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Dementia Risk Reduction-
“Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and it generally affects the elderly. It has been suggested that diet is an intensively modifiable lifestyle factor that might reduce the risk of AD…”
“There’s No ‘Recipe’ to Reduce Dementia Risk — Yet”
That quote from the top study linked below bothers me. Not just because it is flat out wrong but also because it illustrates a huge problem with conventional medicine. And that is if a therapy, any therapy, is not “FDA approved,” then board-certified M.D.s don’t acknowledge it. And their patients suffer the consequences.
I am a cancer survivor who suffers from a host of long-term side effects from my conventional therapies. Chemo and radiation damaged my:
- brain,
- heart,
- nerves
- blood and
- bones.
Evidence-based non-toxic, non-conventional therapies have stabilized all and healed several.
I am confident that chemo brain (chemotherapy-induced cognitive dysfunction) greatly increases the risk of dementia. I have healed my chemo brain so I believe I have greatly reduced my risk of dementia. I’m 63 so we’ll have to wait a few years before I know for sure.
The studies linked below illustrate how both nutrition and nutritional supplementation are the “dementia risk reduction recipe” that conventional medicine contents does not exist. I would add frequent, moderate exercise to this list.
The kicker in all this is that the recipe also works for heart, bone, nerve and blood health. But that’s another blog post.
Are you a cancer survivor struggling with a host of long-term and late stage side effects? Scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
Thanks,
David Emerson
- Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
There’s No ‘Recipe’ to Reduce Dementia Risk — Yet
“Numbers don’t lie — dementia is a global health crisis. According to Alzheimer’s Disease Internationalopens in a new tab or window, dementia impacts more than 55 million individuals worldwide, and there are over 10 million new cases each year. In the U.S. alone, more than 6 millionopens in a new tab or window people are living with Alzheimer’s…
Research suggests 4 in 10 opens in a new tab or window dementia cases worldwide may be preventable by addressing modifiable risk factors. Proven lifestyle- and medicine-based risk reduction strategies that enable us to intervene across the dementia continuum — as we do with other conditions such as heart disease — are desperately needed…
People with higher blood DHA levels are 49% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, study shows
“New research published today in Nutrients shows that people with a higher blood DHA level are 49% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease vs. those with lower levels, according to the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI). The study, led by Aleix Sala-Vila, PhD, suggested that providing extra dietary omega-3 DHA, especially for those carrying the ApoE4 gene (which approximately doubles an individual’s susceptibility to develop AD) might slow the development of the disease. Such a cost-effective, low-risk dietary intervention like this could potentially save billions in health care costs.
In this prospective observational study conducted within the Framingham Offspring Cohort -; including 1490 dementia-free participants aged ≥65 years old -; researchers examined the association of red blood cell (RBC) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) with incident Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), while also testing for an interaction with APOE-ε4 carriership…
“Most interestingly, 15 years ago similar findings were reported by Schaefer et al. in the parents of the individuals who were the focus of this present investigation (i.e., the Original Framingham Heart Study cohort). Schaefer et al. reported that participants in the top quartile of plasma phosphatidylcholine DHA experienced a significant, 47% reduction in the risk of developing all-cause dementia compared with those with lower levels,” Dr. Harris continued. “Similar findings a generation apart in a similar genetic pool provide considerable confirmation of this DHA-dementia relationship…””
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to dementia
“A world-first study from the University of South Australia could make this a reality as new genetic research shows a direct link between dementia and a lack of vitamin D.
Investigating the association between vitamin D, neuroimaging features, and the risk of dementia and stroke, the study found:
- low levels of vitamin D were associated with lower brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia and stroke
- genetic analyses supported a causal effect of vitamin D deficiency and dementia.
- in some populations as much as 17 per cent of dementia cases might be prevented by increasing everyone to normal levels of vitamin D (50 nmol/L).
Mediterranean diet and 3-year Alzheimer brain biomarker changes in middle-aged adults
“Objective-To examine in a 3-year brain imaging study the effects of higher vs lower adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet (MeDi) on Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarker changes (brain β-amyloid load via 11C-Pittsburgh compound B [PiB] PET and neurodegeneration via 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose [FDG] PET and structural MRI) in midlife.
Methods-Seventy 30- to 60-year-old cognitively normal participants with clinical, neuropsychological, and dietary examinations and imaging biomarkers at least 2 years apart were examined. These included 34 participants with higher (MeDi+) and 36 with lower (MeDi−) MeDi adherence. Statistical parametric mapping and volumes of interest were used to compare AD biomarkers between groups at cross section and longitudinally.
Results-MeDi groups were comparable for clinical and neuropsychological measures. At baseline, compared to the MeDi+ group, the MeDi− group showed reduced FDG-PET glucose metabolism (CMRglc) and higher PiB-PET deposition in AD-affected regions (p < 0.001). Longitudinally, the MeDi−-group showed CMRglc declines and PiB increases in these regions, which were greater than those in the MeDi+ group (pinteraction < 0.001). No effects were observed on MRI. Higher MeDi adherence was estimated to provide 1.5 to 3.5 years of protection against AD.
Conclusion-Lower MeDi adherence was associated with progressive AD biomarker abnormalities in middle-aged adults. These data support further investigation of dietary interventions for protection against brain aging and AD.
Mediterranean diet adherence, gut microbiota, and Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease risk: A systematic review
“We aimed to assess the effects of adherence to MeDi on the gut microbiota in relation to AD or PD risk. A search from inception to November 2020 was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science, Global Health, Biological Abstracts, and Grey Literature Report databases. Two searches were conducted: 1) (MeDi or Microbiota) and (PD or AD) and 2) MeDi and microbiota. Inclusion criteria for papers were specified prior to review. Of 4672 studies identified, 64 were eligible for inclusion…
Conclusion- Our systematic review found that MeDi adherence reduces the risk of AD and PD, and that MeDi adherence may help to maintain gut eubiosis. Therefore, suggesting a chain of possible causality between MeDi, gut microbiota, and AD or PD. Alternatively, it is possible that MeDi promotes gut microbiome health and brain health via two separate mechanisms (confounding); or that gut biosis, AD or PD determine dietary habits, or that AD or PD cause gut dysbiosis (reverse causation). Additional experimental and clinical studies of MeDi, gut microbiota, and AD or PD risk are required to directly test our chain of causality and therapeutic efficacy hypotheses.”
Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial (MAPT)
Importance and management of micronutrient deficiencies in patients with Alzheimer’s disease
“Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, and it generally affects the elderly. It has been suggested that diet is an intensively modifiable lifestyle factor that might reduce the risk of AD. Because epidemiological studies generally report the potential neuronal protective effects of various micronutrients, the aim of this study was to perform a literature review on the major nutrients that are related to AD, including selenium, vitamins C and E, transition metals, vitamin D, B-complex vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids…”