TOKYO, May 25 (Reuters) - People who lack special enzymes needed to break
down alcohol in their bodies have a greater chance of developing Alzheimer's
disease, according to Japanese scientists.
The study by Professor Shigeo Ota of the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo
tested about 900 people, half of whom had Alzheimer's, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun
daily reported on Thursday. The results showed that people without the special
enzymes to break down alcohol were 2.5 times more likely to get the disease, it
said.
About 40 percent of Japanese are said to lack such enzymes, resulting in a
low tolerance for alcohol, the daily Asahi Shimbun said.
Alzheimer's, a degenerative disease that affects the nervous system, is
believed to be caused by hereditary and environmental factors and no cure has
been found.
