Contributed by Stephanie Figon, MS, RDN, LD
You’re dining out with a friend when the check comes and you suddenly realize that you can’t calculate the tip. You’re driving in a familiar part of town to a place you’ve been a dozen times. Then, you somehow don’t know how to get there. Your spouse keeps insisting that they told you about something but you would swear they never mentioned it.
These are the experiences of too many people as they move into the older decades of life. We ignore the little tell-tale signs for as long as possible. Everyone knows there’s nothing anyone can do to stop dementia. A person reasons visiting the doctor will only get their keys taken away and keep them from ever being able to buy long term care insurance.
And up until recently, that was about right. All the medical profession could do is confirm your fears and tell you to get your affairs in order. A prescription might only give a 3-month delay in the inevitable process of decline that lasts about 7 years.
But brain science is changing—and fast. When a client asked me to research nutrition for her husband who was showing clear signs of Alzheimers, I went to work. That was 8 months ago. I was shocked to find studies on everything from lithium to coffee fruit.
One researcher’s work stands out. Dr. Dale Bredesen has been researching the mechanisms of Alzheimer’s for decades. In 2014, Bredesen published his first case series in which 8 out of 10 individuals improved their scores on cognitive tests. One of them even had MRI documented growth in the size of their hippocampus—that all-important memory center in the brain. This was a finding that most doctors thought was impossible at the time.
In a case series of 100 people published by Dr. Bredesen’s group in 2018 showed that 72 of them improved their scores on cognitive tests. Another study of 25 patients was published in the Journal of Alzheimers in July this year. Results showed that 84% were able to improve scores on cognitive tests.
More than 3 dozen major factors have been identified that affect brain function. These either contribute to brain loss or contribute to the development of new connections in the brain. The problem of dementia has been likened to having a barn with 36 holes in the roof. The goal is to patch every single one.
By far, the most common contributor to brain problems is insulin resistance and diabetes. Some have even proposed calling Alzheimers “Type 3 diabetes”.
Second, there is inflammation. This is sometimes related to dental problems or intestinal permeability called “leaky gut”. When bacteria or undigested food molecules get into the blood, they activate the immune system. This causes inflammation that affects brain function.
A host of other factors may play a role in cognitive decline. These include traumatic brain injury, sleep apnea, Mold exposure, heavy metals, and vitamin deficiencies.
And then, there are the thousands of untested chemicals from herbicides and pesticides in food to the BPA in water bottles. These build up in our bodies and affect our brain function. Dr. Bredesen likens our current toxin situation to, “swimming in an Alzheimer’s soup”.
We also know the factors that help the brain grow. Optimized hormones--thyroid, estrogen and/or testosterone. Sleep and the mental stimulation of new learning are critical for brain growth.
Exercise increases oxygen and nutrients to the brain. It also allows us to make more BDNF, which is best described as “Miracle Grow for the brain”.
Timing matters. If memory and cognitive issues are fully addressed in their early stages, there is a great chance that declines can be reversed.
It requires dedicated lifestyle measures-diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management. It requires nutritional supplements--lots of them. And you may need a few prescriptions.
But there is nothing like real-life confirmation to prove that this approach works. I got that when my client texted me to say that her husband's MRI proven early Alzheimer's symptoms stopped after just a couple of months. She's seen no symptoms since April.
Help spread the news. No one is saying there’s a cure for Alzheimer’s. But the new data show that Alzheimer's should no longer be considered a hopeless disease. Dementia can be prevented or put into remission for many. Bredesen predicts that future generations will look back on Alzheimer’s disease the way we look back on polio and other diseases of the past. For those of us experiencing “senior moments”, these changes can’t come too soon.
For more information, visit Nutrition907.com.
