Tag Archives: Alzheimers disease

Monster In the Mind: A New Documentary From Jean Carper Looks Interesting

Posted on July 16, 2016 | Comments Off on Monster In the Mind: A New Documentary From Jean Carper Looks Interesting

Monster in the Mind (2016) Trailer from jean carper on Vimeo.

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Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Dementia: What’s the Connection?

Posted on April 23, 2016 | Comments Off on Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Dementia: What’s the Connection?
dementia, memory loss, Mediterranean diet, low-carb diet, glycemic index, dementia memory loss

“More basic research is critical.”

Several scientific studies, but not all, link type 2 diabetes with Alzheimer’s disease. Some go so far as to say Alzheimer’s is type 3 diabetes.

My Twitter feed brought to my attention a scientific article I thought would clarify the relationships between diabetes, carbohydrate consumption, and Alzheimer’s dementia (full text).

It didn’t.

Click the full text link to read all about insulin, amylin, insulin degrading enzyme, amyloid–β, and other factors that might explain the relationship between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s dementia. You’ll also find a comprehensive annotated list of the scientific studies investigating the link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s.

Bottom line: We still don’t know the fundamental cause of Alzheimer’s disease. A cure and highly effective preventive measures are far in the future.

Action Plan For You

You may be able to reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by:

  • avoiding type 2 diabetes
  • preventing progression of prediabetes to diabetes
  • avoiding obesity
  • exercising regularly
  • eating a Mediterranean-style diet

Carbohydrate restriction helps some folks prevent or resolve obesity, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. A low-carb Mediterranean diet is an option in my Advanced Mediterranean Diet (2nd edition).

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference: Schilling, Melissa. Unraveling Alzheimer’s: Making Sense of the Relationship Between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 51 (2016): 961-977.

Steve Parker MD, Advanced Mediterranean Diet

Two diet books in one

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Alzheimer Disease, Dementia, Diabetes

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Alzheimer’s Disease NOT Related to Abnormal Blood Sugar Metabolism….This Week Anyway

Posted on July 29, 2013 | 2 comments
MRI scan of brain

MRI scan of brain

Several studies over the last few years have pointed to a positive association between Alzheimer’s dementia and abnormal glucose metabolism, such as diabetes, elevated blood sugars, and insulin resistance.

A new study finds no such linkage. See JAMA Neurology for details. The study at hand even included autopsy results. We don’t see that very often these days.

MedPageToday has a write-up also.

When I see multiple conflicting reports on a clinical issue over a number of years, it makes me think the reported association is weak or nonexistent.

Steve Parker, M.D.

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Mediterranean Diet Prolongs Life in Alzheimer Disease

Posted on July 26, 2012 | Comments Off on Mediterranean Diet Prolongs Life in Alzheimer Disease

A small scientific study of New York Alzheimer patients demonstrated significant increase in lifespan in those who had the highest adherence to the Mediterranean diet.  192 community-based individuals were followed for an average of 4.4 years (up to 13.6 years).  They were divided into three groups of Mediterranean diet adherence: low, medium, and high.  Compared to the people with low adherence, the others lived between 1 and 4 years longer.  Those with highest adherence lived the longest, suggesting a dose-response effect like we would see with many drugs.  No other diet has demonstrated this effect.

This same research group had previously reported that the Mediterranean diet lowered the risk for developing Alzheimer Disease in the first place.

Unfortunately, they did not report on whether the Mediterranean diet helped preserve brain function.  Prolongation of life by itself may be more of a curse than a blessing in advanced Alzheimer Disease.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference: Scarmeas, N., et al.  Mediterranean diet and Alzheimer disease mortality.  Neurology, 69 (2007):1,084-1,093.

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Ketogenic Diet for Alzheimers Disease?

Posted on April 22, 2012 | 2 comments

Ketogenic diets have seen a resurgence in the last two decades as a treatment for childhood epilepsy, particularly difficult-to-control cases not responding to drug therapy. It works, even in adults. That’s why some brain experts are wondering if ketogenic diets might be helpful in other brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

I’ll save you some time and just give you the conclusion of a 2006 scientific article I read: maybe, but it’s way too soon to tell.

The article is called “Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet,” from researchers at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institue of Neruological Disorders and Stroke. Sounds promising doesn’t it?

The article goes into detail about how the ketogenic diet might be good for brain health. Dr. Emily Deans would be very interested in that, but most of my readers not. Two-and-a-half pages on non-human animal studies, too.

What is this “Ketogenic diet” used for epilepsy?

The most common ketogenic diet for childhood epilepsy is the one developed by Wilder in 1921. It was a popular treatment for epilepsy in the 1920s and 1930s. Fats provide 80 to 90% of the calories in the diet, with sufficient protein for growth, and minimal carbohydrates. Since carbs are in short supply, the body is forced to use fats as an energy source, which generates ketone bodies—acetoacetate, acetone, beta-hydroxybutyrate, largely from the liver.

So what?

Not much. This article may have been written to stimulate future research, and I hope it does. I just searched PubMed for “ketogenic diet AND Alzheimer” and came up with nothing new since 2006.

Could the Ketogenic Mediterranean Diet prevent or alleviate Alzheimer’s disease? At this point, just flip a coin.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Reference: Gasior M, Rogawski MA, & Hartman AL (2006). Neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects of the ketogenic diet. Behavioural pharmacology, 17 (5-6), 431-9 PMID: 16940764

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