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Can Lead Poisoning Cause Alzheimer’s

How It Works The Blood

Silent Menace: Lead poisoning in Lancaster County

The blood-brain barrier is a network of cerebral blood vessels that prevents toxins and other dangerous compounds from reaching the brain and affecting the central nervous system. It acts as the brains dedicated security system, separating the circulating blood in the body from the brain fluid. There are some substances, however, that can penetrate the BBB and cause irreparable damage to the central nervous system. Lead is one such substance. Not only does it break through the BBB, it also increases its permeability, thus leaving the brain vulnerable to other toxic substances.

When the BBB is exposed to high levels of lead concentration, fluid can accumulate and cause cerebral edema. This leads to extreme intracranial pressure, which can result in encephalopathy and irreversible brain damage. It also affects visual-motor reasoning skills, causes deficits in attention and cognitive ability, and promotes brain cell death. The effects of having too much lead in the blood cannot be reversed.

Can Alcohol Intoxication Cause Dementia

Alcohol dementia can appear to people of all ages, regardless of gender, height or body type. It can result from consuming alcoholic beverages in great quantities, including beer, wine, liquor, spirits, and more. Drinking small amounts of alcohol doesnt lead to this dangerous medical condition, so having a few drinks per week is considered to be safe.

Alcohol-induced dementia can be acquired if one gets intoxicated with alcohol regularly. This type of intoxication depletes the nutrients in the body, causes brain damage and seriously affects the function of major organs such as liver, kidneys, pancreas, and more. Each persons body can handle alcohol intoxication differently, but ultimately too much alcohol can lead to serious health conditions.

Epigenetics And Heavy Metals With A Focus On Pb

Epigenetic alterations have been observed following exposure to environmental metals , including arsenic, nickel, chromium, cadmium, and Pb. Perhaps the heavy metal most studied in the field of cancer epigenetic epidemiology is arsenic. In a population-based study of 351 individuals with bladder cancer, elevated toenail arsenic measurements are associated with increased tumor sample promoter methylation of RASSF1A and PRSS3 tumor suppressor genes . Nickel, chromium, and cadmium epigenetics research has largely been in toxicologically based in vitro experiments. A cell line of human lung bronchoepithelial cells treated with nickel chloride show global histone modification changes including decreased H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 acetylation and increased H3K9 dimethylation . When the same cell line is treated with chromium, the cells exhibit increased H3K9 dimethylation at the MLH1 gene promoter region, which correlates with decreased MLH1 mRNA expression . Cadmium exposure in a rat liver cell line initially reduces DNA methyltransferase activity and global DNA methylation, but after 10 weeks of prolonged exposure, the cells show significant increases in DNA methyltransferase and global DNA methylation above the baseline .

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Alarm Bells: Lead And Heart Attack

Alarm bells rang when it was in 2018 it was reported in The Lancet Public Health journal that 18% of all heart attacks and strokes are attributed to elevations of lead in blood samples. There were 14,289 adult subjects surveyed and 4422 deaths over 2+ decades 631 among individuals with a blood/lead level less than 2.0 micrograms versus 2451 deaths among individuals with blood/lead levels greater than 3.8 micrograms, a 388% increase!

Bone blood levels of lead are correlated with heart rate abnormalities.

Lead Link To Alzheimer’s Disease

Heavy Metal Toxicity

Early Lead Poisoning May Boost Alzheimer’s Brain Chemicals Years Later, Lab Tests on Monkeys Show

Lead poisoning is a well-known danger, especially for young children. Months or years of lead poisoning can stunt children’s growth and damage their brain, kidneys, hearing, and mental development.

Early lead poisoning may also tinker with genes in a way that sets the stage for Alzheimer’s disease as an adult, according to the new study, which is based on monkeys, not people.

The study included two groups of baby monkeys that drank formula for the first 400 days of their life. One group of monkeys got ordinary, lead-free formula. The scientists added low levels of lead to the other group’s formula.

No health problems were seen in the monkeys during the 23-year study.

The scientists checked the monkey’s brains at the end of the study. The monkeys that drank the lead-laced formula as babies had higher levels of Alzheimer’s-related proteins and more DNA damage than the other monkeys.

Lead poisoning in infancy may have made the monkeys’ genes make more of the Alzheimer’s-related proteins years later, according to the researchers, who included the University of Rhode Island’s Nasser Zawia, PhD.

Their findings appear in The Journal of Neuroscience.

SOURCES: Wu, J. The Journal of Neuroscience, Jan. 2, 2008 vol 28: pp3-9. WebMD Medical Reference: “Prevent Lead Poisoning.”

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Guidelines For Reducing Your Heavy Metal Exposure

  • Eliminate / do not use or minimize:
  • avoid conventional household cleaning products
  • Safe alternatives:
  • avoid cosmetics with aluminum bases, mineral powders that contain bismuth, and aluminum-laden antiperspirants, which have been shown to increase Alzheimers risk by as much as 300 percent!
  • avoid stainless steel thermoses the glass lined kinds are best.
  • avoid aluminum and Teflon cookware as they are well known for their toxic dangers, and stainless steel can expose you to carcinogenic nickel.
  • only use glass, cast iron, carbon steel, titanium, and enamel cookware.
  • minimize consumption of restaurant food as restaurants are required to use stainless steel pots and vats.
  • avoid costume jewelry if you are sensitive to metals.
  • avoid smoking and second hand smoke as it causes cadmium poisoning.
  • avoid vaccinations that inject mercury or aluminum directly into your bloodstream.
  • At the dentist:
  • Avoid stainless steel orthodontics, such as braces and palate wideners.
  • Herbal Remedies:
  • Make sure you purchase your natural herbal remedies from a reputable source with strict quality testing. Some remedies can be high in contaminants, such as mercury, lead and arsenic. Some colloidal silvers can lead to silver poisoning.
  • About The Author – Rudy Silva is a Natural Nutritionist. To learn more about the other nutrients you need to hold off signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s go to http://www.for–you.com/dementiaremedies

    Lead Exposure Linked To Parkinsons Disease

    UCLA Health interviewed Dr. Beate Ritz, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of epidemiology and environmental health sciences, about research that indicates a link between lead exposure and Parkinsons disease, a neurological disease that affects movement, mood, and cognition

    Lead is a poison that particularly affects the brain and nervous system. Exposure to lead in the environment can cause developmental and behavioral problems in young children its also harmful to adults.

    Lifelong exposure levels, however, can be tricky to measure.

    Now, a new study from UCLA Health has shown a link between lead exposure and Parkinsons disease. The study demonstrates a new method for measuring long-term lead exposure that is much easier than previous methods, and that could be modified to test for other environmental toxins.

    Parkinsons is a neurological disease that affects movement, causing tremors, muscle stiffness, and difficulty moving, and also affects mood and cognition. The causes of Parkinsons are not fully understood, but exposure to environmental toxins has been shown to play a role. Studies of the effect of lead on Parkinsons disease have been inconclusive so far.

    In the new study, UCLA researchers applied a new blood test that can measure long-term lead exposure using epigenetics.

    There are millions of places in the DNA that can be methylated, and characteristics such as age or smoking habits create identifiable patterns of methylation.

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    What Is Cognitive Reserve And Does Lead Alter It

    The concept of cognitive reserve views brain function during cognition as a factor capable of altering an individuals tolerance to brain pathology. Under this view, brain-damaged individuals with the same brain size and the same degree of brain pathology may still experience different levels of functional impairment as a result of differences in their brains cognitive efficiency, capacity, or flexibility . Such functional reserve is considered modifiable and is believed to reflect the contribution of both genes and life experiences. Unlike brain reserve, cognitive reserve cannot be measured directly, but is instead typically measured through proxies believed to relate to an individuals cognitive activity, such as intelligence, years of education, and the degree of intellectual complexity required by occupational tasks and leisure pursuits. The concept of cognitive reserve is supported by numerous studies finding lower risks of cognitive decline , AD , and dementia in PD in individuals with higher cognitive reserve as measured by proxies like IQ, education and occupational attainment. The latent cognitive reserve construct has demonstrated both convergent and discriminant validity in multiethnic cohorts . And, finally, adults exposed to lead have been found to suffer fewer cognitive deficits if they have higher cognitive reserve prior to exposure .

    Evidence From Adults Exposed To Lead

    What Does Lead Poisoning Do To Your Brain?

    Studies of adults exposed to lead through their home environment or through employment in lead-related industries have indicated a link between later-life lead exposure and neurodegenerative disease. Lead is hypothesized to increase disease risk in exposed adults by directly causing inflammatory and pro-degenerative intracellular oxidative damage. It is not yet clear if the mechanisms operating to increase risk following adult exposures are the same as those operating in exposed children. Nevertheless, studies of adults exposed to lead provide confirmation of pro-degenerative neurotoxic activity.

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    Lead Toxicity 4th Leading Killer

    Continual Exposure To Ubiquitous Toxic Lead In The Environment Suggests The Public Begin Habitual Lead Removal Measures With Dietary Supplements

  • With the realization that the toxic metal lead is ubiquitous in our modern world
  • And blood levels of toxic lead in the environment over the past 50 years are still 10-t0-100 times higher than people living in the pre-industrial era
  • And that no blood level of lead is safe
  • And only 9% of Americans have undetectable blood/lead levels
  • While the Centers For Disease Control arbitrarily recommends blood levels of lead stay below 5 micrograms per blood sample, a massive 388% relative increased risk for death was recorded for adults with a blood/lead level below 3.8 micrograms compared to 2.0 micrograms!
  • And lead toxicity produces over 400,000 newly recognized deaths annually due to heart and blood vessel disease alone
  • And widespread chelation therapy is impractical and requires repeated treatment
  • The masses, in particular young children who are most vulnerable to lead toxicity, must begin to habitually incorporate a daily dietary and supplement regimen to continually chelate of toxic lead from the human body.
  • Widely available and economical natural remedies such as garlic , vitamins C and B1 , and IP6 rice bran have been shown to non-toxically remove lead from the human body as effectively and safer than doctor-prescribed drugs .
  • Causes Of Lead Poisoning

    Most people’s risk of lead poisoning is very small as nowadays lead generally isn’t used in paints, petrol or food containers. This has resulted in a very low exposure to lead for the majority of people. However, one of the main potential risks can be through drinking tap water if your property has lead pipes, a lead water tank or pipework with lead fittings. In a small number of cases this can result in lead contaminating the water supply.

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    Evidence From Children Exposed To Lead

    The earliest evidence linking childhood lead exposure to neurodegeneration comes from a 1931 case of a lead poisoned Cincinnati child . Stricken with lead-related encephalopathy after ingesting leaded paint at age two, the child experienced progressive mental deterioration until his death, at age 44, of pneumonia. Brain autopsy following death revealed expansive atrophy associated with AD, in cortical, temporal and hippocampal brain areas, with neural tissue in these regions clouded by neurofibrillary tangles that, even then, were considered hallmarks of AD. At that time at least two other cases of individuals highly exposed to lead from a very early age were found, after death, to have experienced AD-type pathology . Following these cases, researchers at Indiana University observed the formation of neurofibrillary tangles in cortical and hippocampal neurons in rabbits within hours of injecting the animals with tetraethyllead .

    Few cases of childhood lead poisoning have since been followed-up in the literature, although one group of lead-poisoned children treated at Bostons Children Hospital in the 1940s were given cognitive tests in middle age . Evidence of age-related degeneration was not noted at that time, but significant, widespread cognitive deficits relative to matched controls were detected, 50 years after cessation of exposure .

    Lead Exposure Linked To Alzheimers Disease: Icmr Study

    7 Causes Of Alzheimer

    Lead exposure can lead to Alzheimers – a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental function, scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research-led National Institute of Nutrition have established through laboratory-based studies.

    Lead is a common pollutant that can get into environment from a number of commonly used materials like paints, cosmetics, batteries, glass and low grade toys, and is known to affect the central nervous system after prolonged exposure.

    Its role as a risk factor in development of neurodegenerative diseases is also established through various studies globally.

    Recent lab-based studies conducted at ICMR-NIN have now established the possible link between lead exposure and Alzheimers disease, said ICMR in a statement.

    A team led by ICMR- NINs senior scientist Dr Suresh Challa has shown the molecular mechanism involved in the development of lead induced Alzheimers disease through in vitro studies.

    In fact, Alzheimers Disease has a complex pathophysiology which involves initially formation of beta amyloid plaques and tangles in the brain. In addition, oxidative stress and inflammation are known to be involved in the progression of the disease, with loss of memory and neuronal cell death. In this scenario, our study investigated the basic molecular mechanism behind the involvement of lead in Alzheimers disease, said Dr Challa

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    Overview Of Pb Exposure As A Risk Factor

    Zawia and colleagues have published a series of experimental studies on rodents and primates demonstrating that Pb exposure in early life results in late-life neuropathological changes similar to those of AD . This work, coupled with the recognition that exposure to Pb in the general population until recently has been high, has heightened interest in the epidemiology of Pb exposure and neurodegenerative disease. We discuss trends in Pb exposure and epidemiologic studies that provide evidence for the role of Pb as a risk factor for AD.

    Exposure To Environmental Lead Can Cause Alzheimers Disease: Study

    2 min read.Neetu Chandra Sharma

    • The finding is part of a recent research done by scientists at Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition
    • Leads role as a risk factor in development of neurodegenerative diseases and many dysfunctions of the human central nervous system is established globally

    New Delhi: Environmental exposure to lead can cause Alzheimers disease, a recent research done by scientists at Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition has established.

    Lead, toxic heavy metal, is a common pollutant that can get into environment from a number of commonly used materials like paints, cosmetics, batteries, glass and low grade toys.

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    Alzheimers disease is a progressive and irreversible brain disorder that gradually destroys memory and thinking skills of the person affected. Leads role as a risk factor in development of neurodegenerative diseases and many dysfunctions of the human central nervous system is established globally.

    The ICMR- NIN team worked on the molecular mechanism involved in the development of lead induced Alzheimer’s disease through in vitro studies.

    Alzheimers disease has a complex patho-physiology which involves initially formation of beta amyloid plaques and tangles in the brain,” said Suresh Challa senior scientist at ICMR- NIN who lead the team.

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    Bookmarks On This Page & Related Web Pages:

    • Heavy Metals and our Immune System
    • Lead
    • Nickel

    The above toxic metals can cause or contribute to a long list of diseases including Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and other brain and neurological disorders. While we recognize the acute toxicity that comes from high levels of metals, a vast majority of patients suffer the adverse effects of low-level, chronic exposure.

    Health Problems Caused By Lead

    Aluminum Poisoning Causes Dementia (in Bees)

    It does not matter if a person breathes-in, swallows, or absorbs lead particles, the health effects are the same however, the body absorbs higher levels of lead when it is breathed-in.

    Within our bodies, lead is absorbed and stored in our bones, blood, and tissues. It does not stay there permanently, rather it is stored there as a source of continual internal exposure. 1 As we age, our bones demineralize and the internal exposures may increase as a result of larger releases of lead from the bone tissue. There is concern that lead may mobilize from the bone among women undergoing menopause.2 Post-menopausal women have been found to have higher blood lead levels than pre-menopausal women. 3

    Health effects from short-term overexposure to lead

    Lead poisoning can happen if a person is exposed to very high levels of lead over a short period of time. When this happens, a person may feel:

    • Abdominal pain
    • Pain or tingling in the hands and/or feet
    • Weak

    Because these symptoms may occur slowly or may be caused by other things, lead poisoning can be easily overlooked. Exposure to high levels of lead may cause anemia, weakness, and kidney and brain damage. Very high lead exposure can cause death.

    Health effects from prolonged exposure to lead

    A person who is exposed to lead over time may feel:

    • Abdominal pain
    • Irritable
    • Nauseous/Sick

    People with prolonged exposure to lead may also be at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, and reduced fertility.

    References

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    How To Treat And Prevent Alcoholic Dementia

    Alcohol dementia treatment can be quite stressful for patients to undertake, but it is necessary to prevent more dangerous health problems and even death. The alcoholism treatment consists of IV therapies and infusions which attempt to reestablish the proper nutritional balance of the body. Patients need to stay in clinics or hospitals for certain periods where they will be closely monitored and treated. Alcohol must be avoided at all costs during the treatment period, a thing which most alcohol abusers find very hard to do. This happens because alcohol addicts have become so used to this toxic substance that the body craves it regularly. Alcoholism support groups are very helpful in these cases.

    Dementia from alcohol abuse can also be treated with Thiamine therapy which brings the much-needed nutrients back into a sufferers body. This treatment improves the neurological functioning of the patient and prevents dementia from advancing to more dangerous stages. Patients must also receive proper counsel from professional therapists to discover the root causes of their alcohol addiction and to eliminate them. If proper treatment is administered on time, alcoholic abusers might have a chance of living an alcohol-free and happy life. The rehabilitation facility for alcoholics is the best option to contact to learn more about the recovery process.

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