Alzheimer's Breakthroughs? Don't Believe Everything You Read

We often joke that if we had a penny for every claim of a "breakthrough" for Alzheimer's, maybe there'd be a breakthrough for Alzheimer's. Newspapers, magazines, and the Internet are replete with stories making such promises, and it's common to come across articles hailing experimental treatments, miracle foods, new screening tools, powerful brain scans, or challenging cognitive activities that purport to advance our war on Alzheimer's.

With the hope of protecting you against sensationalism and false hope, here are a five things to keep in mind when reading stories about Alzheimer's disease research.

1) Look beyond the facile language used in headlines. If you read that "BLUEBERRIES MAY CURE DEMENTIA", take a moment to think: can the simple act of eating blueberries really have such a powerful effect? What would the mechanism be? What other factors would be involved in something so complex as "thwarting dementia." Can dementia be thwarted?

Refuse to be seduced by sensationalism: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

2) Know the background of those claiming the breakthrough. Remember that researchers have their careers and funding bound up in the work they are doing and are not likely to give modest assessments. It is important to know, for instance, whether the expert touting blueberries owns stock in blueberry distribution companies!