The Scariest Part of the Scariest Disease

Disease is a frightening thing. We’ve all heard of someone hit out of the blue with a devastating diagnosis–so it’s not uncommon to harbor an undercurrent of fear: Will I be next?

While all chronic diseases are scary, it feels like Alzheimer’s is uniquely so, with its years-long, downward spiral, to a place of confusion, isolation and lost contact. And it’s no longer so rare: Of people age 65 and older, ten percent have Alzheimer’s dementia, and a new case of Alzheimer’s is now diagnosed every 66 seconds. (1)

Making matters worse, there are no cures! We’re so accustomed to modern medicine saving us from disease, but not in this case. There hasn’t even been a new treatment for Alzheimer’s in over a decade.

“[T]here are currently five drugs on the market that can slow Alzheimer’s-related memory loss. But none are great, and the most recent memory loss-prevention drug to make it to market was 15 years ago. * * * Since then, the stories of disappointing clinical trials have become almost mundane.” (2)

A Sitting Duck As frightening as all this is, there’s an even scarier part: Feeling like a sitting duck. The brain damage that leads to Alzheimer’s actually begins 10 to 20 years before any symptoms show up–so who knows if you’ll be stricken or not?

“[I]t’s important to realize that Alzheimer’s doesn’t simply “turn on” when we’re old; it begins decades earlier with changes to the brain. In other words, the Alzheimer’s population of 2050 will either start to develop, or not, right around now.” (3)

Not Just Old People So in case you’re thinking that nasty chronic diseases only happen when you get old, think again. You don’t just wake up one day with Alzheimer’s–or cancer or diabetes or heart disease, or any other chronic disease. The symptoms of these diseases are just the final straw, finally showing up after your body has been beaten up so long it can no longer keep up the appearance of health.

A Bright Spot  However, there is one bright spot on the Alzheimer’s horizon (and for all chronic diseases, actually) and that is lifestyle improvements. With drug trials falling flat for Alzheimer’s, “scientists say the best use of research funds is to keep digging into the promising field of lifestyle-intervention.” (2)

According to a study published through the National Center for Biotechnology Information and the National Institutes of Health, there seems to be a link between diets rich in vitamins E and omega-3 fatty acids and decreased risk for developing Alzheimer’s.

“Data from several lines of evidence suggest that the relationship between diet and AD is similar to that between diet and coronary heart disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that certain dietary components (e.g., antioxidant nutrients, fish, dietary fats, and B-vitamins) may play a protective role in the risk of age-related cognitive decline and AD.” (4)

All of these nutrition powerhouses come from, of course, real whole foods. Conversely, our processed food diet is likely a big contributor to a number of diseases, including Alzheimer’s:

“For Alzheimer’s, as with cancer—but also as with other conditions like heart disease and diabetes—much of the risk is related to behavioral and lifestyle factors. The consensus among scientists is that over one third of all Alzheimer’s cases could be prevented by improving our lifestyle. This includes ameliorating cardiovascular fitness, keeping our brains intellectually stimulated, and perhaps most of all: eating better.”

And “eating better” includes eliminating processed foods like “commercial breads and buns; packaged snacks; industrialized confectionery and desserts; sodas and sweetened drinks; meat products like cold cuts and chicken nuggets; instant noodles and soups; frozen or shelf stable ready meals; margarine, processed cheese, and most creamers.” (3)

The Research Challenge So far, the science isn’t absolutely clear on why lifestyle interventions work and unfortunately, it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing definitive studies anytime soon. Studies are hugely expensive and lifestyle intervention studies must rely on limited government funding. Although pharmaceutical companies have the deepest pockets, they aren’t interested in studying lifestyle cures because those measures don’t offer patent potential. As they say, “you can’t patent exercise or salmon-rich diets.”

But Do You Really Need a Study? That’s a good question to consider before assuming all is lost for lack of adequate studies. We are so dependent on studies for eating guidance. But do we really need a dozen years and dozens of studies to confirm that eating nature’s real foods will keep our bodies in their best working order? Do we really need a PhD to tell us that factory-made food products wreak havoc on our bodies? In other words, do we really need a study telling us to put down the Twinkies?!!

A Handy Excuse? Waiting for studies . . . is that really just an excuse? Like, you don’t know for sure that eating a wholesome, vegetable-rich diet is the key to wellness. Really? So you’ll just wait and see what the experts eventually come up with? And in the meantime you’ll throw up your hands in confusion and eat whatever?

No, you’re smarter and more knowing than that.

You know it only makes sense that nature designed our bodies to function on the food fuel that nature provides us. What’s really called for here is not another study, but the courage and inspiration to follow that deep intuitive knowing–to make the leap and start transitioning. Don’t wait any longer.

A Tidbit of Motivating Science In case it would help to have a little science to get going, take heart from this concluding thought from a Brain & Life article on the benefits of greens: “[I]f you follow a diet that’s high in leafy green vegetables, like the MIND or the Mediterranean diet, it’s a no-lose situation. It may very well have great [health] value for you, and it certainly isn’t going to hurt.” (5)

Where Do You Start? Another excellent question. It does absolutely no good to just know about eating better. As long as that knowledge stays trapped in your head, it does your body no good. You need to DO good eating advice to reap its health benefits.

That’s an obvious observation, but all too often, nutritional advice gets parked at the front door and never makes it to the kitchen, much less the table. That’s why I am excited to share information on how you can become a “healthy eating implementor,” i.e., someone who is able to translate good eating advice into tasty meals on the table.

This New Kitchen Solution is exactly the know-how I share in all my classes–and in my latest podcast:

Caring for Yourself and Others with Less Stress and More Well-Being

Practical advice, tips and strategies for using the power of good nutrition for greater caregiving comfort and ease

Listen In  and discover the easy strategies for translating better eating advice into delicious meals on the table.  And then be sure to check out this practical article and recipe for getting more brain-boosting greens into your diet:  Eggplant and Walnut Stuffed Peppers (with added greens).

References:

(1) Alzheimer’s Association: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/facts-figures

(2) “Why the Pharmaceutical Industry Is Giving Up the Search for An Alzheimer’s Cure, Quartz, May 20, 2018  https://qz.com/1282482/why-the-pharmaceutical-industry-is-giving-up-the-search-for-an-alzheimers-cure/

(3) “The Road to Alzheimer’s Is Lined with Processed Foods,” Quartz, March 23, 2018, by Dr. Lisa Mosconi, PhD, Associate Director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC)/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital,  https://qz.com/1234901/the-road-to-alzheimers-disease-is-lined-with-processed-foods/

(4)  “The Role of Nutrition in Alzheimer’s Disease: Epidemiological Evidence, Sept 16, 2009 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393525/