Specifically, the combination seems to benefit people who carry a variant of the gene for apolipoprotein, APOE-4, which is known to put them at high risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease.

“We found that for people at low risk, taking vitamin C and E alone is sufficient to further reduce their risk,” Dr. Majid Fotuhi told Reuters Health. “But for those with (APOE-4), the combination exerts a synergistic benefit.”

Fotuhi, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and his associates followed nearly 5000 elderly residents of Cache County in Utah for 8 years, taking into account their regular consumption of vitamins C and E, and ibuprofen.

They identified 127 subjects who regularly consumed all three agents, Fotuhi reported at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting here in San Diego. Results showed that this group exhibited significantly less decline in mental performance scores.

“With this approach, we’ve advanced a two-point attack on the cascade of events that leads to Alzheimer’s disease pathology,” Fotuhi said. “On the one hand, we reduce inflammation (with vitamins E and C), and on the other hand, we reduce the amount of amyloid in the brain (with ibuprofen), the substrate that causes inflammation.”

As noted, APOE-4 carriers experienced the greatest benefit from the triple combination. According to the researchers, this subset of patients in their late 60s or 70s exhibited no decline in cognitive function during the 8-year follow-up when they took all three agents. Subjects who took just one of these agents had worsening memory over time.

“So if patients seem to be at high risk, such as having several family members with Alzheimer’s disease or with early memory loss, they are likely to benefit the most from the triple-combination therapy,” the researcher said.

As to what dose of ibuprofen to use, Fotuhi urges caution, since the drug can lead to stomach ulcers. He recommends a dose no higher than 100 milligrams per day.

He is so encouraged by these findings that he has patented a combination pill containing vitamins C and E, ibuprofen, and “a small amount of omega-3 fatty acid.”

The findings may not sound surprising. But they actually present something of a paradox, as past studies have linked smoking to a reduced risk of developing preeclampsia in the first place.

Preeclampsia is a syndrome marked by a sudden increase in blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy and a buildup of protein in the urine due to stress on the kidneys. Most women with preeclampsia deliver a healthy baby, but the condition can develop into a life-threatening condition called eclampsia, which can cause seizures or coma.

Preeclampsia can also slow the growth of the fetus and increase the risks of preterm birth, placental abruption — where the placenta separates from the uterine wall before delivery of the newborn, potentially leading to heavy bleeding that can be life-threatening to mother and child.

A number of studies have found that pregnant smokers are less likely than non-smokers to develop preeclampsia, for reasons that are not yet clear.

But these latest findings, reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, suggest that once preeclampsia develops, smoking exacerbates the risk of complications, according to Elizabeth Miller and colleagues at the Ottawa Hospital in Canada.

Using a database with information on more than 300,000 births between 2004 and 2006, the researchers found that women who smoked during pregnancy had a slightly lower rate of preeclampsia — 1.2 percent, versus 1.5 percent among non-smokers.

But among women with preeclampsia, smokers were more likely to have serious complications.

For example, 9 percent of smokers had a baby who was small for gestational age — smaller than the norm for the baby’s sex and the week of pregnancy during which he or she was born. That compared with 5 percent of non-smokers who had preeclampsia.

Similarly, just over 3 percent of smokers with preeclampsia suffered placental abruption, versus 0.7 percent of non-smokers with the condition. The rates of stillbirth were 1.8 percent and 0.9 percent, respectively.

When Miller’s team factored in variables like the mother’s age and how many pregnancies she’d had (preeclampsia is more common in first-time mothers), smokers with preeclampsia were three to six times more likely to have a stillbirth, preterm delivery, placental abruption or undersized newborn than non-smokers without preeclampsia.

Non-smokers with preeclampsia also had elevated risks, but not of the magnitude seen among smokers.

Despite the fact that smoking is linked to a relatively lower risk of developing preeclampsia, experts have always stressed that the risks of smoking during pregnancy — including miscarriage, poor fetal growth and preterm delivery — far outweigh the potential benefit.

The current findings reinforce the importance of quitting smoking during, or preferably before, pregnancy, according to Miller’s team. They also indicate that smokers with preeclampsia should have their pregnancies closely monitored, and be offered particularly intensive smoking-cessation counseling.

It is hard to explain why smoking might protect against preeclampsia development yet worsen its outcome, according to the researchers.

But, they note, cigarettes do contain substances that inhibit blood vessels from constricting, which may help protect against preeclampsia. On the other hand, smoking also reduces levels of hormone-like substances called prostacyclins, which help dilate blood vessels. In women who have preeclampsia, Miller’s team speculates, smoking may exacerbate any reduction in oxygen getting to the fetus.

The concern is about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children.

The recent findings are based on studies that have found harmful effects in animals, and on the recognition that the chemical seeps into food and baby formula, and that nearly everyone is exposed to it, starting in the womb.

BPA has been used since the 1960s to make hard plastic bottles, Sippy Cups for toddlers and the linings of food and beverage cans, including the cans used to hold infant formula and soda. Until recently, it was used in baby bottles.

The chemicals can leach into food, and a study of more than 2,000 people found that more than 90 percent of them had BPA in their urine. Traces have also been found in breast milk, the blood of pregnant women and umbilical cord blood.

Over time, the chemical can leach into the contents of a plastic container, particularly one that is used in a microwave oven or cleaned in a dishwasher.

BPA’s potential to disrupt the hormonal system!

Bisphenol A can leach into food from the protective internal epoxy resin coatings of canned foods and from consumer products such as polycarbonate tableware, food storage containers, water bottles, and baby bottles. The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container.

What can you do to avoid these chemicals?

Don’t microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Polycarbonate is strong and durable, but over time it may break down from overuse at high temperatures.

Polycarbonate containers that contain BPA usually have a #7 on the bottom. Avoid this Number. Look at your Bottled water closely.

Reduce your use of canned foods.

When possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.

Use baby bottles that are BPA free.
Only hard and clear plastic bottles are made from polycarbonate. As a general rule, if you can easily squeeze the bottle, it is not made from polycarbonate plastic and does not contain Bishpenol A.

Throw away scratched or worn bottles or cups made with BPA (it can leak from the scratches),

Avoid putting hot liquids into cups or bottles with BPA and check the labels on containers to make sure they are microwave safe.

Breastfeed your infants for at least 12 months.

What are the Numbers?

IMAGE GOES HERE

What do They Mean?

#1 PET or PETE – Questionable – depending on the quality, repeated use may cause the leaching of DEHA, a know human carcinogen. Light gauge containers such as store bought pop bottles should be a one time use only. Heavier gauge containers show no evidence of leaching chemicals.
#2 HDPE – OK – not known to leach unwanted chemicals.
#3 PVC or V – Bad – Strong evidence to show the leaching of DEHA, a known human carcinogen.
#4 LDPE – OK – not known to leach unwanted chemicals although not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.
#5 PP – OK – not known to leach unwanted chemicals although not as widely recycledKlean Kanteen as #1 or #2.
#6 PS – Bad – suspected to possibly leach harmful carcinogens
#7 Assorted but usually polycarbonate – Bad – may contain leaching BPA.
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