Alzheimer’s on the rise in the U.S.?

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-- shocking numbers for you according to a new report as Americans get older the number of people with alzheimer's disease will triple.

By the year -- -- -- fifty that's a shocking number.

Well doctor Marc Siegel here Fox News medical -- -- a professor of medicine and why you land on medical center here in New York City.

And I've just charged June doctor -- with making sure that we don't get it what what it on the didn't alert now what do we learn from this study what should we be doing.

Well I mean this study doesn't show that alzheimer's itself is becoming -- likely in terms of diseases.

It has to do with the fact that were all getting older and seventy million baby boomers are getting older so we're gonna see an infusion in the population.

Of people that are older by 2050 you gonna have about eighty million people that are over 65.

Which is more than double we have now.

So since alzheimer's affects -- -- people over 85 we're gonna have more more people in that group and Jamie as you were saying before we came on.

That's also because their medications are so good so have good news we get older and older people.

But the more and more likely to get -- meant that people over eighty years old have a 50% chance of having some kind of dementia.

And alzheimer's is number one that staggering that -- -- a burden on our health system.

And of course to the people that have to take care of the people with dementia that's -- huge burden not just the health care system.

But family relatives friends you know so we have to look more and more what we can do about this and that's where the good news starts to creep and here's what we learned this -- Kelly we know that this is probably due to that beta amyloid protein in the brain we've been talking about.

That may be the actual cause it builds up in the brain if you can find it earlier you may be able to treat it well you know what we have more more ability to find it earlier we using MRI scans now.

To find that abnormality earlier we know little more about the genetics -- Working on new medications that we can use early in the game.

To -- -- -- we know little more about diet.

That in -- accidents in green tea and red wine extract may help.

There's a new device out that that we've talked about on the air that introduces electrical stimulation into the brain that may help.

More more of that more exercise more mental exercise the stuff we do here all the time -- -- the beginning she's worried about us getting -- -- active every minute and that's how we're gonna.

-- that's a good thing how morally can early onset alzheimer's happen.

And what tests really proves whether or not it's alzheimer's or something else well.

Actually can happen as early as the fourth or fifth decade but most of the time we don't see it -- -- over 65 or so and again.

Every decade after that it gets more more likely 75 much more likely than 65 over a million people 85 the most likely.

You look for abnormalities in the bridle and temporal lobes of the brain.

-- that you do with an MRI you look at an MRI -- and you say are those abnormalities there.

Is the patient having a problem with the language are they having a problem with space shall orientation what about memory.

These are the main issues that -- fine without -- but let me just say losing your keys.

Does not qualify it's more serious than it's more serious than that it's -- how do you get home I forgot how to how to get home you know you lose the ability to communicate properly making decisions.

And real quickly used to talk over this before you alluded to it that exercise and diet can really slow the progression of it and and even perhaps prevent it is that.

So that's important keeps coming back.

Well those are not cures killer but I you were present of them and I like the Mediterranean diet we talk about on Sunday house goal the time doctor some money also.

We like diets that are high in anti oxidant fruits vegetables there's been studies on this and mental exercise in addition to physical exercise actually help slow the -- progression -- real terms we gotta do what we can.

To avoid it and we're gonna get grabbed our nation if we don't we're gonna get targeted therapies coming -- and it not only financially but also emotionally to people having to take care -- would go to give me hammer.

Keep looking now for a right.

Tomorrow morning at 1030 under house call and will keep this Johnson can activate our minds measure I don't elections thanks that bring so much.

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Alzheimer’s on the rise in the U.S.?

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