The Second Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease That is Something You Can Control

There are several causes of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that most people can control. Ask Dr. Google, and he will tell you that the medical field does not know what causes AD; however, amyloid-beta plaque buildup and tau tangles are most likely the causes.

Alzheimer’s Disease

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-causes-alzheimers-disease. Yesterday, I spoke about oxidative stress as a cause of AD and what you can do to control oxidative stress. Last week, I spoke on the same live TV program about the first cause of AD – inflammation. After the show, I wrote about it - https://wp.me/p4ztmz-1q8 also.

Interestingly, my wife found a 2014 CBS 60 Minutes television show about living long, healthy lives. A transcript is available - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/living-to-90-and-beyond-60-minutes/

Getting back to AD and oxidative stress, disease starts as chronic, low-level cellular inflammation. The inflammation is caused by free radicals – molecules that have unpaired electrons. When that molecule encounters another stable molecule, it will rip off an electron from it and become stable; however, the former stable molecule is not a free radical.

Antioxidants are molecules that have extra electrons that can be donated without turning the antioxidant molecule into a free radical. The antioxidants tame the inflammation, and control is maintained. Left uncontrolled, damage can occur to the molecule – DNA mutations, for example.

Oxidative Stress

https://www.healthline.com/health/oxidative-stress. Inflammation occurs 24/7. Cells combine oxygen and glucose to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy source our bodies need. In this metabolic process, free radicals are generated. They also come from our lifestyle (foods we eat, personal care products we put on our bodies, the stress we do not manage, etc.). Toxins, exercise, pollution, radiation, and more also create free radicals.

When our bodies cannot neutralize the inflammation from free radicals because antioxidants are not available, oxidative stress begins to win the battle. The imbalance of inflammation compared to antioxidants creates the playing field where oxidative stress reigns supreme. The exact causes of inflammation fuel the oxidative stress locomotive roaring down the track to future disease.

DNA damage, tissue damage, organ damage, and more are potential outcomes of long-term oxidative stress. Diseases seen from oxidative stress are diabetes, atherosclerosis, heart disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases – Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Treating and Preventing Oxidative Stress

https://www.healthline.com/health/oxidative-stress#prevention. The lifestyle choices of foods, personal care products, weight management, exercise, smoking, alcohol, toxins, etc., either create more oxidative stress or they reduce it. Eating foods rich in antioxidants helps fight chronic, low-level cellular inflammation. Avoid toxins keeps free radicals from entering the body.

We must push the imbalance of excess inflammation back to a controllable level. A blood test, c-reactive protein (CRP), can quantitatively determine the level of inflammation in the body. It will not tell you where the inflammation originates, but it will tell you that there is a problem. Therefore, a reading as close to zero as possible is highly desirable.

Our bodies need over thirty nutrients daily to achieve and maintain health. Vitamins A, C, D, and E are critical. Many times, supplements have synthetic versions of these vitamins that provide little nutritional value. For instance, vitamin E is eight different molecules (four tocopherols and four tocotrienols). Most multivitamin pills have one synthetic version.

Berries are a great source of antioxidants. Glutathione is called the master antioxidant. It needs sulfur to be created in the body. Foods like asparagus, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, onions, garlic, spinach, and kale provide sulfur. In addition, NAC (n-acetyl cysteine), methyl folate (B9), B12, selenium, magnesium, alpha-lipoic acid, Co-Q-10, and more are valuable antioxidants.

Curcumin and resveratrol (with piperine – black pepper extract) are mighty fighters of inflammation. PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone) can be regenerated over 20,000 times – it is one molecule that can give up an electron 20,000 times (so long as there is an adequate supply of glutathione); it passes through the blood-brain barrier to help keep your brain healthy. SAMe (S-adenosyl methionine) is another excellent antioxidant.

Conclusion

Our lifestyle choices combined with stress management, weight management, and avoiding toxins can control the inflammatory effects of free radical damage. However, when out of control, an imbalance occurs, favoring inflammation and oxidative stress begins.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

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