In my January article “New Hope Rising” I reviewed studies in Finland, Korea, and the US suggesting that age related cognitive decline could be reversed and dementia, even Alzheimer’s delayed, if not prevented, with simple yet powerful lifestyle modifications.
Two weeks ago, however, I had an interesting conversation with the PR directors for a national Alzheimer’s research advocacy group, who chided me for suggesting as much. Unfortunately, they noted that they are bound by the standards and restrictions of the FDA. Which, are well known to be drug centric, and not always in the public’s best interest.
US officials seem stuck with their heads in the sand, on this issue, holding staunchly to the claim that Alzheimer’s “cannot be prevented, mitigated, or even slowed.” While the rest of the world is busy proving that claim to be not only disempowering, but naïve nonsense, that just doesn’t square with the current scientific evidence.
If you would like to know why we stay so stuck watch the video – Bought. This link was sent to me by one of your fellow students. Just sign up to get free access to the full video – you’ll get an email with a link to watch it at your leisure until March 15th. http://www.boughtmovie.net/free-viewing?AFFID=197982
Other Nations Are Overcoming Alzheimer’s
The Finland/Sweden FINGER study reported in January provides powerful support for the belief that Alzheimer’s can be mitigated, slowed, even prevented. But another less-publicized study, I found recently, may provide even more compelling evidence.
As I noted, in the FINGER study they took 1260 seniors 60-77 with MCI (mild cognitive impairment), the highest known risk factor of Alzheimer’s. They divided them evenly into two groups. They told the control group to go to their doctor, and pursue treatment as usual. While the experimental group was taught what to eat and not eat, encouraged to greater physical and mental activity, and provided social support.
After two years they were able to see “a clear difference” in the performance of these two group on tests of memory, speed of thought, and cognitive function. In other words, while most of those in the control group continued their decline, those in the experimental group performed significantly better.
The naysayers pessimists, or they would say “realists,” however, are quick to point out this has only been going on for 2 years, suggesting these lifestyle measure may only be masking the disease, which may still bloom and overtake them at the same rate as others. So we won’t know, they say, for another 5 to 7 years if this has truly delayed, slowed or prevented the disease, or merely masked it for a season.
Enter the Caerphilly Study
This included 2,235 men ages 45-59 in a rather typical city in Wales. Again they looked at the impact of lifestyle: diet (consumption of vegetables and fruit), exercise, weight, smoking and drinking in moderation, on various health disorders particularly diabetes, heart disease, strokes and dementia. What was so impressive about this study, however, was the fact that they followed these men for 35 years! – basically the rest of their lives. And what they found was that those who maintained the healthiest lifestyles, especially long walks, not only had 70% fewer cases of diabetes, vascular disease and strokes, they also had 60% fewer cases of dementia. Does this not demonstrate disease prevention?? It would be a stretch of the imagination and statistical norm to argue otherwise. But I’m quite sure some will try.
However, just imagine, if we could persuade our population to follow suite. What if 60% of Alzheimer’s cases could be delayed for 30 years, what an impact that would make!! Much of our crisis could be averted, and billions saved in health care costs, not to mention the devastation from AD families could be spared.
The Vascular Connection
If you think the Caerphilly study suggests a significant connection between heart or vascular disease and dementia, you would be right. Another recent study out of Australia even suggests, dementia may be more a matter of blood flow, than genetics, metabolism, amyloid plaque or tangles. According to Jonathan Stone, Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Sydney. “Aged-related dementia is the result of undetected bleeding into the brain caused by the lifelong destructive effects of the heart’s pulse on tiny blood vessels in the brain.”
Over the course of a lifetime, the aorta gradually hardens as the elastin in the wall of the aorta starts to fail. “As this hardening happens, the aorta causes higher peaks and troughs resulting in higher blood pressure as a person ages,” says Stone. “With blood spurting into them with increasing intensity, the brain’s blood vessels become damaged.” This stiffening, therefore, may be the factor which links age to dementia. Cardiovascular disease, they note, shares a set of well defined risk factors with the Caerphilly study including high blood pressure, low HDL with high LDL cholesterol , smoking and obesity.
So what’s to be done?
The vascular explanation suggests several possibilities for prevention and for the outcomes seen in the Caerphilly study. This would suggest that anything in our diet or lifestyle that protects our cardiovascular system and reduces blood pressure, should protect against dementia. Therefore, preventing diabetes and obesity by exercising and eating more veggies and fruit, and fewer carbs (as suggested in Dr. Suzanne Craft’s research noted in class), and reducing smoking, should reduce one’s risk for dementia, because these have all been shown to improve or help to maintain vascular health,
One other factor few are aware of, but many are susceptible to, that contributes to hardening of the arteries and high blood pressure is the over consumption of calcium supplements without adequate vitamin K2, boron, magnesium and Vitamin D3. Without these co factors to steer calcium into the bones, several major studies have shown that much of this will end up in one’s arteries and heart instead.
This happened to a good friend of mine, intent on keeping his body alkaline with calcium. He thought he was doing everything right, but almost died from a heart attack due to the over accumulation of calcium deposits in his aorta. It you want supplemental calcium to make it to your bones you need the vitamin K2, boron and magnesium that are found in vegetables.
If this link to vascular health has your attention you may also want to check out our April 2014 report again, to identify other contributors to vascular health.
Bottom line. Yes, it appears dementia and even Alzheimer’s can indeed be prevented, by following a brain healthy lifestyle. (Next month we hope to finally have our new book available on that topic.) Thousands of people are already doing it, with great results. What is there to lose, besides some belly fat, brain plaque, and some unwarranted faith in a few American institutions that should be doing a better job of advising the American public. At least that’s my opinion.
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Prevention Strategies 
