Alzheimer's disease patient Isidora Tomaz, 82, sits in her armchair with two chairs placed in front of her by her husband Amilcar Dos Santos (unseen) to prevent her from falling to the ground in their house in Lisbon
Alzheimer's disease patient Isidora Tomaz, 82, sits in her armchair with two chairs placed in front of her by her husband Amilcar Dos Santos (unseen) to prevent her from falling to the ground in their house in Lisbon September 15, 2009. Several low income Portuguese families with Alzheimer's patients under their care are supported by Portugal's Alzheimer Association, a charity. Alzheimer Europe estimates the number of Alzheimer's patients in the European Union alone to surpass 7.0 million. Reuters

For the first time, scientists have claimed that memory loss associated with Alzheimer's has been reversed. They base their claims on a study conducted on 10 patients suffering from Alzheimer's. The study conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, or ULCA, has found that with their treatment memory loss can be reversed among patients who are diagnosed with the initial stages of the disease.

The study involved 10 patients who were suffering memory loss due to Alzheimer's and this had affected their jobs. Some were struggling to cope with their work, while the others had to quit. After the treatment given, as a part of the study, it was seen that nine out of 10 patient's condition drastically improved. One person, who was in the last stage of the disease, showed no improvement, despite the treatment.

According to Mail Online, the treatment given to the patients included comprehensive diet changes, 36-point therapeutic programme, sleep optimisation, provision of specific drugs and vitamins like vitamin B-12, vitamin D-3 and fish oil, exercise, brain stimulation and other procedures that affected brain chemistry. In the report by UCLA, Dr. Dale E. Bredesen of the university's Centre for Alzheimer's Disease Research explained that Alzheimer's is a condition that is affected by sleep, diet and exercise among other things.

He states that for the first time such an outcome has been seen and he hopes that this study can, "pave the way for the first effective treatment for the disease." Though this a breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's, Dr. Bredesen states that a more extensive trial is needed.

ABC news reported that Alzheimer's had been detected a century ago and in the past decade several trials have been conducted to find a treatment, but it was not until this study that a positive result was seen.

Looking at other diseases such as HIV or cardiovascular diseases that have improved in the treatment for patients, Alzheimer's has not. This is why researchers adopted a "broader-based therapeutic approach" to find a solution. Bredesen explained that a single drug aims at a sole target but a condition like Alzheimer's is much more complex.

This treatment is effective but is limited, as a more extensive trial is required. Moreover Dr. Bredesen revealed that those patients on whom the trial was conducted could not follow the treatment completely. They found it hard to change their diet and lifestyle. The treatment also improved the patients' health and body mass index.

The report by ULCA is present in the journal Aging.