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You Simply Can’t Ignore The Connection Between Alzheimer’s And This One Thing
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The most severe — and the most common — form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, currently affects 5.2 million Americans. One in 9nine people over the age of 65 has Alzheimer’s, the third leading cause of death in America, behind heart disease and cancer.
There has been a growing body of research to suggest there is a definite connection between diet and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Research looks at the similar pathways that cause diabetes.
Unlike other parts of your body, your brain does not require glucose, but runs best on alternative fuels, such as ketones, which your body makes when you digest healthy fats.
Some experts believe that Alzheimer’s, and many other brain disorders, actually occur because the brain must constantly burn glucose for fuel.
SEE ALSO: This Metal is Poisoning Our Brains and Causing Alzheimer’s
In early 2005, researchers found that, in addition to the pancreas, the brain also produces insulin, which is vital to the survival of brain cells.
Insulin inside the brain helps with the regulation of neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, which are vital for learning and memory. This is why reducing insulin levels in your brain hurts your cognition.
Studies have shown that those who have lower levels of insulin and insulin receptors in the brain are often affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Recent research, published in the journal Neurology, found that carbohydrates and sugar can interrupt the brain function, even if you are not diabetic or have any signs of dementia.
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Long term, sugar contributes to the shrinking of the hippocampus, which is the hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. One study found that higher levels of glucose in the brain were associated with poor memory as well as a smaller hippocampus. Even if you are not diabetic or insulin-resistant, and many Americans are, the consumption of sugar can still screw with your memory.
Fasting blood sugar levels between 100-125 mg/dl are still considered to be pre-diabetic, and a fasting blood sugar level of 90 to 100 is normal. But studies have found that brain atrophy can occur even within what doctors consider to be the “normal” range.
Research done at the Mayo Clinic found that diets rich in carbs have as much as an 89 percent increased risk of developing dementia. High fat, high protein diets have a 44 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
The sad truth is that the American public has been brainwashed into believing that sugar is nothing more than a well-deserved sweet treat that has a rightful place in the average diet. With this kind of information being served to the public on a regular basis, it is difficult to make healthy food choices.
The sugar industry spends millions to keep Americans in the dark and to obscure their view. For example, the University of Southern California performed a study in 2013 which found that the high fructose corn syrup content in sodas varied significantly from what was actually printed on the labels. The Corn Refiners Association paid for its own counter research, which, of course, found no problem.
Despite overwhelming evidence that sugar — processed fructose in particular — is the root cause of the obesity and chronic disease epidemics, the sugar lobby has been extremely successful in its effort to thwart any evidence that there is no “real” danger in sugar.
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) shows that about 13 percent of the typical American diet is sugar. A report published recently in the UK by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition recommended that sugar intake should be limited to five percent to avoid diabetes and obesity.
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Your best bet for avoiding Alzheimer’s (and other diseases) is to take the following steps:
- Avoid sugar and refined fructose: Keep your sugar and fructose below 25 grams each day. If you have insulin-resistance or any other related health problems, keep it below 15 grams.
- Avoid gluten and casein: This means avoiding or limiting consumption of wheat and pasteurized dairy, but not fat made from dairy such as yogurt and butter. Research shows that gluten can pass through the blood-brain barrier, which sensitizes the immune system and promotes inflammation, playing a role in Alzheimer’s.
- Eat a diet rich in folate: Vegetables are the best source of folates. Avoid supplements, which are inferior synthetic versions of folates.
- Increase healthy fat consumption: The brain-healthy fats you should be eating more of are organic butter, olives, coconut oil, organic virgin olive oil, free range eggs, avocados, pecans, macadamia nuts, and wild-caught salmon.
- Eat plenty of animal-based omega-3 fats: This include wild-caught fish, krill oil, and fish oil supplements.
- Eat blueberries: Although all berries are healthy, blueberries have high antioxidant and anthocyanin content, which are known to help guard against neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
- Avoid flu vaccinations: These contain mercury and aluminum, both of which are known neuro-toxins.
- Remove amalgam fillings: If you still have those silver fillings in your teeth, have them removed. These are typically 50 percent mercury by weight and release micro-particles of mercury into your mouth each time you chew.
- Get your vitamin D on: There have been studies showing a strong link between low levels of vitamin D and Alzheimer’s patients. Vitamin D has both immune-boosting properties and is naturally anti-inflammatory. Get safe sun exposure each day or take a good quality vitamin D supplement if you live in an area with little sunlight.
- Get Regular Exercise: Studies have suggested that exercise triggers a change in the way that amyloid protein is metabolized, slowing the onset as well as the progression of Alzheimer’s. Be sure to get 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five days each week.
Don’t forget to challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, whether it is learning a new game, a new language, or learning a new musical instrument, can help to build the brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s.
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