If it wasn’t so pathetic, and so mendacious, this would be a good joke.
This is kinda like the people who claim that air pollution causes asthma when air pollution is declining and asthma increasing.
First of all Dementia is a better term to use in studying loss of cognitive function, since the cause of dementia may be mostly Alzheimer Disease but blood vessel disease is a big contributor. Then there are infectious and metabolic causes, and normal pressure hydrocephalus. Plenty of ways to get in trouble, nerve/brain tissue is easily damaged, by nutritional, vitamin, depositional, blood supply, and mechanical (usually pressure) factors.
Gee, think maybe a couple of confounders are in the mix for a study on causes of Dementia? Including the many causes of types and unknown causes of dementia and the fact that pre mortem it is often impossible to know what caused a person’s dementia without a brain biopsy. I was staying working with my grandpa on his farm one day when i first recall hearing of dementia–one of the other farmers was there and they were talking about a guy who had to retire because he had “hardening of the arteries” that caused him to lose his mental abilities. Now we know that is one form, Alzheimer neuro bundle deposits is the most common.
Here’s a nice review of causes of Dementia–the most important being Alzheimer and vascular. There are others.
http://www.life123.com/health/healthy-aging/dementia/causes-of-dementia.shtml?o=2800&qsrc=999&ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap=ask.com
These silly studies like this DDT study involve dredging for associations, which are not proof of causation.
http://www.life123.com/health/healthy-aging/dementia/causes-of-dementia.shtml?o=2800&qsrc=999&ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap=ask.com
How many times do you think I will say association is not causation before I die or get dementia?
From the “Science Now” section of the LA Times, 01/28/214
“Study hints at dramatic link between pesticide DDT and Alzheimer’s”
In a small but intriguing study, researchers found that, on average, people with Alzheimer’s disease had more of the DDT metabolite DDE in their blood serum than a control group in a similar age range.
“We have submitted grants to follow this up in much larger groups of people,” he said. “That is the most important step — to replicate this and to have it in a much larger sample.”
And so it goes. Typical Grant Chasing nonsense hyped by a hack scientifically illiterate journalist.
In a small but intriguing study, researchers found that, on average, people with Alzheimer’s disease had more of the DDT metabolite DDE in their blood serum than a control group in a similar age range.
“We have submitted grants to follow this up in much larger groups of people,” he said. “That is the most important step — to replicate this and to have it in a much larger sample.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ddt-alzheimers-link-20140128,0,7442376.story#ixzz2rsjgssqg
The groups that promote this type of research do not care about people as human beings –just statistics that gain them power or funding.
The fact that millions have been sacrificed to die from malaria does not bother them at all.
If they actually did consider these deaths, they would say something like dying from malaria is much better than from DDT, global warming, guns etc.
Sorry totally wrong on the last one.
It’s about DDT and finding risks with it to save environmentalist faces and other schemes like the Montreal convention and UNFCCC etc..
How many died of malaria because of the unscientific based ban on DDT?
20 million?
It’s about saving face on the Montreal convention and protecting other “schemes”, like UNFCCC etc the environmentals have caused.
What they try to do is to counter new studies that do not find a connection between antroproghenic CFC gases and Ozon depletion during late winter in the polar regions.
Even if the Montreal convention is wrong it’s still correct for other reasons?
Mr Greene is on the money. The vast majority of the USA and other “developed” countries’ “epidemic” medical problems are just the price we pay for our vastly improved life expectancy. In 1951 the law changed to disallow “old age” as a cause of death. It’s amazing how many diseases have been shown to be “on the rise” since then. My wife’s grandmother recently died of “heart attack” at the tender age of 92. Could it be that heart disease is the number one cause of death in persons 65 and older because degradation of the circulatory system is the most lethal side-effect of aging? It also strikes me as odd that the CDC lumps 65+ all together rather than dividing into decades like all younger deaths. Considering average life expectancy is close to 80 and living till 90 is becoming common, it would be useful to subdivide 65-74, 75-84, and 85+. Then we could clearly show that the real “number one killer” in our country is age.
Alzheimer’s is number 5 in the 65+ group but isn’t even top ten for any younger group. I assume the study authors found a major spike in the incidence of Alzheimer’s coincident with the height of DDT use in our country with a subsequent drastic reduction following the ban, right? No? Curious.
I am getting old so I ask neurologists these questions.
They say that tau markers are predictive–sort of .
And some other things, but they get kinda vague on specifics.
I would agree with your, Mr. G–roll the dice.
John Dale Dunn MD JD Consultant Emergency Services/Peer Review Civilian Faculty, Emergency Medicine Residency Carl R. Darnall Army Med Center Fort Hood, Texas Medical Officer, Sheriff Bobby Grubbs Brown County, Texas 325 784 6697 (h) 642 5073 (c)
You probably get a better correlation and perhaps some causation from MBS (multiple birthday syndrome) than all of the others. The links provide a laundry list of things associated with dementia. I’ve had a couple relatives go through ALS. I’m sure I’d have dementia if I went through that.
Assigning dementia to DDT (4 times the blood concentration) is a difficult assignment. That has more to do with age and location. In the 1950’s the city ran fogging trucks spraying DDT down city streets in my home town. I bet I have high levels of DDT. I think they may have done the confounding caveat in this link. http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2014/01/link_between_alzheimers_and_pesticide_ddt_found_by_rutgers_scientists.html
Dr. Dunn, I’ll leave it to the medical profession to determine who is going to get dementia, but would your guesses have better odds than the Vegas craps tables?