(June 24, 2011 - Insidermedicine) From Germany - A new report published in Neurology identifies a biomarker that may assist in the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers studied nearly 60 individuals with mild cognitive impairment, finding that measuring the tau protein in the cerebrospinal fluid in combination with the persons age was approx. 80% accurate in predicting who would develop Alzheimer's disease.   From Indiana - Fat substitutes may raise risk of weight gain, according to a report published in Behavioural Neuroscience. Researchers found that an animal model fed crushed potato chips that contained  synthetic fat were more likely to gain weight than an animal model fed regular high fat chips. And finally, from Baltimore - Vitamin A lack does not raise risk of asthma, according to a report published in European Respiratory Journal. Randomizing over 5000 children to either placebo or vitamin A supplements, researchers found no difference between the two groups in respect to the development of asthma.