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Beta blockers may reduce risk of Alzheimer's: Study

Written by: QMI Agency
Jan. 8, 2013

(Fotolia)

People who take beta blockers for high blood pressure may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, a new study has found.

The study, to be presented in March at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting, looked at 774 elderly Japanese-American men who participated in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study, 610 of whom had high blood pressure.

Autopsies performed after the men died found that those who had been treated for their high blood pressure with beta blockers had fewer abnormalities in their brains than those who had not been treated for their high blood pressure, or those who had received other medications.

"With the number of people with Alzheimer's disease expected to grow significantly as our population ages, it is increasingly important to identify factors that could delay or prevent the disease," study author Lon White said in a release. "These results are exciting, especially since beta blockers are a common treatment for high blood pressure."

 

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