Doctors discover drug already on the market ‘could prevent 1 million new cases of Alzheimer's' a year
Given the devastating effects of this incurable disease, the hunt is on for a drug that could help prevent or slow its progression.
Now, a new study has found that nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) — a common class of medications for HIV — could dramatically decrease the risk of developing this neurodegenerative disorder.
A new study has found that a common class of medications could dramatically decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Eric Hood – stock.adobe.com
Analyzing data from over 270,000 patients aged 50 and older, researchers observed that the risk of Alzheimer's decreased by 6% to 13% for each year the patients were on NRTIs.
These results are — to say the least — incredibly promising.
'It's estimated that over 10 million people around the world develop Alzheimer's disease annually,' said Jayakrishna Ambati, founding director of the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Vision Science.
'Our results suggest that taking these drugs could prevent approximately 1 million new cases of Alzheimer's disease every year.'
NRTIs are primarily used to prevent HIV from replicating inside the body.
Ambati's team discovered that these drugs also inhibit inflammasomes — immune system components implicated in Alzheimer's development.
The risk of Alzheimer's decreased by 6% to 13% for each year the patients were on nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors.
Atthapon – stock.adobe.com
The next step would be to test NRTIs in clinical trials, although Ambati noted his team has already devised another drug that is going down that route.
'We have also developed a new inflammasome-blocking drug called K9, which is a safer and more effective version of NRTIs,' Ambati said. 'This drug is already in clinical trials for other diseases, and we plan to also test K9 in Alzheimer's disease.'
The study was published last week in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia.
This finding adds to a growing number of potential Alzheimer's treatments.
A compound found in rosemary and sage — carnosic acid — has been shown to reverse memory loss and reduce brain inflammation in mice with Alzheimer's, bringing their cognitive function back to near-normal levels.
A study from Stanford Medicine found that seniors who received the shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over seven years.
And researchers at Penn State and Stanford University discovered that a certain cancer drug could restore memory and brain function in early-stage Alzheimer's models.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Decades-old HIV charity's fear over future funding
A London-wide HIV charity has said it could be forced to close if the funding crisis it is facing continues. Positively UK, which has supported people with HIV for almost 40 years, has already closed its pan-London gay men's peer support group after being unable to secure funding for its future. Silvia Petretti, CEO said: "The support we give is very emotional. However, most of the time we have very short-term funding. From one year to another, we never know if we're going to be around." The government said it was "fully committed" to ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030 and that its upcoming HIV Action Plan would focus on prevention and testing, as well as living well with HIV. According to the National Aids Trust, 2023 was the highest year for people receiving HIV care, with 107,949 treated - an increase of 27% across the last 10 years. Ms Petretti said: "HIV is not over. We have treatment for HIV, but we don't have a treatment for stigma yet." "Positively UK has existed since the 1980s," she added. "We're going to be 40 next year and I am worried that our services may not be there for people in the future because of the lack of funding. "We finished the year in the deficit and one of the most important services for us, the gay men's project, had to stop. In the past two years we applied to nine different funds and we couldn't secure any funding for the project." Phil Dehany started attending the support group four years after he was diagnosed with HIV in 2016. "I live by myself here in London and it can be lonely," he said. "Those opportunities to meet up with people once a month were a lifeline. "I would go as often as I could, and it's one of those things that you don't miss until it's gone, and I wish now that I'd gone a lot more often." "It was really sad when the project came to an end - straight away you've just lost that connection to that community." Mr Dehany said he now uses a range of other voluntary organisations, but fears that if funding struggles continue, those who need support, including elderly people living with HIV, will suffer. 'Nothing to replace that service' The voluntary and community sectors that offer support services for people living with HIV have faced big cuts in the last decade, the National Aids Trust said. A report by the charity found 71% of London's HIV voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations had to either reduce staff numbers, close services, merge with other organisations or use cash reserves to cover operating costs in the last three years. Some 40% were concerned about their ability to deliver services over the next three years. Robbie Currie, CEO of the National Aids Trust, said: "There's a funding crisis going on within the sector across the UK. "Statutory services have been massively reduced. It has really impacted on service provision. Services are either being cut completely or they are being reduced." Of Positively UK, he said: "There's just nothing to replace that service." The government recently pledged to end all new HIV diagnoses by 2030. Ms Petretti said: "The government wants the UK to reach zero transmissions by 2030, but if people are not supported to stay well, we will not reach this goal." In June, the Local Government Association warned that sexual health services in England were grappling with "unprecedented pressure" and urged the government to carve out a 10-year strategy and invest more to deliver "expert, timely care". A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said its 10-year health plan focused on how local government could improve services for sexual health by making better use of funding and working more closely with the NHS. They added: "We are fully committed to ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030 and our upcoming HIV Action Plan will focus not just on prevention and testing, but also on helping people live well with HIV." They said more than £6m had been invested in the National HIV Prevention Programme and £27m of funding was announced in December. Additional reporting by Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporting Service. Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to More on this story Sexual health clinic axed despite STI hotspot Battle against HIV in London 'needs scaling up' 'I was told I had between three and nine months to live' Related internet links Positively UK Government guidance on commissioning local HIV sexual and reproductive health services
Newsweek
16 hours ago
- Newsweek
Woman Diagnosed With AIDS Given 2 Years to Live—Shock Over Her Health Now
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. "I kept my status hidden for decades to protect my family, but now it's my time to talk," Jennifer Comstock told Newsweek, 35 years after an AIDS diagnosis left her in denial. In 1990, Comstock and her first husband were on active duty in the Marine Corps. With her husband due to be sent out to the Persian Gulf, he submitted to a mandatory HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) test, which was positive. That wasn't when Comstock learned her fate, as she didn't know her husband was living with HIV until she visited him in the hospital and noticed countless warnings about HIV on his ward. Comstock was faced with the reality that her husband had been cheating on her with men and may have transmitted HIV. Just 20 years old, Comstock got tested and then came a perilous wait for the results. A month later, she was given the devastating news that she too was positive. "As I was on active duty in the Marine Corps, I was expected to be composed and to keep breathing, which I did," Comstock said. "In those early years, I lived in denial. I just believed I was going to be OK, without any real reason for feeling that way." During her first trip to the hospital, Comstock, now 55, learned that her T cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the immune system fight germs, were below 200. The normal range can vary, but The Cleveland Clinic suggests that generally it should be between 500 to 1,200 cells for a healthy adult. HIV is known to attack white blood cells and causes the body to make fewer T cells. By the time she learned of her diagnosis, Comstock's health had already deteriorated significantly. As a result, she was given an automatic AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) diagnosis. Jennifer Comstock in 1990 while in the Marine Corps, and with her second husband. Jennifer Comstock in 1990 while in the Marine Corps, and with her second husband. @positivejen / TikTok Untreated, HIV weakens the immune system and can become AIDS in around 8 to 10 years, according to the Mayo Clinic. People with AIDS are more likely to develop other diseases, causing symptoms such as sweats, chills, recurring fever, fatigue, mouth lesions, and weakness. Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. have HIV, and around 13 percent of them don't know. In 2022, an estimated 31,800 people acquired HIV in the U.S., with the highest rates in the South. Following her diagnosis, Comstock was given only 2 years to live and told to "get [her] affairs in order" before she passed. "It definitely makes you live life to the fullest," she said. "I did what I wanted to do. I joined the military, in a large part to be able to afford college. But then I thought, why bother? I won't live to graduate, so I'd rather not spend my time studying. By my 40s, I went to college and graduated cum laude with a degree in history. I've never done anything by halves since my diagnosis. I give my full self to everything and everyone I am involved with." She's been taking ART (antiretroviral therapy) since 1997, which prevents the disease from transmitting if there's an undetectable viral load. In 1994, Comstock met her second husband who was HIV negative. She dreaded having to tell him that she has AIDS, assuming he'd walk away before their relationship even got started. "Instead, he said he didn't care if we had 2 years or 20," Comstock said. Ultimately, they had 30 wonderful years together and Comstock welcomed three children, all HIV negative. When they vowed to love each other in sickness and in health, they both truly meant it. "I ended up being the one taking care of him after he had an aortic dissection in 2007. I took care of him through two open heart surgeries and 17 years of bad health. You just never know how life is going to work out," Comstock told Newsweek. "My husband and I always wanted to travel. It wasn't always easy when my husband was sick, but we always said we could be sick at home, or sick somewhere exciting." Jennifer Comstock with her second husband on vacation. Jennifer Comstock with her second husband on vacation. @positivejen / TikTok Life has thrown many challenges at Comstock, but she's remained resilient. In recent years, Comstock sadly lost her husband and son (both unrelated to HIV). She's battled many illnesses, but her health is much better now, and the disease is undetectable. Her immune system was severely damaged before ART medication became available. Indeed, if that breakthrough didn't occur when it did, Comstock thinks she "wouldn't have made it" because she was incredibly sick. There were complications at first, including cardiomyopathy, heart failure, pneumonia and mini strokes, but Comstock isn't certain if they were caused by HIV or the medication. "Some of those early meds were much harsher than the newer ones," she said. Despite being told she only had two years left, Comstock has gained a college degree, started a family, and become a qualified travel advisor. Jennifer Comstock with her second husband while traveling the world. Jennifer Comstock with her second husband while traveling the world. @positivejen / TikTok Comstock has been living with AIDS for 35 years and no longer feels like she has to live in secret. She stayed silent to protect her children, but now that they're grown up, she is using her voice to educate and raise awareness. She created a TikTok account (@positivejen) to discuss her diagnosis, answer questions, and to break the stigma. "I am here and so many are not," she said. "Someone needs to speak up, especially for women. I want people to understand that people living with HIV are normal. We have kids, husbands, careers, full lives. HIV is something we have, not who we are. HIV doesn't define me." She added: "I have people from all over the world contacting me for advice. So many are just happy to see someone like me living a normal life. I often have to correct people posting misinformation. AIDS denialism is still alive and well—it's not like 1990, but it's still there." Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@ We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
This tasty seasoning can boost memory, fight anxiety and even help prevent dementia
Herb your enthusiasm — your brain's about to get a boost. For centuries, a trusty kitchen staple has been celebrated by ancient healers for its wide-ranging medicinal properties, including sharpening memory, concentration and overall cognitive function. Now, modern science is backing up that old-school wisdom, with research suggesting the powerful plant could even help fight Alzheimer's disease, the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Advertisement 5 The herb is generally considered safe for culinary and medicinal purposes when used in moderation. rh2010 – A Mediterranean marvel Rosemary, a fragrant evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean, has been a kitchen staple since the time of ancient Greece and Rome. Fast forward to today, and the versatile herb has won fans around the world. Its bold, aromatic leaves — whether fresh or dried — are widely used as seasoning, steeped in tea or infused into oil. Advertisement But could adding rosemary to your meals do more than just wake up your taste buds? More than just flavor Packed with phytochemicals, rosemary has been shown to help protect the body from harmful free radicals, oxidative stress and inflammation — all key drivers behind chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 5 Rosemary is part of the mint family, which also includes herbs like basil, thyme and lavender. PhotoArt Thomas Klee – It also appears to pack an antimicrobial punch, having long been used in traditional medicine to fight infections and speed wound healing. Advertisement Rosemary is a solid source of vitamins A, C and B6, along with essential minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. It's especially rich in manganese, a key nutrient for metabolic health. With all these benefits, scientists are investigating whether rosemary could help with everything from vision and skin health to hair growth, asthma relief and even slowing the spread of cancer cells. But one of the most promising frontiers in rosemary research is the brain. Brain food since ancient times Advertisement Scientists may be just catching on, but humans have relied on rosemary to boost brainpower for thousands of years. 5 Rosemary's potent tioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may give the brain a major boost. manassanant – Back in ancient Greece, students and scholars commonly wore garlands made from the plant on their heads during exams to boost their memory and focus. Centuries later, Shakespeare crowned it 'the herb of remembrance.' Turns out, they might have been onto something. In one study, older adults who sniffed rosemary scored significantly better on tests of prospective memory — the ability to remember to do something at the right time — compared to those in an unscented room. They were also more alert. 'This is potentially very important because prospective memory, for example, enables you to remember to take your medication at certain times of the day,' said Dr. Mark Moss, head of the department of psychology at Northumbria University, who helped lead the study. 5 The scent of rosemary has been shown to improve memory and focus, as well as lower stress and anxiety levels. annanahabed – Advertisement But it's not just seniors who could benefit. A 2018 trial found university students taking 500 mg of rosemary supplements twice daily for a month showed better memory than a placebo group. They also reported less anxiety and depression, plus better sleep — suggesting rosemary does more than just sharpen your mind. In another study, employees who drank rosemary-infused water daily said they felt less burnt out at their jobs than coworkers who didn't. Advertisement Scientists think rosemary may work its magic by boosting blood flow to the brain — flooding it with oxygen and nutrients that help clear out mental fog. Its calming scent has also been shown to lower cortisol, the body's main stress hormone. Meanwhile, research suggests its polyphenols may help fight depression by taming inflammation and supporting gut health. Rosemary also contains compounds like 1,8-cineole, which helps prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine — a key brain chemical tied to learning and memory. Experts suspect that keeping acetylcholine levels up may help your mind stay sharp with age. Advertisement 5 Over time, Alzheimer's disease gradually destroys thinking and memory skills. LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – Researchers are also zeroing in on carnosic acid, a powerful antioxidant in rosemary that shields brain cells from damage linked to Alzheimer's disease. In 2025, researchers created a stable version called diAcCA, and early lab results are promising. The compound improved memory, strengthened brain cell connections and slashed levels of Alzheimer's-linked proteins like amyloid-beta and tau. Even better, diAcCA only activated in inflamed brain areas, potentially reducing side effects. In mouse studies, it showed no signs of toxicity and delivered major cognitive gains — raising hopes for future human trials. Advertisement The breakthrough could be big, with Alzheimer's becoming a growing public health crisis as America's population gets older. Right now, about 7.2 million Americans over 65 have the memory-robbing disease. By 2060, that number is expected to nearly double to 13.8 million unless new treatments or cures emerge.
