Rea Blakey: Advances in Alzheimer's research

Blakey

(CNN) -- Nearly 4 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's disease, and it has become one of the greatest fears for an aging population and the children who will have to care for their elders.

CNN Medical Correspondent Rea Blakey talked to CNN anchor Paula Zahn on Thursday about the latest research from a medical conference in Sweden.

BLAKEY: The main message as expected to come out of the Alzheimer's conference in Sweden this weekend is what's good for the heart is also good for the head, or the brain, more specifically.

But first, a really important breakthrough, the first good look at the enemy. New imaging techniques will allow doctors to get the best view yet of Alzheimer's disease while it is developing in the brain.

Now before this, an autopsy was really the only true way to confirm disease. It took 10 years to make and test a new highlighting compound that works by actually lighting up the "bad actors" called amyloid deposits in Alzheimer's patients.

... Now [the amyloid deposits] are made up of plaque and tissue tangles inside the nerves. Together, they seem to short-circuit the healthy neurons, and then basically, they kill them off, and that's essentially what Alzheimer's is.

Now, add to that a highlighting compound called Pittsburgh Compound B. Now keep in mind, this is not a treatment. That's extremely important to hear. But in the next two to four years, if it's approved [by the Food and Drug Administration], the compound will be used with a PET scan ... to help drug companies see inside an Alzheimer's patient's brain to determine just how effective those various drug therapies are. So that's really good news.

ZAHN: So do they believe this is so promising that it might lead to early detection some day?

BLAKEY: That certainly is the hope. Researchers know that Alzheimer's symptoms often don't appear until the disease has actually been under way for about a decade, so you've got 10 years of lead time potentially we could work with, and we know with many other diseases that oftentimes, if we have the opportunity for early detection, we can better treat and better monitor diseases.

ZAHN: So we already know some 4 million people out there already have Alzheimer's, but is there anything in this new research that would indicate how you could prevent people from getting Alzheimer's?

BLAKEY: I love bringing good news. Again, the key here, what's good for your heart is probably good for your head. ... Well, there is mounting evidence now that staying physically active increases your likelihood for maintaining your mental capabilities. ...

So basically, if you're not physically fit, you may be increasing your Alzheimer's risk. So stay active and not only physically but also mentally. Crossword puzzles, learn a foreign language, anything that challenges the brain and keeps it active is a good thing.

ZAHN: Have they figured out what role diet might play ultimately if you are supposed to stay fit?

BLAKEY: Diet -- absolutely key. I found interesting in the research that -- we indicated that there are these plaques and tangles, but in various countries, Alzheimer's is really less prevalent. India, Africa -- they have lower fat consumption; they have lower incidence of Alzheimer's.

So what basically researchers are saying is follow that healthy diet once again. If you look at genetically altered mice in which researchers did -- they had a diet of saturated fat, accelerated the formation of those amyloid deposits associated with Alzheimer's. So eat that low-fat diet. Make sure that you get plenty of protein, antioxidants from fruits and vegetables, lots of fish. ...

If you can't get all those things in, there's Vitamin E. If you take 2,000 units of Vitamin E a day, which researchers have tested in live people instead of just in mice ... that's actually shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. So that's key. If you can't get all the other things done, the exercise, the diet, at least get the Vitamin E.