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Is Tinder really creating a ‘dating apocalypse’?

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Is Tinder really creating a ‘dating apocalypse’?

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According to Nancy Jo Sales's précis of Tinder in Vanity Fair this month, the online app prompts easy access to instant hook-ups and has created a generation of sex-obsessed commitment-phobes. "You're always prowling, you can swipe a couple hundred people a day," says a "handsome twentysomething man" she interviewed. The controversial article even made it onto Newsnight last week, when presenter Evan Davis asked a psychologist whether women were "disadvantaged" because of the hit-it-and-quit-it culture Tinder has allegedly invented. Is Sales's account brutal, or brutally honest? According to my male mates, yes, most men go on Tinder just to hook up. As Andrew shrugged: "Finding a girlfriend on Tinder is like trying to find one in Ibiza." But, if we're being brutally honest, it's not just men exploiting the app for their sexual gain. I think the idea that women are at any disadvantage is entirely patronising. Though most of my single, female friends use Tinder in the hope of meeting "a nice guy who won't just send me pictures of lubricant," I know several who are on it purely for casual dates, and some simply for casual sex. Every bloke I know on Tinder has had at least one proposition from a girl he's "matched" with on the app before they've even swapped phone numbers.

According to Nancy Jo Sales's précis of Tinder in Vanity Fair this month, the online app prompts easy access to instant hook-ups and has created a generation of sex-obsessed commitment-phobes. "You're always prowling, you can swipe a couple hundred people a day," says a "handsome twentysomething man" she interviewed. The controversial article even made it onto Newsnight last week, when presenter Evan Davis asked a psychologist whether women were "disadvantaged" because of the hit-it-and-quit-it culture Tinder has allegedly invented. Is Sales's account brutal, or brutally honest? According to my male mates, yes, most men go on Tinder just to hook up. As Andrew shrugged: "Finding a girlfriend on Tinder is like trying to find one in Ibiza." But, if we're being brutally honest, it's not just men exploiting the app for their sexual gain. I think the idea that women are at any disadvantage is entirely patronising. Though most of my single, female friends use Tinder in the hope of meeting "a nice guy who won't just send me pictures of lubricant," I know several who are on it purely for casual dates, and some simply for casual sex. Every bloke I know on Tinder has had at least one proposition from a girl he's "matched" with on the app before they've even swapped phone numbers.

You can spot very quickly the men who just want to get laid

But while there's no doubt Tinder has contributed to today's throwaway dating culture, it can't solely be blamed for it. The 50 women Sales interviewed were aged between 19 and 29 - no man over 30 crops up. The fact that twentysomething blokes want to sleep around is hardly Tinder's fault. And wasn't it supposed to be Sex and The City that encouraged modern women to get their stiletto-clad kicks in the bedroom back in 1996? I'd imagine that if Sales talked to 50 people aged 30-plus, her findings would be rather different. I know countless couples who met through Tinder, all in their thirties. It's not always the case, of course - I've dated a 27-year-old bloke who owned his own business, only ever had monogamous relationships and was desperate to settle down; and a 35-year-old man with the emotional maturity of a tadpole - but, generally, I think men in their 30s are slightly more comfortable with the idea of shared bank accounts and Sunday afternoons at the playground rather than the pub. This age group was actively dating pre-Tinder, so the concept of meeting people through friends, at work or - gasp! - in public, isn't totally obsolete, it's just slightly harder. My friend Josh, 33, who's engaged to Sarah, 32, says: "I slept around in my 20s without the help of Tinder. When it came along, it enabled us to meet loads of women that obviously resulted in some fun, but I dated loads of girls I actually liked, too - including Sarah." Single Stuart, 35, adds: "All my mates are now married or settled. Tinder does make sex readily available, but I'm kinda over that. I want a girlfriend."

I joined Tinder a year ago after a breakup and have had a love/hate relationship with it since. In the vulnerable post-breakup stages it can be a devastating minefield of mixed messages and rejection. I ended up flicking through images searching for a perfect replacement of my ex and, naturally, was bitterly disappointed. A month or so later I hopped back on with no expectations and met several fun, interesting men with whom I had great chat, lovely dates and no pressure of sex whatsoever. You can spot very quickly the men that just want to get laid. They tend to be over-zealous with emojis from early on, before a mis-spelt proposition ("u wanna snuggle!? Lol") wings its way over. Sometimes they'll send pictures of their unkempt torso or genitalia. We'll sigh, maybe laugh and show our mates, then "un-match" them, thus blocking further contact. Last week a profile popped up of my friend's boyfriend. The next showed nothing but a topless, faceless selfie with a phone number underneath. Despairing, I deleted my account. But, despite that, I still maintain that not all men go on Tinder just to have casual sex. Today's dating culture, where options are endless and no one has time to wait for pasta to boil, let alone find The One, is ruthless. Tinder certainly has its part to play, but it's not running the show.

The male view: Dean Kissick

After that Vanity Fair article about dating apps and the "hookup culture" that surrounds them, an unknown Tinder employee tweeted out a storm of protestations, including: "Our data tells us that the vast majority of Tinder users are looking for meaningful connections." Now as anyone who has ever used the app can tell you, that's just not true. Tinder is for finding casual sex, and everything about it is casual and its unique selling point is a parade of noncommittal sex partners to be pursued, or disregarded, by such a lackadaisical, non-committal gesture as a swipe. Many men swipe right - approving all before them - until they reach the upper limit of around 100 approvals every 12 hours. One of my mates wakes up and swipes right 100 times every morning, then repeats that in the evening; and occasionally he has a match, and after that a couple of hours of mechanical, loveless sex. Nothing much unusual about that. There's a lot of fishing for meaningless sex on Tinder; it's a hobby, like angling - a man sitting on his own in the rain waiting for a rainbow trout.

However, none of this means that the app is tailored to men, or somehow exploitative, because women are interested in casual sex, too, aren't they? Actually, I believe that women hold all the Tinder-power because they have so many matches, and most men don't. My female friends have hundreds of matches and so many unanswered messages, whereas I rarely receive anything, and neither do my mates. Our phones lie fallow, with neither chirrup nor ping. It's lonely, like one of those tragic restaurants that are always empty, and every time you walk by you wish - really wish - that there were customers inside, but there never are. It is rather emasculating like that.

Phones are passed around groups of young women at the pub and absurd messages are sent to strangers

I suppose most inhabitants of the Tinder-verse find what they're looking for - a meaningless, practical shag - but women have many more options to choose from. Back in 2013 three college students in Orem, Utah, started an account for an imaginary 21-year-old girl called Sammy, portraying her through found photographs of Miss Teen USA. They matched every man in the area and invited them out: "I'm going to yogurt shop called yogurtland tonight at 9 in Orem with some girl friends if you want to meet up)." That night they arrived at the frozen yoghurt sellers to find men, around 70 of them, consumed by lust and confusion, wandering aimlessly, like stags standing around a meadow waiting to fight.

Yesterday I spoke to a German banker - attractive, early 20s - at a birthday party and she explained that Tinder is very reassuring when you've just left a relationship, because you realise that there are thousands of other people out there, so much choice, so much opportunity to meet strangers outside your social circles. She also told me that it is frivolous, entertaining, and you can tease lascivious men in the messages, if you like. I've observed this, it's not at all uncommon; phones are passed around groups of young women (sometimes men) at the pub, and absurd messages are sent to strangers for a laugh, and it's cruel and also highly amusing. All of these apps are, essentially, forms of entertainment.

Vanity Fair 's article begins inside an upmarket bar in Manhattan's financial district in which everyone is Tindering; their rapt, aroused faces illuminated by the lights of their phones. Why would anyone do this, on an evening out drinking in New York? That's just crackers! What is wrong with us?! If we weren't staring into our phones constantly we might fall for a stranger walking past in the street, suddenly imagining what that other person might be like, what life we might lead together - maybe she's a cellist in the orchestra! - but all this magical speculation is rather undermined when you read a Tinder biography that says something like (an example from just this afternoon): "Travel, treehouses, festivals, food, sun, skiing, sausage dogs, steel drums, bike rides, canal boats, desert islands." How tiresome, and underwhelming. Because the whole point of falling in love is that you cannot choose who you fall in love with. Your sweet, sweet fantasy might be utterly impractical, pie-in-the-sky, totally unapproachable, but that's what's exciting; and Tinder just sucks all the joy and romance out of this.
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Is Tinder really creating a 'dating apocalypse'?

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The app became embroiled in a Twitter storm last week after a reporter accused it of being a forum for casual sex. So is Tinder really destroying romance? We asked two young people who have used it for their views

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Women, face it: marriage can never be feminist – video

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Women, face it: marriage can never be feminist – video

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The institution of marriage has curtailed women's freedom for centuries, says Julie Bindel. So why are so many feminists trying to reclaim the tradition as a subversive act? If you want to get married, she says, just get on with it - but please don't pretend that being a feminist changes its meaning

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Women, face it: marriage can never be feminist - video

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The institution of marriage has curtailed women's freedom for centuries, says Julie Bindel. So why are so many feminists trying to reclaim the tradition as a subversive act?

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Vatican says Ireland gay marriage vote is 'defeat for humanity'

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Vatican says Ireland gay marriage vote is 'defeat for humanity'

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A senior Vatican official has attacked the legalisation of gay marriage in Ireland. The referendum that overwhelmingly backed marriage equality last weekend was a "defeat for humanity", he claimed.

"I was deeply saddened by the result," Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, said at a conference in Rome on Tuesday night. "The church must take account of this reality, but in the sense that it must strengthen its commitment to evangelisation. I think that you cannot just talk of a defeat for Christian principles, but of a defeat for humanity."

The remarks by the Vatican's top diplomat, who is seen as second only to the pope in the church's hierarchy, represent the most damning assessment of the Irish vote by a senior church official to date.

It was a far more critical response than the circumspect reaction offered by archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, who said: "It is very clear that if this referendum is an affirmation of the views of young people ... [then the church needs] a reality check."

Ireland became the first country to legalise gay marriage by popular vote after a referendum found that 62% of voters were in favour of changing the constitution to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.

While the results were celebrated by advocates of gay rights in Ireland and around the world, it was also seen as a stark symbol of how wide the chasm has grown between young people in what has traditionally been a staunchly Catholic country and the church itself, which says that homosexual acts are a sin and vehemently opposes gay marriage.

Parolin's comments are sure to revive the debate about the church's attitude to gay rights and equality under the papacy of Pope Francis, who once famously said "who am I to judge?" when asked about the existence of a "gay lobby" within the Vatican. That remark spurred hope among progressive Catholics that the church was entering a new era of tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality.

For some, that hope has been dashed by an ongoing controversy involving a French diplomat and practising Catholic named Laurent Stefanini, who is gay. The Vatican has refused to accept Stefanini's nomination as France's ambassador to the Holy See because of his sexual orientation, according to media reports in France and Italy.

The Vatican has declined to comment on the matter, but there has been speculation in recent weeks that the pope could make an abrupt change and accept the nomination, after all. The Vatican recently told the Guardian that any news on the appointment would be made available on the Vatican's bulletin, where such appointments are usually publicised.

On Tuesday night, Parolin said the dialogue between the Vatican and France was continuing in regard to the controversial nomination, and that he hoped it would come to a conclusion in a "positive manner".

Parolin's remarks on the Irish vote are significant given the broader role Parolin plays in crafting the church's message on major diplomatic and social issues.

At the time of his appointment in 2013, veteran Vatican reporter John Allen wrote in the National Catholic Reporter that Parolin had been "on the frontlines of shaping the Vatican's response to virtually every geopolitical challenge of the past two decades".

Among other issues, the Italian cardinal has been an outspoken advocate for action to combat global warming. In recent remarks, he denounced the "globalisation of indifference and the economy of exclusion" that has put the planet in peril.

He has also been the public face of Francis's diplomatic efforts, including the church's role in helping Cuba and the US restore diplomatic ties.

But on Tuesday, with his choice of words, Parolin differed from the pope in one respect: the Argentinian pontiff has also used the phrase "defeat for humanity", but he was talking about war, not the legalisation of gay marriage.
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Vatican says Ireland gay marriage vote is 'defeat for humanity'

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A senior Vatican official has attacked the legalisation of gay marriage in Ireland. The referendum that overwhelmingly backed marriage equality last weekend was a "defeat for humanity", he claimed. "I was deeply saddened by the result," Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state, said at a conference in Rome on Tuesday night.

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Missouri to increase minimum marriage age from 15 to 17

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Missouri to increase minimum marriage age from 15 to 17

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The US state of Missouri is trying to raise its minimum age for marriage from 15 to 17, in a bid to address growing concerns over sex trafficking and forced unions.

The Midwestern state is one of 27 w here parents are able to sign off on their children's marriages from the age of 15.

But even younger children can lobby the courts for permission if they want to get wed.

Now government officials have given preliminary approval to a proposed new law that would raise the age of parental consent to those over the age of 17.

It came as child protection groups warned the state was becoming a haven for forced child marriages, attracting "marriage tourism" from other parts of the country.

Citing a case from last year when a father brought his pregnant 14-year-old from Idaho to marry a 24-year-old man in Kansas City, Missouri state representative Jean Evans sponsored the proposal to raise the age.

Jan Jones, the former head of the Recorders Association of Missouri, was also forced to issue a marriage licence to a pregnant 15-year-old girl and her husband in his mid-20s, after the girl's mother signed her consent.

She told the St Louis Post-Dispatch she was "haunted" by the situation after child protective services informed her the pregnancy was being investigated and that the marriage meant the state Children's Division was powerless to continue looking into the girl's situation.

Advocacy groups have condemned the cases, highlighting that when minors marry older adults they engage in relationships that would otherwise amount to statutory rape.

At age 18, emancipated adults are free to marry on their own in Missouri and all other states.

The measure, which still needs final approval in the House before moving to the Senate, is not the first initiative to change the practice.

In Connecticut, new legislation would prohibit marriage licenses for anyone under 18.

New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, Maryland and Pennsylvania also are considering a change.

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This is the US state that still allows 15-year-olds to get married

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The US state of Missouri is trying to raise its minimum age for marriage from 15 to 17, in a bid to address growing concerns over sex trafficking and forced unions. The Midwestern state is one of 27 where parents are able to sign off on their children's marriages from the age of 15.

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Skirting the Issue: Since when did getting married become so unfashionable?

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Skirting the Issue: Since when did getting married become so unfashionable?

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Elsewhere, they pounced on increasing divorce rates and the fact that only fathers' names go on wedding certificates suggesting marriage is still linked to patriarchy, to an old world view that women should submit to men.

Divorce rates are increasing

In opposition, I argued that the concept of marriage is notoutdated. And that's because the reasons for marriage these days are far different to years gone by. Marriage itself is changing.

Couples no longer feel the need to get married as a status symbol, to do so before they embark on their lives together. Most people I know live with their other half years before marrying them. Marriage is no longer the path to having children either. I know lots of people who have kids and then decide to get hitched later down the line.

The beautiful thing about marriage is that, in the West at least, you don't need to do it as a part of growing up. Marriage is no longer a prerequisite of adulthood. You do it if and when you want to do it.

Not all weddings are like this!

Marriage to many people, including me, simply means celebrating your love, cementing your relationship and locking together your lives. I love being married. I love the security it brings, the sense of us v. the world. We can get through anything together. We have made a public commitment to care for each other, no matter what, to look out for each other. We're on the same team.

The verdict

In the end, the majority of the audience abstained, unable to decide one way or the other. Proposition came second, and opposition last.

In the abstention camp, students gave heartfelt reasons for why marriage is a personal choice, should be 'judged' on a case-by-case basis and should be respected if that's what couples want to do. They also said it would be wrong to dismiss marriage for all the hundreds of thousands of couples that are already married - how do you know if it's right for you until you're actually in that situation?

To me, some of these abstention arguments felt more like 'opposition' statements - they were putting forward excellent reasons for why marriage is still relevant in the 21st century.

And yet I got the sense that it was terribly archaic, uncool even, to argue in favour of marriage. Since when has marriage become so unfashionable among young people?

Is this uncool?

Sure, the thought of getting married while I was at university was laughable, ridiculous even - I had a life to live first, get a job, sort myself out. But it wasn't uncool to talk about the m-word.

Whether these bright university students walk down the aisle one day remains to be seen, but it seemed to me that some of them almost felt embarrassed to admit that marriage can be still 'cool'. This is more a reflection on the times we live in, rather than the students themselves.

We don't need to marry, we want to marry ...

Of course, you can have a perfectly good life without marrying. I know many couples who cohabit but just don't feel the need to tie the knot. They don't need a bit of paper or a wedding ring to prove to the world they're in love. And that's absolutely fine and their choice; nobody should ever feel forced into marriage if they don't think it's for them.

Many people don't need a wedding ring to prove their love

In fact one of my friends recently admitted to me the reason she doesn't want to marry her boyfriend of eight years is that she's worried it will change them - turn them into boring, old farts who don't go out anymore, argue about putting the bins out and think nothing of going to the loo in front of each other while the other one brushes their teeth. Nice.

And yet, despite this fear of effectively turning into your parents, plenty of people are marrying each other and plenty of people still want to marry someone one day.

The number of marriages that took place in England and Wales was 247,890. That's about one marriage every two minutes. Marriage is still incredibly popular.

By comparison, there is one divorce in England and Wales about every 4 and a half minutes, statistics show.

There are still far more people marrying than divorcing

Some people talk about the tax and financial benefits of being together as a married couple. But that's not important to me - besides the tax benefits are so measly; do they honestly think I'd marry someone to get the benefit of £200 a year? Get real.

Now that I am married, I'm far from 'settled down', too. My husband and I, in our early 30s, have our whole lives ahead of us: who knows where we'll end up work-wise, or location wise, in just 10 years time. But we'll be together. And that's a lovely thought.

'Bridezillas' are outdated

The scariest brides in the world?

Marriage is not outdated. The entire wedding industry is, in my book. Marriage, to me, doesn't mean big fancy white weddings, photoshoots worthy of appearing in Hello magazine or splashing your cash around on bling. Within just a few years, I think the 'big wedding' will become very unfashionable.

Just last month, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said getting married has become an "experience" to be marketed, rather than simply a public declaration of commitment.

This week is Marriage Week - founded in 1997 to coincide with Valentine's Day. But I don't know any friends in their 20s or 30s who are holding their breath for a Valentine's Day proposal. In fact I think I'd reach for the nearest puke bucket if that happened to me.

The cult of the wedding is becoming unfashionable, surely

I think most modern women are realising that the Cult of the Wedding and Bridezillas - the endless preparation, the invites, the flowers, the matching serviettes, the first dance, the cake cutting - is quite frankly, ridiculous. It isn't doing any of us any good.

Marriage itself - the simple coming together of two people in love - will always have a place in modern society.

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Skirting the Issue: Since when did getting married become so unfashionable?

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Elsewhere, they pounced on increasing divorce rates and the fact that only fathers' names go on wedding certificates suggesting marriage is still linked to patriarchy, to an old world view that women should submit to men. Divorce rates are increasing In opposition, I argued that the concept of marriage is notoutdated.

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Dear someone,
I know this must be a very difficult situation for you. But I'm glad you already had the courage to tell your friends about it. But about your parents, you have to put yourself in their shoes. What would they think about this situation? After all, they're still your parents. And even though it's going to be very hard. It will blow over one day. Don't worry, it's going to be fine.

M

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the internet can be used to talk with the other person and have a relationship with no problems, but could be tricky in the beginning.

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Boys always prefer girls without make up. Like if you want to go your job you have not to put make up because it will make you tired when you put make up every day .. but some events like parties and wedding you have to put make up for many reasons (girls knows it) don't put up with that just trust your self

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Well, my love,

If you feel confident wearing make up, just put your foot down even if your friends don't agree with it. Just do it if it makes you feel better about yourself. And about guys opinions: don't care about it. It's all about you.

XOXO

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Put yourself in their shoes. Would you like to know it, when your son would be gay. I think you should tell them. It's something that won't change so easily.

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5 ) my boy friend went to Canada for a 6 moths

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5 ) my boy friend went to Canada for a 6 moths

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Ooh super place if I were you when I miss him I make surprise on the weekend . The sounds is so romantic

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Well, that situation is a minefield. If you decide to continue with your music your parents probably wouldn't give you the opportunity to pay you the university, and if you go to the university you wil probably be unhappy. Search the way to do both

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Problem n*4

I think it's a tricky situation. In my opinion, love can't be measured by numbers, and you should go with your gut instinct. The age you have to push things further doesn't define the love you feel for him, so just do it when you know it's the moment to do it; don't let him make pressure on you because someone that does that isn't worth your live, but only trust your feelings. You will know when the moment has arrived, and then the numbers won't have any importance.

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My parents decided and told me to go to to the Universety. I said that I don't want to go the Universety because I want to stay on my music and my arts. I have to say to them that I will doing both because it's not a tricky situation that we can solve it any way.

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Dear Agony Aunt,

It was my mum's birthday the day before yesterday and I completely forgot about it - no present, no phone call, nothing! She's usually quite an understanding person but I'm not sure about how to address the situation.

What should I do?

Anon

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Daniel Radcliffe & James McAvoy Talk Boy Bands

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Daniel Radcliffe & James McAvoy | NikiNSammy

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Daniel Radcliffe as BuzzFeed's Agony Uncle

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The star gave out his advice to all your problems and confessions, ahead of the release of his new movie, HORNS.

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Pauline Phillips, known to the world as advice columnist Abigail Van Buren, has died at age 94 of Alzheimer's. Phillips began writing her world-famous Dear Abby column in 1956 and wrote until her retirement in 2002, handing her pen name off to her daughter Jeanne Phillips.

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10 Weird And Wonderful Dear Abby Columns

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Pauline Phillips, known to the world as advice columnist Abigail Van Buren, has died at age 94 of Alzheimer's. Phillips began writing her world-famous Dear Abby column in 1956 and wrote until her retirement in 2002, handing her pen name off to her daughter Jeanne Phillips.

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What is Alzheimer's disease? - Alzheimer's Society (4)

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Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia and also the best understood. It is thought to be caused by the formation of abnormal deposits of protein in the brain. These are called plaques and tangles, and they are made up of two key proteins: amyloid and tau.

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How hibernating animals could help fight Alzheimer's disease

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How hibernating animals could help fight Alzheimer's disease

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A state of hypothermia is known to protect the brain. People have been survived for hours after a cardiac arrest without brain damage after falling into icy water.

Similiarly, cooling the brains of babies that have suffered a loss of oxygen at birth is also used to protect against brain damage.

In the study researchers reduced the body temperature of mice with Alzheimer's disease and a healthy control group to 16-18ºC - similar to the temperature of a hibernating small mammal - for 45 minutes. They discovered that the RBM3 protein kicked in for the healthy animals and helped restore function when they warmed up. However the protein appeared not to function for the mice with Alzheimer's.

"We've known for some time that cooling can slow down or even prevent damage to brain cells, but reducing body temperature is rarely feasible in practice: it's unpleasant and involves risks such as pneumonia and blood clots," said Professor Giovanna Mallucci, who led the research team, at the Medical Research Councils Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester.

"But, by identifying how cooling activates a process that prevents the loss of brain cells, we can now work towards finding a means to develop drugs that might mimic the protective effects of cold on the brain."

Professor Hugh Perry, chairman of the MRC's Neurosciences and Mental Health Board, which funded the research, said: "The neuroprotective pathway identified in this study could be an important step forward. We now need to find something to reproduce the effect of brain cooling. Just as anti-inflammatory drugs are preferable to cold baths in bringing down a high temperature, we need to find drugs which can induce the effects of hibernation and hypothermia."

The research, which was published in the journal Nature, was welcomed by chairites.

Dr Doug Brown, Director of Research and Development at Alzheimer's Society said: "We know that cooling body temperate can protect the brain from some forms of damage and this method is being investigated as a treatment for acute conditions such as strokes and brain injury.

"It's interesting to see this protective mechanism now also being studied in neurodegenerative disease."

Dr Eric Karran, Director of Research, Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "This promising study highlights a natural process nerve cells use to protect themselves, which could be harnessed successfully in mice to resist damage associated with neurodegenerative diseases.

"It's still unclear exactly how and why nerve cells die in diseases like Alzheimer's, but a future treatment able to bolster nerve cells against damage could have wide-reaching

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How hibernating animals could help fight Alzheimer's disease

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A state of hypothermia is known to protect the brain. People have been survived for hours after a cardiac arrest without brain damage after falling into icy water. Similiarly, cooling the brains of babies that have suffered a loss of oxygen at birth is also used to protect against brain damage.

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HOPES HIGH AT DRUG MAKER FOR FIRST NEW ALZHEIMER'S TREATMENT IN 14 YEARS

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HOPES HIGH AT DRUG MAKER FOR FIRST NEW ALZHEIMER'S TREATMENT IN 14 YEARS

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Makers of an Alzheimer's drug are hoping it will become the first new treatment for the disease available to sufferers for over a decade if trials conclude successfully later this year.

The drug, called intepirdine, works by increasing the release of a chemical in the brain that plays an important role in memory function.

Its developers say unlike more experimental treatments, which have caused excitement in early stages but then failed in clinical trials, the drug works in tandem with existing medication to help people with dementia live more independently for longer.

"Studies based on theory can be successful, but several hundred of them have failed," said Lawrence Friedhoff, chief development officer at Axovant, the company producing the drug.

"Our trial is replicating a study that already shows statistically significant benefit in humans, so it has a much higher chance of being successful."

Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia, a degenerative brain condition that affects more than 850,000 people in the UK, most of whom are over 65.

The last Alzheimer's drug to be approved was donepezil in 2002.​

While the intepirdine trial is not guaranteed to succeed, this drug is the only plausible new treatment being submitted for approval in the next few years, following a string of failures.

Among current drugs prescribed for the symptoms of the disease are medicines that prevent the breakdown in the brain of acetylcholine, which carries messages from one cell to another.

This new treatment could help slow memory loss in Alzheimer's patients by increasing levels of acetylcholine in the brain, Dr Friedhoff told The Independent.

"Patients with Alzheimer's disease have less acetylcholine in their brains and less release of it than other people. And we know that can be part of what causes memory problems," he said.

"The old drugs prevent the breakdown [of acetylchlone], the new drug promotes its release, and together they work better than either alone."

Many other new Alzheimer's drugs that have been trialled in recent years focussed on tackling the production of toxic amyloid proteins, which are associated with the formation of a nerve-cell destroying plaque in the brain.

But a number of high-profile trials, including one by pharmaceutical giant Merck that took place last year, ended in disappointment when the drugs in question were not found to be effective in a clinical setting.

"As far as I can tell, the only drug with reasonable chance of being approved in the next couple of years is ours," said Dr Friedhoff. "The others have generally been based on this amyloid hypothesis and have either failed or are not going to read out for a couple of years from now.

"Most of the other trials have been based on the assumption that amyloid is important in causing Alzheimer's disease, as opposed to something that happens alongside it.

"That assumption, I think, is probably wrong, which would explain why so many of these other drugs have failed," he said, adding: "Although I thought it was an interesting idea 15 years ago, I lost faith in it a long time ago as an approach to treating Alzheimer's."

Tara Spires-Jones, interim director of Edinburgh University's Centre for Cognitive and Neural Systems, said the early data on the treatment looked "promising".

She said if the drug were approved, while Alzheimer's patients would benefit, it would not stop or slow the progression of the disease, as amyloid-based treatments aimed to.

"It may provide more symptomatic benefit, but like the drugs that currently exist, it will not change the course of the disease. But it is great that people have another option, and maybe it will work better than the ones that are currently available," she said.

Around 1,150 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's are taking part in the current international trial, which has been offered at clinics around the UK including one in Plymouth.

If the trial is successful when it is completed this autumn, the drug will be submitted for approval in the US, which could take place as soon as this time next year, and then in Europe.

Two different compounds that work in a similar way to intepirdine have reached the end of testing in the last two months, but have been unsuccessful.

One of them, produced by a European drug company called Lundbeck, "attached itself to the same molecule, but the structure was quite different", said Dr Friedhoff.

Trials of this drug hit problems because of raised liver toxicity - but if intepirdine can overcome any similar stumbling blocks, the path will be left clear for its approval.

James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said the failure of the other two compounds should generate an "element of caution" around Dr Friedhoff's claims, but said its success was possible.

"It's completely plausible that there are subtleties between them, and difference in the way these things get into the brain," he told The Independent.

David Reynolds, chief scientific officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, compared the different ways similar drugs can work to different types of anti-depressants.

"It's not at all clear that this one is any different from the previous two. The SSRI anti-depressants, there are several of those on the market and they are all subtly different in what they do, with benefits and side effects for different patients," he said.

"Until we have the data I can't comment as to whether this is a fantastic new treatment for patients to improve their symptoms, or whether in a few months time it will join the unfortunately long list of compounds that haven't worked."

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The first new Alzheimer's treatment in over a decade could be here very soon

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Makers of an Alzheimer's drug are hoping it will become the first new treatment for the disease available to sufferers for over a decade if trials conclude successfully later this year. The drug, called intepirdine, works by increasing the release of a chemical in the brain that plays an important role in memory function.

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NEW TEST HELPS PEOPLE PREDICT WHEN THEY MAY GET ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

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NEW TEST HELPS PEOPLE PREDICT WHEN THEY MAY GET ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

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New forms of genetic testing could allow people to discover their risk of developing Alzheimer's at a particular age, scientists have said.

An individual's genetic data can be used to estimate how likely they are to develop the debilitating disease in the future, according to a new study published in Plos Medicine.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, which mainly affects people over 65 and can cause a deterioration in memory, thinking and behaviour.

Dementia affects 850,000 people in the UK and recently overtook heart disease to become the leading cause of death in England and Wales.

Rahul Desikan, a researcher from the University of California, analysed genetic data from more than 70,000 elderly people, some who had Alzheimer's and some who didn't.

By identifying known genetic risk factors for the disease in each person's genetic "fingerprint", he and his team created a scoring system known as the polygenic hazard score (PHS).

The researchers then combined this score with statistics on the incidence rates of the disease to predict an individual's Alzheimer's risk and even predict the age of the onset of the disease.

They tested their risk calculations in two independent groups of patients and found people with the highest score were several times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than those with lower scores.

People with the highest PHS score were also found to have an earlier than expected age of onset of the disease by up to 10 years.

"Our genetic risk score may serve as a 'risk factor' for accurately identifying older individuals at greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's, at a given age," Dr Desikan told The Independent.

"This score may also be helpful for identifying non-demented older individuals at greatest risk for developing Alzheimer's neurodegeneration."

Dr Desikan said while there may be "justified fear" among patients about finding out they have a disease for which there is currently no cure, "knowing your 'personalised' risk for Alzheimer's can really help with planning for the future."

"For example, if you know that you are at elevated risk for this disease, you may want to make decisions on making a will, getting your finances in order, figure out when to stop driving and perhaps reprioritise your life," he said.

Dr James Pickett, head of research at the Alzheimer's Society, said the study was "fairly successful at predicting the likelihood of someone developing dementia over the coming year".

He said the study, which focused primarily on individuals of European descent living in the US, "needs to be tested further in mixed, non-US populations".

"This genetic risk score could help identify people to take part in research studies, but is not opening a door to genetic testing for dementia risk in the clinic," he added.

"For anyone concerned about dementia the first step is to visit your GP. If you're looking for ways to reduce your risk, remember what's good for your heart is good for your head, and it may be possible to lower your risk by staying active, eating well and learning new skills."

Early diagnosis of dementia can help patients receive treatment to help with symptoms more quickly and help them and their families to develop coping strategies, which in some cases can save lives.

Professor Paul Morgan, director of the Systems Immunity Research Institute at Cardiff University, said the study "adds to the strong evidence that an approach that takes into account the polygenic nature of Alzheimer's disease can be a useful way of aiding risk prediction".

"As effective therapies emerge, the approach might be used more widely to enable early intervention in those at highest risk," he added.

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New test helps people predict when they may get Alzheimer's

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New forms of genetic testing could allow people to discover their risk of developing Alzheimer's at a particular age, scientists have said. An individual's genetic data can be used to estimate how likely they are to develop the debilitating disease in the future, according to a new study published in Plos Medicine.

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Living near heavy traffic increases risk of dementia, say scientists

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Living near heavy traffic increases risk of dementia, say scientists

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People living near a busy road have an increased risk of dementia, according to research that adds to concerns about the impact of air pollution on human health.

Roughly one in 10 cases of Alzheimer's in urban areas could be associated with living amid heavy traffic, the study estimated - although the research stopped short of showing that exposure to exhaust fumes causes neurodegeneration.

Hong Chen, the scientist who led the work at Public Health Ontario, said: "Increasing population growth and urbanisation has placed many people close to heavy traffic, and with widespread exposure to traffic and growing rates of dementia, even a modest effect from near-road exposure could pose a large public health burden."

Previously, scientists have linked air pollution and traffic noise to reduced density of white matter (the brain's connective tissue) and lower cognition. A recent study suggested that magnetic nano-particles from air pollution can make their way into brain tissue.

The latest study, published in The Lancet, found that those who live closest to major traffic arteries were up to 12% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia - a small but significant increase in risk.

The study, which tracked roughly 6.6 million people for more than a decade, could not determine whether pollution is directly harmful to the brain. The increased dementia risk could also be a knock-on effect of respiratory and cardiac problems caused by traffic fumes or due to other unhealthy life-style factors associated with living in built-up urban environments.

Rob Howard, a professor of old age psychiatry at University College London, who was not involved in the study, said: "We know that major road air pollution is bad for general health and this latest study doesn't tell us whether the small increase in dementia risk is driven by indirect effects or whether proximity to traffic directly influences dementia pathology. Regardless of the route of causation, this study presents one more important reason why we must clean up the air in our cities."

However, others cautioned that those living close to main roads should not be unduly alarmed by the findings.

Prof John Hardy, a neuroscientist at University College London said: "The analyses are exceedingly complex ... and this always leads to concerns that the analytic complexity is hiding confounding factors in the analytic pipeline. There are several reasons why one might not want to live near a major road, but this study is not an additional one."

The study tracked all adults aged between 20 and 85 living in Ontario, Canada from 2001 to 2012, using postcodes to determine a person's proximity to major roads. The cohort's medical records were examined to see who went on to develop dementia, Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis.

Over the study period, more than 243,000 people developed dementia, 31,500 people developed Parkinson's disease and 9,250 people developed multiple sclerosis.

The scientists found no link between living near a road and Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis, but dementia was slightly more common in people living close to busy roads and the risk dropped off gradually in less built-up areas. Those living within 50 metres of a busy road had a 7% higher risk in developing dementia, the risk was 4% higher risk at 50-100 metres, 2% higher risk at 101-200 metres and there was no increase in risk in those living more than 200 metres away.

Those who lived in a major city, within 50 metres of a major road and who did not move house for the duration of the study had the highest risk at 12%.

The scientists took into account wealth, education, and various other measures of health and social status in their calculations, although they acknowledged that it was impossible to eliminate the potential for other confounding factors playing a role.

Ray Copes, chief of environmental and occupational health at Public Health Ontario, and a co-author of the Lancet paper, said that those living in cities should consider walking along side streets, jogging in parks and planning cycle routes along quieter roads where possible. "The real implications are not for individual choice, but at the societal and policy level," he said, adding that air pollution should be factored into urban planning and building design to reduce exposure.

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Living near heavy traffic increases risk of dementia, say scientists

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Study tracking 6.6 million people estimates one in 10 cases of Alzheimer's among those living by busy roads could be linked to air and noise pollution

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Still Alice is ‘shockingly accurate’ – people living with dementia give their verdict

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Still Alice is ‘shockingly accurate’ – people living with dementia give their verdict

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Keith Oliver waited for his wife Rosemary to go out and then, with his nerves rising, he laid out chocolates and wine in the living room and waited. Soon, his new friends started to arrive - two clinical psychologists and three psychology students from the local memory clinic - and together they watched Still Alice, Julianne Moore's depiction of a highly successful, family-orientated woman who is diagnosed with early-onset dementia and loses almost everything.

Keith was head teacher of a primary school in Canterbury, Kent, when a doctor gave him the same news on New Year's Eve in 2010. He was 54. "But I'm a positive person and I didn't feel any fear," he says. After the diagnosis, he walked with Rosemary along Margate beach, where he told her: "One door closes and another will open." Now, he says, his biggest fear is being left on his own.

It captured how dementia crept up on me ... how insidious the disease is, how it can subtly eat away at you

Keith Oliver

Rosemary could not bring herself to watch the film, but he felt he had to. "The film confronted each stage I've gone through, like a checklist," Keith says. "It captured how dementia crept up on me, how it knocked my self-esteem and brought doubts into my mind before I even knew what I was dealing with. It captured how insidious the disease is, how it can subtly eat away at you. It captured how I tried to fight it, how I found coping strategies, how I tried to hide it. But her decline happens so quickly - I found that very difficult to come to terms with."

Still Alice is directed by Wash Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, who has the neurodegenerative condition Lou Gehrig's disease. The film, an adaption of Lisa Genova's acclaimed 2007 novel, was shot fast last March, the only time Moore was free from her commitments on the Hunger Games films. Moore, whose performance has won her a Golden Globe, a Bafta and an Oscar nomination, prepared for the part by speaking with activists from the Alzheimer's Association, women given early-onset diagnoses, and doctors who treat the disease.

Still Alice, says the actor at the London premiere of the film, is motivated by misconceptions about Alzheimer's, which causes up to 70% of dementia cases. "I don't think there's enough information," she says. "I think an idea still stands that Alzheimer's is all about memory. One of the things I found is that people often simply feel lost. Alzheimer's is more akin to an ongoing panic attack where suddenly nothing has any reference. It's like having to cut through fog every day."

What can be done? "There's very little awareness," says Moore. "But 30 years ago, there was little awareness of cancer. With cancer, we've spent the money needed to properly research it and we've talked about it openly. That's really changed things. I can only hope that happens with Alzheimer's."

Hovering just behind Moore, with a grin on her face, is Wendy Mitchell, who has made the trip from York to see the premiere. Wendy was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last July. She was 58, a teetotaller who ran every other day and worked as an NHS manager. "I came out of my office one morning, which had been the same old office for a couple of years, and just stood there not knowing where I was," she says. "I would hear voices in the corridors and not have a clue who they belonged to." Like the fictional Alice, she's now deeply reliant on her mobile phone to keep her connected and organised. "It's proved a life-saver," she says.

Wendy, who Moore thanked in her Bafta speech, still works full-time and is supported by her two daughters: Gemma, 31, and Sarah, 34. "The guilt I feel for my daughters will never go away," she says and worries about "the day I look at the two most precious people in my life and don't know their names". She's been surprised at how many difficult conversations she's had with people she thought she could rely on. "I felt dismayed at many people's perception of the illness," she says. "For a lot of people, it's a very embarrassing conversation. They seemed willing to simply write me off, or appeared to have a stereotypical image of someone at the end of the disease rather than the beginning."

I was left with a feeling of helplessness deep down in the pit of my stomach. I felt I was being shown my own future

Wendy Mitchell

What did she think of the film? "I was left with a feeling of helplessness and a sense of inevitability that reached deep down into the pit of my stomach. It was a shockingly accurate reflection of my own experience. It felt like I was being shown my own future."

Hilary Doxford, from Yeovil, was 52 when she was told she had dementia. She said the signs had existed a full seven years before she was diagnosed, but her doctors kept giving her an all-clear. After the last all-clear, she married her husband, Peter. When she was eventually told she had dementia, she felt relieved to finally have an explanation. "Then I panicked about how much time I had left," she says, "and I wondered what to do next." So she started researching the disease, which left her feeling "sad and guilty about what impact it would have on Peter".

For Hilary, the film was like looking into a mirror. When she first told Peter she had dementia, he said: "Whatever happens, I'm going to be here for you." As the disease worsened and her memories started to go, she told her husband she'd rather have cancer, just as Alice does. "But we're still capable of making each other very happy," she says. "I'd do anything for him and he'd do anything for me."

I am losing my memory and my abilities. One day I will lose being me

Hilary Doxford

Hilary was struck by a scene in which Alice's daughter, played by Kristen Stewart, reads her the Elizabeth Bishop poem One Art that talks about "an art to losing". Hilary says: "There is an art to losing and you need to master it. I'm losing my memories, my abilities, my happiness - and one day I will lose being me."

Keith, Wendy and Hilary are three of the 42,000 people living with early-onset dementia in the UK, out of a total of 850,000 people with dementia. Over 1m people will have the disease by 2025 and over 2m by 2051, according to the Alzheimer's Society. It currently costs the UK economy over £26bn every year, which works out at around £30,000 per person with dementia.

"The research we carried out last year showed there are twice as many young people living with dementia than we thought," says Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the AS. "We find people go to their GP time and time again before dementia is considered - they are told they have depression, or they're overworked, or it's a lifestyle problem. There's very little training and very little support for families."

Dementia is not just about memory loss. For many, the disease can manifest itself through a change in their nature, their emotional disposition. "Things still go into my brain and I still process them in the same way," Hilary says. "It's the recall I don't have." Without it, people are more at the mercy of their moods, of how a certain environment or person makes them feel at that moment. As Julianne Moore says: "I wanted to understand how, as she loses her intellectual capabilities, Alice moves toward a very profound emotional connection with her family."

Keith singles out intellect as a big factor. "I worked as a teacher for 33 years," he says. "So I know how we assess intellect in kids from the age of three onwards - and a big part of intellect is memory. If memory is compromised, so is your intellectual capacity. I try to convince myself those two things are separate; I feel as intellectual as I was four years ago, but cognitively I'm not a patch on what I was. It means I'm much more emotional. I have a lot of foggy days and a lot of sunny days."

How much will he be able to remember of this interview? "I'll remember we talked, I'll remember feeling relaxed, and I'll remember we talked about this wonderful film called Still Alice," he says. "But the detail that once would have been so important to me will have almost completely gone."

He pauses and adds: "But that just means I can look forward to reading it in the paper. So there's a silver lining in everything, you know?"

* Still Alice goes on general release in the UK on 6 March.
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Still Alice is 'shockingly accurate' - people living with dementia give their verdict

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Keith Oliver waited for his wife Rosemary to go out and then, with his nerves rising, he laid out chocolates and wine in the living room and waited.

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Healthier living could prevent Alzheimer's

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Healthier living could prevent Alzheimer's

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Three in 10 cases of Alzheimer's disease could be prevented if people led healthier lifestyles, exercising more and not smoking, research suggests. And keeping to a normal weight and reducing blood pressure would also help slow the predicted sharp rise in numbers getting the disease.

The findings, published on Monday in the journal Lancet Neurology, suggest that such lifestyle changes could mean up to 200,000 fewer people in the UK having Alzheimer's by 2050.

The authors of the study, from Cambridge University, King's College London, and San Francisco, say that, in all, about a third of those destined to get Alzheimer's worldwide could avoid the disease via such health measures. Moves to tackle depression and low educational attainment, which also significantly increase risk of the disease, could help too.

Of the seven risk factors studied, lack of physical activity accounted for the largest proportion of cases of Alzheimer's in the UK, Europe and US, where studies have found that about one in three adults take so little exercise they are deemed inactive. The study also looks at three other risk factors: diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Worldwide, low educational attainment was implicated in about 20% of all cases, though in the UK the percentage was half that. Smoking and depression were each considered to be linked to one in 10 cases everywhere, while diabetes, high blood pressure in middle age, and obesity in people in their 40s or 50s was estimated to account for between 2% and 8% of those The authors say the study results present a "more realistic" assessment of the proportion of potentially avoidable Alzheimer's cases. The figure of a third compares with the 50% previous estimate drawn up with the help of the same authors in 2011.

The latest calculation is based on the fact that many of the risk factors are closely related, whereas the previous study calculated the risk for each of these independently, yielding the higher figure.

The authors, led by Carol Brayne, a professor at Cambridge University's Institute of Public Health, said there was "consistent evidence" of an association between each of the seven risk factors and Alzheimer's disease. Reducing the relative risk of each of the factors by 10% could lead to 9m (8.5%) fewer cases by 2050, they said.

"Although there's no single way to prevent dementia we may be able to take steps to reduce our risk of developing [it] at an older age," said Brayne. "We know what many of these factors are, and that they are often linked. Simply tackling physical inactivity, for example, will reduce levels of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, and prevent some people from developing dementia."

Doug Brown, director of research and development at the Alzheimer's Society, recommended no smoking and switching to a Mediterranean diet.

He said: "This valuable study adds to a growing body of evidence strongly suggesting that simple lifestyle changes can help lower our risk of developing dementia. The prospect of preventing up to one in three cases of Alzheimer's disease is something we cannot ignore.

"We already know that what is good for your heart is good for your head, and there are simple things you can start doing now to reduce your risk of developing dementia. Regular exercise is a good place to start as well as avoiding smoking, and eating a Mediterranean diet."

Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said: "While age is the biggest risk factor for most cases of Alzheimer's, there are a number of lifestyle and general health factors that could increase or decrease a person's chances of developing the disease. This new analysis suggests that many cases of Alzheimer's could be prevented by increasing physical activity, decreasing blood pressure, quitting smoking and altering diet to reduce the cases of diabetes.

"There are over 820,000 people in the UK living with dementia and an ageing population will lead to spiralling numbers affected, so it is critical that we bolster our approaches to disease prevention.", Ridley added.

In separate research, published by Diabetes UK, experts found that fewer than one in four of the million people diagnosed with diabetes type 2 in the last four years had their condition "under control". The charity's chief executive, Barbara Young, said lack of such control raised the risk of kidney failure and amputations and reflected the fact that the NHS was offering just 14% of these patients vital education on their condition as soon as they were diagnosed.
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Healthier living could prevent Alzheimer's

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Three in 10 cases of Alzheimer's disease could be prevented if people led healthier lifestyles, exercising more and not smoking, research suggests. And keeping to a normal weight and reducing blood pressure would also help slow the predicted sharp rise in numbers getting the disease.

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DEMENTIA DELAY Learning another language can slow signs of Alzheimer’s by an extra five years, claim docs

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DEMENTIA DELAY Learning another language can slow signs of Alzheimer’s by an extra five years, claim docs

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LEARNING a second language helps stave off dementia by an extra five years, medics claim.

And the sooner you pick up foreign speech, the greater the protective effect.

Experts found being bilingual helps build brain power.

These greater "cognitive reserves" mean a person is able to keep dementia at bay for longer.

Italian scientists carried out brain scans on 85 patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Half the participants spoke two languages, while the rest only spoke one.

Scientists found bilingual patients were on average five years older at the same stage of the disease.

And scans revealed they had stronger connectivity in the decision making part of their brain.

Experts believe this slows the damage caused by disease.

The team from Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Italy also found the longer a person was bilingual, the stronger the protective effect.

Lead researcher Professor Daniela Perani said: "Overall, these findings strongly suggest that bilingual individuals with Alzheimer's disease compensate better for the loss of brain structure and function.

"It suggests the earlier you learn another language and the more you use it, the greater the protective effect."

The research is published in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Dementia affects around 850,000 Brits, with Alzheimer's responsible for the majority of cases.
And the number is forecast to hit one million in under a decade and two million by 2051.

There is no effective treatment, with current medications only helping to slow down the symptoms.

Dr Clare Walton, Research Manager at Alzheimer's Society, said the study reveals how speaking an extra language protects the brain.

She said: "This elegant study provides new evidence that people who are fluent in more than one language have some protection against dementia.

"Brain scans showed that lifelong bilinguals have stronger connections between certain brain areas compared to those who only speak one language - this appears to allow their brains to cope better with damage before they start to show outward signs of dementia."

And Dr David Reynolds, Chief Scientific Officer at Alzheimer's Research UK, said bilingual adults have more "resilient" brains.

He said: "There is increasing evidence that being bilingual throughout life could increase our cognitive reserve.

"This study shows there are differences in the brains of people with Alzheimer's who are fully bilingual that could explain why they are resilient to damage.

"The findings lend weight to the theory that keeping the brain active may provide a form of cognitive reserve, helping to delay the onset of symptoms as diseases like Alzheimer's develop."

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Learning another language can slow signs of Alzheimer's for an extra five years

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LEARNING a second language helps stave off dementia by an extra five years, medics claim. And the sooner you pick up foreign speech, the greater the protective effect. Experts found being bilingual helps build brain power. These greater "cognitive reserves" mean a person is able to keep dementia at bay for longer.