{"id":1004,"date":"2016-12-20T02:43:58","date_gmt":"2016-12-20T09:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4abettermemory.com\/memory\/?p=1004"},"modified":"2016-12-20T03:23:26","modified_gmt":"2016-12-20T10:23:26","slug":"new-insurance-against-alzheimers-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4abettermemory.com\/memory\/new-insurance-against-alzheimers-decline\/","title":{"rendered":"New Insurance Against Alzheimer\u2019s Decline"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is an adaptation of a recent news release from Life Extension Foundation, revealing a novel\u00a0low-cost<\/strong>\u00a0method of restoring\u00a0cognitive function<\/strong> lost to structural changes that can occur in aging brains, especially those with Alzheimer disease (AD). The primary biomarkers for AD are deformed amyloid proteins, associated with sticky plaque accumulations in the brain, and tangled strands of another essential protein called tau. Millions of dollars have been spent trying to find ways to prevent these abnormal formations.<\/p>\n

Now two simple nutrients have been found to stabilize and arrest both of these, with resulting improvements in functional abilities like remembering and conversing. These two nutrients are low dose lithium<\/strong> and a Proline-rich polypeptide derived from<\/strong> colostrum,<\/strong> a component of mother\u2019s milk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lithium<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0acts by inhibiting an\u00a0enzyme<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0called\u00a0GSK-3<\/strong>\u00a0that causes the formation of abnormal tau proteins<\/strong>39 <\/sup>and their\u00a0\u201cneurofibrillary tangles<\/strong>.\u201d You may recall from class, that tau proteins hold together the microtubules that transport materials within and between cells. \u00a0Therefore, if the tau in our brain become damaged, they can detach, become tangled, and the cells they support will die. Consequently, any function these cells supported will suffer. It could be hearing, memory, or something else.40,41 <\/sup>\u00a0But lithium, it appears, can help arrest this cascade of adverse events.<\/p>\n

Colostrum-derived<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0Proline-rich polypeptides<\/u><\/strong> alter the expression of genes involved in\u00a0beta amyloid<\/strong>\u00a0formation and in\u00a0tau protein<\/strong>\u00a0damage.42,43\u00a0 <\/sup>Additionally it\u2019s been found to effect an increase in new nerve cell growth and connectivity<\/strong>.43,44<\/sup><\/p>\n

As a result his extract has been shown to produce\u00a0improvements<\/strong>\u00a0in cognitive function and activities of daily living in\u00a0human<\/strong>\u00a0studies. Moreover, the mechanisms by which these nutrients protect the\u00a0brain<\/strong>\u00a0may confer similar benefits to cells in other parts of the body, providing new avenues for addressing several of the underlying causes of degeneration as we age. (If you are in a hurry arrow down to heading\u00a0Human Study Shows<\/strong><\/em>…)<\/p>\n

GSK-3: The Age-Accelerating Enzyme<\/h4>\n

Among other things, GSK-3<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>plays a role in regulating\u00a0glucose<\/strong>\u00a0metabolism. An important factor in brain health. GSK-3 stands for\u00a0glycogen synthase kinase-3<\/strong><\/em>. One problem then with\u00a0GSK-3<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0as we age is that it allows sugars to severely damage proteins that maintain delicate cellular structures. Here\u2019s a description of what scientists find when\u00a0GSK-3<\/strong>\u00a0activity is increased:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Accelerated aging in heart and muscle, showing profound dysfunction.<\/li>\n
  2. Increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines.<\/li>\n
  3. Accelerated aging in the skeletal system, leading to degenerative joint disease.<\/li>\n
  4. Accelerated aging in the stomach and liver.<\/li>\n
  5. Development of structurally abnormal cell organelles including disrupted mitochondria.<\/li>\n
  6. The inability to clear \u201cdebris\u201d that accumulates inside aging cells.<\/li>\n
  7. Development of\u00a0type II diabetes<\/strong>,46<\/sup>Alzheimer\u2019s<\/strong> and other disorders of aging.47<\/sup><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You are about to learn a new term that may soon become as widely known as \u201cantioxidant<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0This new longevity strategy is to identify safe substances that function as\u00a0GSK-3 inhibitors<\/strong>. Studies show that when\u00a0GSK-3<\/strong>\u00a0is inhibited, healthy brain function and\u00a0lifespan<\/strong>\u00a0may be increased.48<\/sup><\/p>\n

    How GSK-3 Contributes to Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/h4>\n

    As noted above, the brains of individuals afflicted with AD show accumulations of\u00a0beta amyloid<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0plaque and damaged\u00a0tau proteins<\/strong><\/em>.49<\/sup>\u00a0This in turn creates neurofibrillary tangles<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0that lead to the cell death and brain\u00a0shrinkage<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0associated with\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s<\/strong>.50<\/sup> \u00a0<\/sup>Moreover, this new research now shows these structural<\/strong>\u00a0alterations in brain cells correlate with increased activity of the\u00a0GSK-3<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>enzyme.<\/p>\n

    GSK-3<\/strong>\u00a0converts\u00a0tau proteins<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0into destructive tangled clumps or\u00a0neurofibrillary tangle<\/strong><\/em>s that starve brain cell to death, eventually leading to dementia.39,50,51<\/sup><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Evidence suggests that impaired\u00a0glucose\/insulin<\/strong>\u00a0action increases accumulations of\u00a0beta amyloid<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0and damaged\u00a0tau<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0proteins<\/strong><\/em>.50 <\/sup>These observations have led to the term\u00a0\u201ctype III diabetes\u201d<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0being used to describe Alzheimer\u2019s disease. That\u2019s because so many Alzheimer\u2019s patients also present with\u00a0glucose impairment<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0insulin resistance<\/strong>.52,53<\/sup><\/p>\n

    Studies have now shown that by inhibiting\u00a0GSK-3<\/strong>\u00a0activity, one can effectively lower blood\u00a0glucose\u00a0<\/strong>in diabetic animals, while increasing\u00a0insulin sensitivity<\/strong>.54,55<\/sup><\/p>\n

    Since Alzheimer\u2019s patients frequently suffer from abnormal sugar and insulin action in their brains, this has led to the idea that\u00a0GSK-3 inhibition<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>might be a useful approach\u00a0 in\u00a0Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/strong>, as well as diabetes51<\/sup>\u00a0In fact, the title of a comprehensive scientific report on this topic is:<\/p>\n

    Lithium: A GSK-3 Inhibitor<\/strong><\/h5>\n

    Lithium\u00a0has a long history in medicine as a psychoactive drug used to treat bipolar disorder, depression, and other illnesses. \u00a0But it\u2019s actually a naturally occurring element present in most drinking water.
    \nFortunately, we don\u2019t have to wait for some new drug to inhibit GSK-3<\/strong>, because a\u00a0GSK-3 inhibitor<\/strong>\u00a0already exists and holds tremendous promise in the fight against Alzheimer\u2019s. This\u00a0GSK-3 inhibitor<\/strong>\u00a0is the trace element\u00a0lithium<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

    Even tiny amounts of lithium in drinking water appear to have a beneficial effect in improving brain health and mood.<\/p>\n

    One published analysis looked at 27 counties in Texas with a variety of lithium levels in people\u2019s water from 1978-1987.60<\/sup>\u00a0The findings showed that people whose water had the least amount of lithium had significantly greater levels of suicides, homicides, and rapes compared to areas where drinking water had the\u00a0higher<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0levels of lithium.60<\/sup>\u00a0Those who consumed water with the highest lithium level (but still tiny) had nearly\u00a040%<\/strong>\u00a0fewer suicides than those with the lowest lithium level.60<\/sup><\/p>\n

    These findings were corroborated in separate studies of Japan,64<\/sup>\u00a0Greece,65<\/sup>\u00a0and Austria.66,67\u00a0<\/sup>A review of epidemiological studies of the\u00a0lithium content<\/strong>\u00a0of drinking water showed that 9 out of 11 studies found an association with higher lithium levels in local drinking water and better behavioral and medical outcomes.68<\/sup><\/p>\n

    In clinical studies, lithium treatment has been linked to various markers of cellular neuroprotection in the brain, such as:70<\/sup><\/p>\n