Forget What You Think You Know About Alzheimer's & Dementia

Did you know that Alzheimer's is the 3rd leading cause of death after Heart Disease and Cancer? Isn't it interesting that most of us know very little about the cause of chronic diseases? And why is the focus on early detection and not prevention?

Throughout my fathers struggle with dementia, his neurologist never tried to educate my sister and I, his genetic heirs about our chances of developing this disease or what we could do to reduce our risk of developing the disease in the first place. What's even more unnerving is that the doctor was more concerned about confirming her diagnosis through a postmortem autopsy than she was about explaining how we could reduce our chances of developing this disease in the first place. Why would anyone not welcome that information?

The first thing you should know is that both my father and his mother died at an early age due to complications from Lewy Body Dementia. Clearly, there are genetics at play here and given that Alzheimer's and Dementia are the 3rd leading cause of death in North America, I think you might want to learn more.

No one dies suddenly from Alzheimer's and Dementia.

People suffering from Alzheimer's and Dementia are kind of like the quarterback in a disastrous football game and their family members are the helpless fans in the stands who can only sit and watch.

In the first quarter, the quarterback runs onto the field full of potential. The second quarter starts to get a little messy, but hopefully the quarterback is learning from his mistakes and making the necessary adjustments. In the third quarter, he makes some poor choices and his defense starts to falter, just as he should be hitting his stride. At the start of the fourth quarter, he get's horribly sacked. Despite the obvious brain trauma, he is left in the game with a full quarter left to play. Regardless of how hard his team rallies to protect him, the situation only gets worse. Eventually he gets carried off the field, unable to move under his own power and never recovers, and neither do his fans who witnessed the entire game.

The real science.

Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease occurs between a person’s 30s to mid-60s and represents less than 10 percent of all people with Alzheimer’s. 

Less than 10% of Alzheimer's and Dementia are hereditary!

Out of your control: Genetics

Most people with Alzheimer's and Dementia have the late-onset form of the disease, in which symptoms become apparent in the mid-60's and later. The causes of late-onset Alzheimer's and Dementia are not yet completely understood, but they likely include a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that affect a person's risk for developing the disease.

Risk factors are a combination of genetics, environment and lifestyle.

It is unlikely that genetic testing will ever be able to predict the disease with 100 percent accuracy, because too many other risk factors may influence its development and progression.

Scientists have long thought that genetic and environmental factors interact to influence a person's biological makeup, including the predisposition to different diseases. More recently, they have discovered the biological mechanisms for those interactions. The expression of genes (when particular genes are “switched” on or off) can be affected both positively and negatively by environmental factors at any time in life.

At any time!

These factors include exercise, diet, chemicals, or smoking, to which an individual may be exposed, even in the womb.

Fixing the damage already done:

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factors (BDNF) is crucial to learning and memory due to new brain cell growth. BDNF helps to protect neurons from damage caused by infection or injury. BDNF helps to support the survival of existing neurons and encourages the growth, regeneration and creation of new neurons. In the brain, BDNF is active in the hippo-campus, cortex, and fore-brain, areas vital to learning, memory, and higher thinking. Studies analyzing Frontotemperal dementia (FTD), Lewy body dementia (LBD), Vascular dementia (VAD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) found a decrease in BDNF levels, when compared to controls. Check out this link to learn 8 ways to increase BDNF and keep your brain from aging.

What you can control: Exercise

BDNF can be increased through physical activity, specifically aerobic exercise protecting us from diseases derived from sedentary lifestyle aging. BDNF is WHY I exercise every day. It's like taking my daily multivitamin.

What you can control: Sugar Consumption

Sugar in excess fuels disease. According to the World Health Organization, anything more than 6 Tsp's or 24 grams is excessive. It's time to do the daily math.

According to researchers from the University of Bath and King's College London, this is the first concrete evidence which explains why abnormally high blood sugar levels create impacts on cognitive function. The main reason for Alzheimer's disease is considered to be genetic but new studies suggest that a sugar rich diet can be the leading cause of the Alzheimer's disease.

There is a strong link between sugar and  brain disease. 

The study warns that if your blood sugar reaches the tipping point, it is dangerous enough to cause a neurological disease. If your blood sugar levels crosses its intensity, it restricts the performance of the vital protein which is important in fighting the brains inflammation associated with Dementia. It's important to control blood sugar levels not only because of diabetes and obesity but also due to the potential link between blood sugar and Alzheimer's disease. In the case of Alzheimer's disease, proteins accumulate which lead to the formation of plaques and tangles, causing damage to the brain and severe cognitive decline.

Sugar is 8x as addictive as cocaine so if you're having trouble kicking the habit, know that you're not alone and it's not your fault!

What you can do about it:

Start reading food labels and commit yourself to learning more about the food you eat. Look at exercise as brain food, not weight management. In the information age, knowledge is power so make sure you have your thinking cap strapped on and your B.S. detector fully engaged. The days add up and they all matter. If you want to reduce your risk for all chronic diseases and improve your quality of life in general, start asking better questions and demanding better answers.