Blood Pressure Drugs May Lower Alzheimer's Risk

[BEST45CAL]

Blood-Pressure Drugs May Lower Alzheimer's Risk
(http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2006/03/13/hscout531515.html)
03.13.06, 12:00 AM ET


MONDAY, Mar. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Taking medications to lower blood pressure, particularly diuretics, may help reduce risks for Alzheimer's disease, a new study suggests.

Experts speculate that high blood pressure may increase the risk of the brain-wasting disease. That means drugs that ease hypertension -- another name for high blood pressure -- might also lower Alzheimer's risk.

[Native American]

High BP seems to be associated with quite a few ailments. So many so that it seems prudent for thoughtful folks to do what they can to keep their BP down.

As an aside, and for what it's worth, my first annual checkup here in AR showed a remarkable drop in my BP compared to when I was living in MA. And while some of that drop can probably be attributed to escaping from a state known to be overrun with ultraliberals and Democrats, my personal theory is that it has more to do with the amount of sodium in the water.

I'm on a well here, and haven't had it tested, but my well water should be similar to the municipal water supplies in the general area. So I'm trying to get a report from one of the local municipal water suppliers and see how their sodium content compares to that in eastern MA, where I lived previously. In MA, they use literally thousands of tons of salt on the highways each year, and that sodium finds its way into the water supply.

If every time you take a drink of water you're dosing yourself with sodium, that can't help if you're trying to cut your salt intake!

[BEST45CAL]

Hmmm...interesting. I have a friend who works at a water treatment plant. I'll ask him what the deal is with that.

[Rhino]

So, you can kill two birds with one stone by taking Viagra. LOL!

[Bob_Arctor]

There's a good amount of evidence that the statin drugs (Zocor, Lipitor, Crestor, Pravachol etc) can help delay Alzheimer's as well, in addition to their other beneficial effects. It wouldn't surprise me to see the day when most people take them, once they become generic and inexpensive, because they have so many good effects and so few side effects...almost the situation we have with aspirin currently.