This was followed up by a documentary on UK Channel 4 TV entitled "Assault on the Mind" where the researchers briefly discussed preliminary findings of an association between Alzheimer's Disease and serum homocysteine. This prompted our following Press Release of the 5th May 1998:
PRESS RELEASE:
The Oxford based OPTIMA projects preliminary findings presented on the UK Channel 4's "Assault on the Mind" documentary, and reported in The Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph newspapers of the 26th of April confirmed the Wrexham Maelor Hospital teams earlier findings published in April's edition of "International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry", a full two weeks ahead of the Oxford announcement.
Although the Oxford University based OPTIMA project has been the focus of news stories, the Welsh team, led by Dr Andrew McCaddon, a General Practitioner in the North Wales village of Rhosllanerchrugog, are committed to continuing with their research. Both teams report a relationship between homocysteine and Alzheimer's disease described as a "major breakthrough".
Dr McCaddon performed the work over the previous five years at evenings and weekends in his spare time. He was funded by a grant from the Welsh Office. His research similarly describes a highly significant elevation of serum homocysteine in Alzheimer patients compared to healthy elderly control subjects.
Homocysteine is an amino-acid produced by the body, indicating cobalamin (vitamin B12), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), or folate deficiency. There are also genetic factors related to its metabolism.
Dr McCaddon's team stress that they have only reported an association between Alzheimer's disease and homocysteine. Their study also shows a relationship between dementia severity and homocysteine levels, but whether raised homocysteine is a cause or an effect of the disease requires further investigation.
Homocysteine levels can be reduced by folic acid, found in fresh vegetables, but Dr McCaddon's group do not claim that this is a "cure" for Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore a healthy diet may not necessarily protect against the disease; the underlying nature of the relationship is probably far more complicated. The GP's results suggest that the problem may lie in the way the body handles the delivery of these vitamins to the brain. The team plan to perform further studies to look at this aspect of the disease in particular.
Their research represents a major new advance in understanding the nature of the Alzheimer disease process. Future research will determine the exact relationship between raised homocysteine and the dementing process, and the predictive and preventative values of its measurement prior to dementia onset.
Reference: McCaddon A, Davies G, Hudson P, Tandy S, Cattell H. "Total Serum Homocysteine in Senile Dementia of Alzheimer Type" International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (1998); Vol. 13(4) 235 - 239.
Correspondence to: Dr. Andrew McCaddon, Gardden Road Surgery, Rhosllanerchrugog, Wrexham, North Wales, LL14 2EN United Kingdom. Tel: 01978 840034 Fax: 01978 845782 e-mail: andrew@mccaddon.demon.co.uk http://www.mccaddon.demon.co.uk/cobalz