Post #2182 by WendyBG on the Macroeconomic Trends and Risks board

Personal Finance Topics / Macroeconomic Trends and Risks

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https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/health/alzheime...

Before dawn on a March morning, Doug Whitney walked into a medical center 2,000 miles from home, about to transform from a mild-mannered, bespectacled retiree into a superhuman research subject.

First, a doctor inserted a needle into his back to extract cerebral spinal fluid — “liquid gold,” a research nurse called it for the valuable biological information it contains. Then, the nurse took a sample of his skin cells. After that came an injection of a radioactive tracer followed by a brain scan requiring him to lie still for 30 minutes with a thermoplastic mask over his face. Then, another tracer injection and another brain scan.

During his three-day visit to the center, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, he also had cognitive assessments, neurological evaluations and blood draws that extracted multiple tubes for analysis.

For 14 years now, Mr. Whitney has been the one-person focus of exceptionally detailed scientific investigation, for which he travels periodically to St. Louis from his home in Port Orchard, Wash. It is not because he is ill. It is because he was supposed to be ill.

Mr. Whitney, 76, is a scientific unicorn with potential to provide answers about one of the world’s most devastating diseases. He has a rare genetic mutation that essentially guaranteed he would develop Alzheimer’s disease in his late 40s or early 50s and would likely die within a decade.

His mother and nine of her 13 siblings developed Alzheimer’s and died in the prime of their lives. So did his oldest brother, and other relatives going back generations. It is the largest family in the United States known to have an Alzheimer’s-causing mutation.

“Nobody in history had ever dodged that bullet,” Mr. Whitney said.

But somehow, he has done just that. Something has shielded him from his genetic destiny, allowing him to escape Alzheimer’s for at least 25 years longer than anyone expected.

Much more at the link

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It was very interesting that Mr. Whitney did not develop Alzheimer's even though his brain is loaded with amyloid. The problem he has is in a small area of his brain which has tau buildup.

It's possible that a huge amount of effort is being spent on drugs to get rid of amyloid -- which may not be the problem.

Wendy

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For average people who do not have mutations there are simple, inexpensive ways to delay dementia. These are evidence-based and well-supported by large studies.

https://www.wsj.com/health/wellness/the-simple-ste...
The Simple Steps That Can Prevent Dementia By Tom Frieden, The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 10, 2025 -- blood pressure -- cholesterol -- Smoking. Tobacco doesn’t just lop off years at the end of life; it makes the last part of a shorter life more unpleasant, accelerating cognitive decline and increasing dementia risk. -- Physical activity is the closest thing to a miracle drug: Even if you don’t lose an ounce of weight, it reduces the risk of dementia, cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Activities that keep minds sharp don’t require athletic prowess — they require consistency. Four brisk walks weekly for 30 minutes, ideally outdoors, can work wonders. -- Foods high in potassium—sweet potatoes, salmon, spinach, avocados, bananas—are also healthy. The ideal is to have as much or more potassium in your diet as sodium. [I use Lite Salt brand which is 50% potassium chloride, 50% sodium chloride. -- W] -- Sleep. . A regular sleep schedule, a dark and cool bedroom, and avoiding caffeine or nicotine close to bedtime all increase the likelihood of getting a good night’s sleep. [Get sleep apnea treated. -- W] -- Strong evidence suggests that correcting vision and hearing loss—including keeping those hearing aids in for nearly all waking hours—reduces the risk of dementia. Vision and hearing services help prevent dementia and increase independent living, possibly by mitigating sensory deprivation, protecting cognitive energy and reducing social isolation.[end quote]

Prevention is a lot more practical than waiting for a cure.

Wendy

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Wendy,

It's early, but suggestions are it's not an either or.

Very common in medicine

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a huge amount of effort is being spent on drugs to get rid of amyloid

OH the humanity (loss of drug profits) by sorrowful drug companies.

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