August 2024: Getting Ahead of Alzheimer's

We are the architects of our brains future health.

As we advance in age, we tend to move less. We also may have trouble remembering names, and where our keys are. These are symptoms of aging. So is the loss of muscle mass, and the shrinking of our brains central core.

Scientists are now finding that many of the degenerative effects of aging, are largely reversible by lifestyle interventions and professional help. The door is opening wide to take control of our mental health.

We do not need to get Alzheimer's!

Only about 2% of the population are genetically at risk for Alzheimer's. Many with the ApoE4 gene will go thru their lives without Alzheimer's 

WHAT IS ALZHEIMER'S ?

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. It is a progressive brain disorder caused by key factors:

•   Abnormal amounts of amyloid plaque, plus tau proteins, that disrupt neurofunctioning and cause brain cell loss.

•   Plaques and tau tangles hinder communications between brain cells affecting brain functions.

•   Other risk factors are: Advanced age,  Head injuries,  Cardiovascular Health and Genetics

Source: Copilot Al

HOW TO CATCH ALZHEIMER'S

Unless you are genetically at risk for Alzheimer's, there are few reasons for this disease.

Advanced aging may be a factor in dementia, but primary findings are now pointing to lifestyle influences being major contributors to the present surge in world wide dementia and other mental disorders.

The last 100 years has seen a dramatic shift in two major lifestyle factors:

•   We don't move as much as our ancestors.

•   Today's modern diets are totally different form the past.

Before refrigeration, people shopped everyday and usually walked to the store, or between villages. They chopped wood for cooking and heating. Food was simple fare, consisting of animal protein, fruit, veggies, greens, and seafood.

Artificial sugars and sweeteners were unknown. The advent of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in the 1970's, provided a cheap artificial sweetner, with long- term health problems. This was followed by hydrogenated oil (trans-fat), also with adverse health potential. The Government regulated their use and forced the producers and purveyors to list them on nutrition labels.

HFCS and trans-fats are still in general use today. Both are implicated in fatty liver disease and obesity, directly linked to mental disorders.

ALZHEIMER'S MEDICATIONS

We live in a world where our number one dementia disease has been relying on medications that are over two decades old. Two recently approved amyloid inhibitors, Legembi and Kisunla, are for a select group of early onset Alzheimer's patients, who can:

•  Qualify for acceptance.

•   Withstand rigorous MRI-PET scanning and infusions.

These medications offer a small beginning. Legembi and Kisunla, have an efficacy rating of only 27% and 22%, respectively. This is a temporary solution, but we expect it will be followed by more robust medications.

DEFEATING ALZHEIMER'S

There will be no single pill solution for Alzheimer's. There are clinical trials underway that have already reversed Alzheimer's- in its early stages. These remarkable outcomes are possible only by addressing multiple lifestyle factors: diet, exercise, new medical interventions, social networking, and psychological counseling.

Humans have evolved to see highly refined carbohydrates, refined "unnatural" fatty acids, and ultra processed foods as common, fare, or sometimes, the only available food!

The move back to simple foods will be difficult. Businesses that produce modern cuisine are not going away. Appetite suppression with GLP-1 drugs means smaller portions of unhealthy food, but we still must deal with the adverse effect of this food.

COGNITION - IGNITION

The following 12 lifestyle, and other intervention steps, are designed to help aging populations retain the cognitive power that is rightfully theirs, to the end of life:

•   Fewer carbohydrates, including sugar.

•   Avoiding ultra processed foods.

•   Avoiding overeating.

•   No smoking, or excess drinking.

•   Controlling inflammation.

•   Regular exercise.

•   Seven+ hours sleep.

•   Controlling Stress.

•   Strict oral hygiene.

•   Avoiding social isolation.

•   Cataract surgery-when required.

•   Hearing aids-when required.

Alzheimer's and other related mental disorders are the largest single governmental medical expense. Families that have to cope with the mentally disabled are usually devastated, both emotionally, and economically.

NOTE TO OUR READERS

A British-EU study has determined that the long-term supplementation of omega-3 fish oil, and vitamin B Complex, plus folic acid, could lower the risk of Alzheimer's, up to 75%.

Having started these supplements in our early 70's, we firmly believe that they have helped us lower our risk of dementia.

We caution our readers to check first with their health care professionals before starting any new supplemental routine.

The Bulletin team: Roger (97) and Arlene (92).