabinoids are natural messengers in the body that help regulate many biological functions. They are chemically similar to the active compound in marijuana. Recent studies have tied endocannabinoids to the metabolic problems that lead to diabetes. Researchers also have recognized that inflammation appears to play an important role in the pathology of diabetes. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2013/niaaa-19.htm

Iowa woman swallows tapeworm to lose weight

People will do almost anything to lose weight. Just ask an Iowa woman, who apparently thought that ingesting a live tapeworm would be a good diet aid. That patient told her doctor that she had purchased a tapeworm on the Internet and swallowed it. The physician called the Iowa Department of Public Health to ask what to do for her. The department's medical director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, advised an anti-worm medication. Quinlisk recounted the incident Thursday in a weekly e-mail to public health workers around the state. She noted that websites have been selling tapeworms as a weight-loss tool and warned against the practice. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/16/tapeworm-weight-loss-scam/2666005/

Coffee and Tea May Contribute to a Healthy Liver

Surprise! Your morning cup of tea or coffee may be doing more than just perking you up before work. An international team of researchers led by Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS) and the Duke University School of Medicine suggest that increased caffeine intake may reduce fatty liver in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130816153019.htm

Tip of the Day: Soy Based Beverages

Tip of the Day -- Calcium-fortified soy-based beverages can provide calcium in amounts similar to milk. They are usually low in fat and do not contain cholesterol.

Kindergartners' Soda Intake Linked to Aggression in Study

Five-year-olds who drink soda every day may have more behavior problems than kids with soda-free diets, a new study of U.S. children suggests. After looking at nearly 3,000 urban families, the researchers found that 5-year-olds' scores on a standard measure of aggression tended to climb along with their soft drink intake. Kindergartners who downed four or more servings per day were particularly aggressive, based on mothers' reports. They were twice as likely as other kids to get into fights or destroy property, and also displayed more attention problems than children who didn't drink soda. The findings were reported Aug. 16 in the Journal of Pediatrics. http://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/behavior-health-news-56/kindergartners-soda-intake-linked-to-aggression-study-says-679300.html

MyPlate Tip of the Day: Vegetarian Alternative

Tip of the Day, 8/22/13 -- A variety of vegetarian products look (and may taste) like their non-vegetarian counterparts, but are usually lower in saturated fat and contain no cholesterol.

Both a Mediterranean Diet and Diets Low in Available Carbohydrates Protect Against Type 2 Diabetes, Study Suggests

New research shows that a Mediterranean-style diet and diets low in available carbohydrates can offer protection against type 2 diabetes. The study is published in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), and is by Dr Carlo La Vecchia, Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research, Milan, Italy, and colleagues. The authors studied patients from Greece who are part of the ongoing European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC), led by Dr. Antonia Trichopoulou, from the University of Athens. From a total of 22,295 participants, actively followed up for just over 11 years, 2,330 cases of type 2 diabetes were recorded. To assess dietary habits, all participants completed a questionnaire, and the researchers constructed a 10-point Mediterranean diet score (MDS) and a similar scale to measure the available carbohydrate (or glycaemic load [GL]) of the diet. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/08/130815203715.htm

Exercise may cut endometrial cancer risk for heavy women

Overweight and obese women who get plenty of exercise may have a lower risk of endometrial cancer than if they were sedentary, according to new research. Strenuous and moderate physical activity were linked to lowered risk for heavy women, but there was no association between activity level and endometrial cancer risk for thinner women, Christina M. Dieli-Conwright of the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope in Duarte, California, and her colleagues found. "Physical activity is a good thing, however its involvement in reducing the risk specifically with endometrial cancer does need to be further investigated," Dieli-Conwright told Reuters Health. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139802.html

The Kids Are Alright: Talk to Your Child About Weight

Go ahead and talk with your child about weight. Encourage her to share her thoughts and feelings about her body image. She may be teased at school. Maybe some sports are difficult for her, or perhaps she is chosen last for teams. Or maybe she is embarrassed because she has trouble fitting into her clothes. These frustrating and painful issues are common among overweight children. If your child shares his feelings with you, listen to him. Let him know that his feelings are real, frustrating and painful. If you have had similar experiences, it may help to share them. - See more at: http://www.eatright.org/kids/article.aspx?id=6442464256#sthash.OaGsOVpb.dpuf

Healthy Eating Might Ward Off Pancreatic Cancer: Study

In a study of more than 500,000 Americans, those who ate a healthy diet reduced their risk for pancreatic cancer by 15 percent. The diet used in the study followed federal dietary guidelines from 2005 and recommended eating a variety of nutritional foods and limiting saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, added sugars, salt and alcohol. "Maintaining a healthful diet has many potential health benefits," said lead researcher Hannah Arem, from the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the U.S. National Cancer Institute. "Our study specifically suggests that individuals who reported dietary intakes in adherence with the federal dietary guidelines had a lower risk of pancreatic cancer," she said. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139787.html

The Kids Are Alright: Besto Pesto

Obesity's Death Toll May Be Much Higher Than Thought

Researchers have vastly underestimated the number of deaths caused by obesity in the United States, a new report reveals. Obesity accounts for 18 percent of deaths among black and white Americans between the ages of 40 and 85, according to a study published online Aug. 15 in the American Journal of Public Health. Previous estimates had placed obesity-related deaths at only 5 percent of all U.S. mortalities. "This was more than a tripling of the previous estimate," said study author Ryan Masters, who conducted the research as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation scholar at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, in New York City. "Obesity has dramatically worse health consequences than some recent reports have led us to believe." Earlier estimates erred by overlooking generational differences in the way the obesity epidemic has affected Americans, Masters said. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139786.html

Breast-Feeding May Protect Some Women Against Breast Cancer

Breast-feeding for more than six months appears to guard nonsmoking women against breast cancer for longer periods of time, a new study suggests. Smoking canceled the benefits of breast-feeding, but there was a decade of difference in diagnosis among nonsmoking breast cancer patients, depending on how long they breast-fed, the researchers reported. Nonsmokers who didn't breast-feed or did so for less than three months were diagnosed at an average age of 58, while women who didn't smoke and breast-fed longer than six months were diagnosed at an average age of 68. Those who breast-fed longer than six months but also smoked were diagnosed at an average age of 47. "Those women diagnosed with breast cancer who did not smoke and breast-fed for longer than six months were diagnosed much later -- an average of 10 years later," said study author Emilio Gonzalez-Jimenez, a researcher at the University of Granada in Spain. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139777.html

Urging Your Partner to Diet May Backfire

Urging a partner to diet may seem like a supportive thing to do, but a new study finds it can trigger unhealthy habits such as fasting and taking diet pills -- measures that can then lead to severe eating disorders. Both women and men tended to react negatively to their partners' well-meaning encouragement, said researcher Marla Eisenberg, an associate professor of adolescent health and medicine at the University of Minnesota. "Romantic partners provide important feedback about each other's weight," Eisenberg said. "Encouraging a loved one to diet, however, may do more harm than good." In 2008 and 2009, she surveyed nearly 1,300 young adults in Minnesota, ages 20 to 31 and in relationships. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139582.html

Obese Kids More Likely to Have Asthma, With Worse Symptoms

Overweight and obese kids are more likely to struggle with asthma than kids of normal weight, according to a new review of more than 623,000 children. Researchers found that children carrying extra weight are between 1.16 to 1.37 times more likely to develop asthma than normal-weight kids, with the risk growing as their body-mass index -- a measure of body fat encompassing height and weight -- increases. Obese children also experience more frequent and severe episodes of asthma, requiring more medical attention and drug therapy, found the study in the Aug. 7 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139536.html

Gene Tied to Obesity in Humans

Researchers have identified a gene associated with overweight and obesity in both psychiatric patients and people in the general population. It was known that the CRTC1 gene is involved in obesity and energy balance (calories taken in by eating and drinking versus calories burned through physical activity) in animals, but its role in human weight was unknown. In this study, researchers examined whether different versions of the CRTC1 gene were associated with weight in psychiatric patients and people in the general population. "Our results suggest that CRTC1 plays an important role in the high prevalence of overweight and obesity observed in psychiatric patients. Besides, CRTC1 could play a role in the genetics of obesity in the general population, thereby increasing our understanding of the multiple mechanisms influencing obesity," wrote Eva Choong, of Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland, and colleagues. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139540.html

Fitness Club Best Place for Cardiac Arrest Survival: Study

People who suffer sudden cardiac arrest at a fitness center are more likely to survive than those stricken at other indoor locations such as restaurants or malls, a new study finds. The improved chance of survival is likely because of better availability of automated external defibrillators and an increased likelihood of receiving early CPR, the researchers said. "Our findings should encourage broader implementation of and adherence to recommendations for [automated external defibrillator] placement and sudden cardiac arrest response protocols at traditional exercise facilities," said study lead author Dr. Richard Page, chairman of the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. "In addition, these standards should be extended to alternative fitness facilities, where sudden cardiac arrest incidence is comparable to that seen at traditional exercise facilities." Sudden cardiac arrest, which occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating, is usually fatal if not treated within minutes. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139539.html

High Blood Sugar Levels Tied to Small Increases in Dementia Risk

Elevated blood sugar levels, even among people who don't have diabetes, are associated with an increased risk for dementia, a new study shows. The effect was very subtle, however, suggesting that higher blood sugar levels may be more of a nudge toward memory loss than a shove. "If I had diabetes and I read this study, my reaction would be relief," said Dr. Richard O'Brien, chair of neurology at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, who was not involved in the research. "The effect was small." The risk increases tied to rising blood sugar (or blood glucose) levels ranged from 10 percent to 40 percent. O'Brien pointed out that other risks appear to have much greater impacts. Having a parent with dementia, for example, roughly doubles or triples a person's risk for developing the disease. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139545.html

Skipping Breakfast a Recipe for Heart Disease, Study Finds

Men who skip breakfast have a 27 percent higher risk of suffering a heart attack or developing heart disease than those who start the day with something in their stomach, according to a new study. The study confirms earlier findings that have linked eating habits to elevated risk factors for heart disease, the Harvard researchers said. "Men who skip breakfast are more likely to gain weight, to develop diabetes, to have hypertension and to have high cholesterol," said Eric Rimm, senior author and associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School. For example, breakfast skippers are 15 percent more likely to gain a substantial amount of weight and 21 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, earlier studies have reported. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_138936.html

How Exercise Changes Fat and Muscle Cells

Exercise promotes health, reducing most people’s risks of developing diabetes and growing obese. But just how, at a cellular level, exercise performs this beneficial magic — what physiological steps are involved and in what order — remains mysterious to a surprising degree. Several striking new studies, however, provide some clarity by showing that exercise seems able to drastically alter how genes operate. Genes are, of course, not static. They turn on or off, depending on what biochemical signals they receive from elsewhere in the body. When they are turned on, genes express various proteins that, in turn, prompt a range of physiological actions in the body. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/how-exercise-changes-fat-and-muscle-cells/?ref=health&_r=0

How Many Extra Calories Add Up to Obesity for Kids?

Overweight kids may be consuming far more calories than their doctors or parents realize, a new study suggests. The study, which is published in the July 30 online issue of The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, updates the mathematical model doctors use to calculate the daily calorie needs of children and adolescents. The new model tries to more accurately estimate the energy requirements for growing girls and boys. It also accounts for kids' higher metabolisms, relative to adults, and takes into account the drop in physical activity that happens with age as frenetic toddlers turn into sluggish teens. And last, study authors factor in the increased energy required to maintain a bigger body size with age. In sum, the model predicts that it takes far more calories for children to gain weight than experts had realized. http://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/child-development-news-124/how-many-extra-calories-add-up-to-obesity-for-kids-678726.html

Making the Case for Eating Fruit

Experts agree that we are eating too much sugar, which is contributing to obesity and other health problems. But in the rush to avoid sugar, many low-carb dieters and others are avoiding fruits. But fresh fruit should not become a casualty in the sugar wars, many nutrition experts say. Dr. David Ludwig, the director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, said that sugar consumed in fruit is not linked to any adverse health effects, no matter how much you eat. In a recent perspective piece in The Journal of the American Medical Association, he cited observational studies that showed that increased fruit consumption is tied to lower body weight and a lower risk of obesity-associated diseases. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/making-the-case-for-eating-fruit/?src=me&_r=0

Experts: Health risks higher from packaged greens

The outbreak of a stomach bug two states have linked to bagged salad came as little surprise to food safety experts, who say the process of harvesting, washing and packaging leafy greens provides numerous opportunities for contamination. Although nutritionists stress the chances of getting sick from vegetables are low compared to the dangers of a diet without them, packaged salads heighten the risk because leaves from several batches often are mixed together. "The washing and comingling of different batches of lettuce means a hazard that may appear in one field can show up in lots of bags of lettuce because of the common bath," said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of the food safety program for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer health advocacy organization based in Washington. http://news.yahoo.com/experts-health-risks-higher-packaged-greens-214010145.html

FDA sets 'gluten-free' labeling standards

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration set a final standard on Friday to clearly define what the term "gluten-free" means on food labels. The new regulation is targeted to help the estimated 3 million Americans who have celiac disease, a chronic inflammatory auto-immune disorder that can affect the lining of the small intestine when gluten is consumed. Gluten is a protein composite found in wheat, rye, barley and crossbreeds of these grassy grains. “Adherence to a gluten-free diet is the key to treating celiac disease, which can be very disruptive to everyday life,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, in the release. “The FDA’s new ‘gluten-free’ definition will help people with this condition make food choices with confidence and allow them to better manage their health." http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/08/02/fda-sets-gluten-free-labeling-standards/

Fruit breeder hits the sweet spot with Cotton Candy grapes

It's not easy peddling fresh fruit to a nation of junk-food addicts. But in rural Kern County, David Cain is working to win the stomachs and wallets of U.S. grocery shoppers. Cain is a fruit breeder. His latest invention is called the Cotton Candy grape. Bite into one of these green globes and the taste triggers the unmistakable sensation of eating a puffy, pink ball of spun sugar. By marrying select traits across thousands of nameless trial grapes, Cain and other breeders have developed patented varieties that pack enough sugar they may as well be Skittles on the vine. That's no accident. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cotton-candy-grape-20130801,0,3456231.story

A Glass of Milk After Eating Sugary Cereals May Prevent Cavities

Washing down sugary breakfast cereal with milk after eating reduces plaque acid levels and may prevent damage to tooth enamel that leads to cavities, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry. Dry ready-to-eat, sugar-added cereals combine refined sugar and starch. When those carbohydrates are consumed, bacteria in the dental plaque on tooth surfaces produce acids, says Christine Wu, professor of pediatric dentistry and director of cariology, who served as principal investigator of the study. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130731164718.htm

Red Wine Supplement May Block Benefits of Exercise in Older Men

Although some antioxidants may be good, more may not be better. New research suggests that resveratrol, a natural antioxidant found in red grapes and products derived from them -- such as red wine -- could offset the health benefits of exercise in older men. The study involved 27 healthy but inactive men, all nonsmokers around 65 years old. The University of Copenhagen researchers had the men engage in high-intensity exercise, which included full-body circuit training, for a total of eight weeks. During this time, half of the participants were given 250 milligrams (mg) of resveratrol daily. The rest of the men received a placebo pill that contained no active ingredients. Neither the researchers nor the men involved in the study knew if they were taking resveratrol or the dummy pill. Although physical activity improved the men's heart health, the study, published online July 22 in the Journal of Physiology, revealed that resveratrol supplements counteracted the positive effects of exercise on blood pressure, levels of fat in the blood and the capacity of the body to transport and use oxygen. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139052.html

NYC ban on large sugary drinks fizzles again

Large-size soft drinks are a sip closer to retaining their fizz in the Big Apple. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's efforts to ban large, non-diet sugary drinks from restaurants, fast-food spots, sports arenas, movie theaters and other outlets was rejected by a New York appellate court Tuesday, which said the move was illegal. Bloomberg, citing health issues, had proposed banning the sales of 16-ounce sugary beverages to counter obesity in the nation's largest city. Soft-drink marketers and businesses challenged the law, saying it violated consumers' freedom. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/07/30/new-york-ban-on-larged-sized-sugary-drinks-rejected/2599429/

Bipolar Disorder May Vary Depending on Weight, Eating Disorders

Bipolar disorder develops differently in obese people and among those who binge eat, a new study finds. Up to 4 percent of Americans have bipolar disorder, a serious mental illness that causes extreme mood swings. Just less than 10 percent of people with bipolar disorder are binge eaters, which the authors of the new study said is a higher rate than in the general population. This study found that bipolar patients who binge eat are more likely to have other mental health problems, such as suicidal thoughts, psychosis, anxiety disorders and substance abuse. Obese bipolar patients who do not binge eat are more likely to have serious physical conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139136.html

Breastfeeding tied to kids' intelligence

Children who were breastfed for more of their infancy scored higher on language and intelligence tests at three and seven years old, in a new study. Researchers found that for each extra month women reported breastfeeding, their children performed slightly better on those exams - though not on tests of motor skills and memory. "Given the size of the benefit, I think this should be helpful for women who are trying to make decisions about how long to breastfeed… because there are many factors that go into that decision," said Dr. Mandy Belfort, who led the study at Boston Children's Hospital. "You have to weigh that against the time that it takes, maybe the time that it takes away from work and your other family duties." http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139154.html

Diabetes Doesn't Seem to Affect Alzheimer's Disease Progression

Conditions that cause problems maintaining normal blood sugar levels -- such as glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes -- don't appear to be linked to specific signs of Alzheimer's disease, new research indicates. "When older folks develop dementia, it's usually from a host of factors [including Alzheimer's disease and hardening of the arteries]. Our study has shown that when older people with diabetes have dementia, it's not through Alzheimer's disease pathology," said senior study author Dr. Richard O'Brien. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_139144.html