Dr. Jose Luchsinger, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, a researcher at the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer''''s Disease and the Aging Brain, and a co-investigator on the Mediterranean Diet study, is an expert on the overall impact of nutrition and cardiovascular health on Alzheimer''s and can discuss the emerging body of research on these topics. Dr. Luchsinger co-authored an August 2002 study published in the Archives of Neurology suggesting that, in some people, a higher consumption of calories and fat may translate into an increased risk of developing Alzheimer''''s. Dr. Luchsinger recently discovered that diabetes and high insulin levels are risk factors for Alzheimer''s (American Journal of Epidemiology, 2001; Neurology, 2004). He has also investigated the potential correlations between Alzheimer''s risk and antioxidant intake and Alzheimer''s risk and alcohol usage, as well as the relationship between hypertension in the elderly and dementia.

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