Lex Anteinternet: The caged tiger isn't happy? Mixed news on the medical front.

 Farmstead, Pennsylvania.  The life many left for life in cities.

I sort of feel that this story;

Lex Anteinternet: The caged tiger isn't happy?: Heard in an interview of a doctor regarding depression: "Major depression is unheard of in hunter gatherer societies".

is related to this one: 

As per a new study published online Dec. 11 in the Journal Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, high stress could increase risk factor for many cognitive functions that can lead to the Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said the latest study shows link between high stress levels and chances of developing diseases like Alzheimer’s.

From the Northern Californian.

Anyhow, I suspect modern high stress lifestyles are connected to the first item.  Occupiers of "good jobs" beware.  They may, I guess, be frying your brain.

Although that counters against stories I've otherwise read which claim that occupations that call for a lot of mental activity counter Alzheimer's.  Somebody's wrong.  This study found, however:

The study found that highly stressed participants were more than twice as likely to develop cognitive impairment become impaired than those who were not. Therefore, controlling stress in older people might help delay or prevent the development of Alzheimer's disease

From the University Herald.

Perhaps countering that, is this story:

Conclusions In this cohort of patients with mild AD, moderate alcohol consumption (2–3 units/day) was associated with a significantly lower mortality over a period of 36 months. Further studies are needed in this area. These may especially focus on the association between alcohol consumption and cognitive decline in patients with AD.

From BMJ Open.  It has been noted:

In the new study, Danish researchers found that moderate drinking was associated with a 77 percent lower risk of death among patients with mild Alzheimer’s (defined as a score of 20 or less on the Mini Mental State Exam) than those who consumed one or fewer drinks daily. While previous studies have linked moderate alcohol consumption to many health benefits, including a reduced risk of developing and dying from a chronic disease such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, drinking has also been linked to brain damage. Since Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, researchers believed any amount of alcohol consumption would have an adverse effect on patients with the condition.

Medical Daily.

Of course, that says mortality is lower.  Not the incidents of Alzheimer's disease.   Although one earlier report had noted:

A drink or two a day may help, according to a new report. But the key is moderation. Too much alcohol can damage the brain and lead to other health problems.

Newsweek.  Moderate it is noted, is something like no more than two pints of beer per day in men.  More than that is dangerous by any standard, we are told.

So what to make of all of this?  I don't know.  Maybe some of the old vices turn out not to be so bad, as we always new, in moderation.  But stress, which is incident to many modern occupations, is a killer. We knew that, but it's a killer apparently in a new and more horrific fashion.