World’s Oldest Women Showed No Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease.
June 13, 2008 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
There’s an assumption that the longer we live, the more likely that we will develop Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
But according to a study led by Prof Gert Holstege of University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands “… suggest that, in contrast to general belief, the limits of human cognitive function may extend far beyond the range that is currently enjoyed by most individuals, and that improvements in preventing brain disorders of aging may yield substantial long-term benefits.”
Reporting in the August issue of Neurobiology of Aging, this conclusion was the direct result of studying the one of the world’s oldest brains – during her life time and then following her death at the age of 115.
The results…
“Examination after death found almost no evidence of atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) anywhere in her body. The brain also showed very few abnormalities—the number of brain cells was similar to that expected in healthy people between 60 and 80 years old.”
(source)
In our discussion about celebrities and Health on the Health and Wellness Channel, and Celebrities and Alzheimer’s here at Alzheimer’s Notes, I’d say the World’s Oldest Woman was a celebrity. The fact that she didn’t have this disease, so often associated with the elderly, is a reason to look into her way of life and health.
My understanding was that after the age of 85 (I might be wrong on the details but something like that) the likelihood of getting Alzheimer’s reduces massively – namely if you haven’t got it by that stage, you aren’t going to.
Of course as people get older there may be some natural memory loss but that is very different from Alzheimer’s.