Alzheimer’s is Preventable

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More than 5.4 million people in the USA have Alzheimer’s disease at this printing, with hundreds of thousands that will develop it within the next few years. More than half a million people will die from this disease each year, making it the third leading cause of death. For many of us, the thought of losing your mind, your personality, as well as your dignity, is a scary thought. Unfortunately, too many doctors don’t discuss ways to prevent this disabling disease. Why? Perhaps it’s because a doctor’s career depends upon their mind and the thought that they, too, might become a victim of this disease is just too frightening to even talk about!

So while early diagnostic tests don’t really exist and successful treatment options, well, let’s face it, there aren’t any, perhaps this is the real reason why no one wants to talk about this disease. However, rather than sit back and say that the situation is hopeless, doctors should talk to their patients about prevention, rather than wring their hands until there is a cure.

Doctors should be counseling patients who are in their 20’s or 30’s about the important lifestyle changes that will promote both a healthy heart and brain function for their entire lives. As things stand, there is a lot of evidence that shows several lifestyle factors, especially diet, are the driving force behind Alzheimer’s disease.

The misguided health guidelines that we have been following for the past 60 or so years have played a major role in the dramatic rise of Alzheimer’s disease. The fact is your brain cannot function properly without fat. However, the types of fats you eat are what make all the difference. Avoid trans-fats, and hydrogenated fats, such as corn oil or soybean oil, or margarines and, instead, add healthy fats to your diet such as avocados, organic eggs (especially the yolks), coconut oil, organic nut oils, raw nuts, butter from grass fed cows, raw dairy, and grass fed meats. Read more about healthy food swaps.

Check out the 14 easy changes you can make to your diet to help optimize your brain function and avoid Alzheimer’s disease.

1. Increase your consumption of healthy fats

Such as the one’s listed above; this includes animal based healthy omega-3’s. These healthy fats are what your brain really needs to keep working at its absolute best. Be sure you are getting plenty of these omega-3’s through fish oil supplements. (Supplements are best as most fish are now contaminated with mercury) A high consumption of these omega-3’s will help prevent the cell damage Alzheimer’s causes, which will greatly lower your risk of developing this terrible brain disorder.

2. Avoid sugar and fructose

Keep your sugar levels at a bare minimum. Your fructose intake should be below 25 grams per day or even 15 grams per day if you have any kind of insulin resistance.

3. Improve your gut flora

Eat more fermented foods and/or take high potency, as well as high quality, probiotic supplements.

4. Avoid gluten and casein

This means avoid wheat and pasteurized dairy. Don’t avoid all dairy fat, butter is super beneficial, but avoid pasteurized dairy products. Gluten makes your gut much more permeable, which will allow proteins to get into your bloodstream where they shouldn’t be. This will then make your immune system overly sensitive and encourage inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which are known to play a role in the way Alzheimer’s disease develops.

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5. Eat a diet rich in folate

Organic veggies are your best form of folates, without a doubt. Eat plenty of fresh, raw veggies every day and avoid folic acid supplements as there are inferior versions of the natural folate your brain needs.

6. Reduce calorie consumption or fast intermittently

Intermittent fasting is a great way to jump start your body into remembering how to burn fat and repair your leptin resistance. Fast at least 16 hours per day and avoid many of the problems that lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Improve your magnesium levels

There has been some exciting research lately that suggests that Alzheimer’s symptoms decrease with increased levels of magnesium in the brain. Unfortunately, almost all magnesium supplements won’t pass the blood brain level. There is a new one however, threonate, that seems to work. This might be the answer in the near future for treating this disease.

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