Columbia University Medical Researchers Find Diabetes May Be Linked With Cognitive Impairment
PBM Pharmaceuticals Acknowledges Findings, Prepares for Clinical Trial Results on Animi-3 Rx for Cardiovascular Disease and Deme
Apr. 16, 2007 01:33 PM
GORDONSVILLE, VA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 04/16/07 -- It is no secret that diabetes is linked
with cardiovascular disease: the American Diabetes Association reports more
than 65% of people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Now,
according to Columbia University Medical Center researchers, diabetes may
be linked with an increased risk of cognitive impairment that may be a
transitional step to Alzheimer's disease.
"Among cardiovascular risk factors, type 2 diabetes mellitus has been
consistently related to a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease," the authors
reported in the April issue of Archives of Neurology.*
The team studied 918 individuals 65 years and older who did not have mild
cognitive disorder or dementia at baseline (between 1992 and 1994). At the
beginning of the study and again every 18 months through 2003, each
participant underwent an interview and assessment, which included physical
and neurological examinations and cognitive tests.
During an average of 6.1 years of follow-up, 334 participants developed
mild cognitive impairment. The researchers believed diabetes may be related
to a higher risk for cognitive impairment by directly influencing the
accumulation of plaques in the brain, which is a characteristic of
Alzheimer's disease. In addition, cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke
are related to both diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.
"Our results provide further support to the potentially important
independent role of diabetes in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease,"
the researchers concluded.
Studies published in peer-reviewed journals have reported that patients
with heart disease, diabetes, and dementia (including Alzheimer's disease)
may be deficient in vital nutrients: omega-3 (DHA and EPA) fatty acids,
folic acid, and vitamins B6 and B12. Addressing these deficiencies may
reduce cardiovascular risk.
Doctors are now using Animi-3® to reliably deliver, in a controlled,
predictable manner, these nutrients to different patients. Animi-3 is a
prescription supplement indicated for improving nutritional status in
conditions requiring omega-3 (DHA and EPA), Vitamin B6, B12, or folic acid
supplementation.
Ernst J. Schaefer, M.D., professor of medicine at Tufts University School
of Medicine, is currently conducting a new double-blind, placebo-controlled
study of Animi-3 for cardiovascular risk reduction and dementia. The
Animi-3 clinical study is a six-month, double-blind, randomized,
placebo-controlled trial in 75 subjects ages 55-80 years with no prior
history of dementia.
"We believe subjects receiving the active supplement [Animi-3] will have
significantly greater decreases in triglycerides, homocysteine, and small
dense LDL, and greater increases in large HDL than those receiving the
placebo," said Dr. Schaefer. "We are also studying the effects of this
supplement on levels of C-Reactive Protein as well as measures of cognitive
function, including memory and executive function."
"PBM Pharmaceuticals acknowledges this new development in diabetes
research, which seems to be an additional reason for doctors to consider
Animi-3 for diabetic patients," added company President Jack Schramm,
inventor of the Animi-3 formula. "We eagerly await the results of the
Animi-3 Dementia trial and believe supplementation benefits patients with
these nutrient deficiencies."
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