Observed Improvement in Cognition During a Personalized Lifestyle Intervention in People with Cognitive Decline.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic condition marked by progressive objective cognitive impairment (OCI). No monotherapy has substantially altered disease progression, suggesting the disease is multifactorial and may require a multimodal therapeutic approach. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if cognitive function in a sample with OCI would change in response to a multimodal, individualized care plan based on potential contributors to cognitive decline (e.g., nutritional status, infection, etc.). METHODS: Participants (n = 34) were recruited from the San Diego, CA area. The multimodal intervention included lifestyle changes (i.e., movement, diet, and stress management), nutraceutical support, and medications. It was delivered pragmatically over four clinical visits, and outcome measures were gathered at four study visits, occurring at baseline, one, three, and six months (primary endpoint). Study participants received weekly phone calls for nutrition support throughout study participation. Outcome measures included the Cambridge Brain Sciences (CBS) battery, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). RESULTS: At 6 months, mean MoCA scores improved from 19.6±3.1 to 21.7±6.2 (p = 0.013). Significant improvement was observed in mean scores of the CBS memory domain [25.2 (SD 23.3) to 35.8 (SD 26.9); p < 0.01] and CBS overall composite cognition score [24.5 (SD 16.1) to 29.7 (SD 20.5); p = 0.02]. All CBS domains improved. CONCLUSION: Multiple measures of cognitive function improved after six months of intervention. Our results support the feasibility and impact of a multimodal, individualized treatment approach to OCI, warranting further research.

Abdominal pain during the menopause transition and early postmenopause: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship between abdominal pain severity during the menopausal transition (MT) and age, MT stage, reproductive biomarkers, stress biomarkers, and stress perceptions. METHODS: Women ages 35-55 were recruited from multiethnic neighborhoods in the greater Seattle area from 1990 to 1992, for an original study cohort of 508. From 1990 to 2013, a subset of this cohort consented to ongoing annual data collection by annual health questionnaire, health diary, and daily menstrual calendar. Beginning in 1997, a portion of these women also provided a first morning voided urine specimen to be assayed for levels of estrone glucuronide (E1G), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. To identify how changes in abdominal pain severity changed over time in relation to age, MT stage, reproductive biomarkers, stress-related biomarkers, and stress-related perceptions, mixed effects modeling was used. RESULTS: In a univariate model, E1G (p = 0.02) and testosterone (p = 0.02) were significantly and negatively related to abdominal pain severity, while perceived stress (p = 0.06), tension (p <  0.001), and anxiety (p <  0.001) were significantly and positively associated. In a multivariate model, increasing age (p = 0.001) and E1G (p = 0.04) were negatively associated with abdominal pain severity, and anxiety (p = 0.00) positively associated. Testosterone did not improve the fit to the final model, nor did tension or perceived stress. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that age, anxiety, and E1G each show a significant association with abdominal pain severity in the MT. In contrast, stress perception, tension, testosterone, stress biomarkers, and MT stage do not. These factors should be evaluated further in research on abdominal pain experienced during the MT and early postmenopause years.

Constipation and diarrhea during the menopause transition and early postmenopause: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women's Health Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of constipation and diarrhea severity during the menopause transition (MT) with age, MT stage, reproductive biomarkers, stress-related biomarkers, and stress-related perceptions. METHODS: From 1990 to 1992, women aged 35 to 55 years were recruited from the greater Seattle area; 291 of them consented to ongoing (1990-2013) annual data collection by daily menstrual calendar, health diary, and annual health questionnaire. A subset (n = 131) provided a first morning voided urine specimen (1997-2013). These were assayed for levels of E1G, follicle-stimulating hormone, testosterone, cortisol, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. Mixed-effects modeling was used to identify how changes in constipation and diarrhea severity over time related to age, MT stage, reproductive biomarkers, stress-related biomarkers, and stress-related perceptions. RESULTS: In a univariate model, age, late reproductive (LR) stage, tension, and anxiety were all significantly and positively related to constipation severity, whereas cortisol was significantly and negatively associated. In a multivariate model, only tension and cortisol remained significant predictors of constipation severity (P < 0.05). In a univariate model, age, LR stage, and estrone glucuronide were significantly and negatively associated with diarrhea severity, whereas tension, anxiety, and perceived stress were significantly and positively related. In a multivariate model, only tension and age remained significant predictors of diarrhea severity. CONCLUSIONS: Key reproductive hormones do not play a significant role in constipation or diarrhea severity in the MT. In contrast, stress perception, tension, anxiety, and cortisol do. These factors should be evaluated in further research involving constipation and diarrhea.