Do memory problems have you concerned? Is there someone close to you suffering from Alzheimers?
Last evening I watched a four-part video series that Dr. Oz had on his website about nutrition and Alzheimers – and how one doctor says that you can prevent the disease. Dr. Oz had an Alzheimer’s research doctor on the show, Dr. Neal Barnard, who has a nutrition plan that he follows very strictly for Alzheimers prevention.
One of the motivators of Dr. ‘s research is that both of his parents and both sets of grandparents had Alzheimers. It was as devastating to him as it is to so many people.
Now many of us would probably think that this nutrition plan is extreme. He eats no meat and no fish, and has definite reasons for choosing this eating style. You can watch these short 4 segments at this link: Prevent Alzheimers.
Diseases that affect our brain, our memory and our muscular functions are very, very scary. Researchers on prevention of such are furiously at work. And there has been some progress.
There are all kinds of news stories about getting close to a cure for people with existing Alzheimers. And scientists have recently started thinking differently about what causes the brain damage that leads to memory disease.
In the natural health world there is belief that nutrients matter and that they can have a significant impact on our health and on prevention of disease. Unfortunately that is still not a universal belief in much of the medical world.
I remember learning about clinical studies 30 years ago when I first became actively interested in natural health. I heard stories about clinical studies that show negative results about supplements, and how these studies included synthetic nutrients, people that were very sick and/or very old, and other variables that are not associated with prevention in younger people using all-natural food supplements.
This is still the case today. Recent studies release results that scare people, seem inconclusive and, in my opinion, certainly don’t help us move forward in the prevention area. One example is a study that used single-nutrients and attempted to treat them as clinical drugs.
In nature, we do not find vitamins (nutrients) as single units. They are found naturally, in foods, as complexes. [This is one reason why I use the brand we represent on this website – products are complexes and as close to the way you find the nutrients in nature as possible. That is not something common in the food supplement industry.]
What makes complexes unique and effective is that they include enzymes, co-enzymes and other co-factors that all work synergistically together to work in your body to make you healthier. Single nutrient extracts can lose this function.
Current Research
What’s new in Alzheimer’s research? One thing is the relationship between insulin and neurotransmitters in the brain, prompting some scientists to use the term Type 3 diabetes to describe the disease. Research connecting nutrition, intellectual stimulation, social engagement and regular physical activity to Alzheimers prevention is also piling up.
If you have this disease in your family you are probably already watching for news about a cure. With the high numbers of people affected, it would be smart for all of us to pay attention and also to target a healthier lifestyle for prevention.
In the United States we have a research database called NHANES, a resource to help us monitor health behaviors, nutrition, and health status of children and adults. Where we stand today in terms of nutrition is very different from our early history where our ancestors ate primarily fresh fruits and vegetables that were grown naturally in rich, nutrient filled soil.
Today we have produce that comes from depleted (nutrient) soil, chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides. Food is transported much farther, requiring premature picking or harvesting.
On top of that, NHANES reports that less than 11% of us eat the minimal daily required servings of vegetables and fruits. Children’s eating habits are even worse. This is the reason why taking supplements is really not an option if we want to build good health and target disease prevention.
What about if we want to more intensely fight off a disease like Alzheimers? Dr. Barnard lists all healthy foods that are filled with nutrients. On top of that he suggests extra nutrition to add another layer of prevention against the disease. It can be overwhelming and even discouraging.
After telling my husband about watching the Dr. Oz videos, and reviewing what we do in terms of diet and prevention, we realize that there is always work to be done in the food we eat. We can eat better – more nutritious.
I don’t think we will completely eliminate meat or fish from our diet. We definitely eat less than we previously have and we can also do better avoiding processed foods. With the many health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, we feel comfortable about the OmegaGuard supplement we take because we know how pure it is because of the high standards and intense testing to insure there are no contaminants.
Also in the supplement area, we are happy with what we’re doing. We don’t get too much of the nutrients that are in question – the metals that were discussed on Dr. Oz.
We have Vitalizer that provides us with nutrients that are as close to the way we would find them in nature (in food) as is possible. Ingredients are not heated at high temperatures to destroy enzymes. They are made with all-natural ingredients that get absorbed in 4 different areas of our bodies.
Vitalizer has the 20-year Landmark Study behind it – the first long term study of food supplements and their benefits that not only proved how much better (true) all-natural supplements are compared to synthetics, but also that it can be worse to take a synthetic vitamin than no vitamin at all.
I will be watching the research about the insulin connection and already strive for daily blood sugar balance by having at least one meal from Shaklee 180 (low glycemic, lean protein smoothee and meal bar choices). What I like about them is that you really do feel better when you balance your blood sugar with your food. You have more energy and better focus.
The goal is to avoid Alzheimers. What is your nutrition plan for Alzheimers prevention?
One of the problems with people living longer lives these days is having to deal with health issues like this one. I hope it works for him and that what you’re doing will work for you!
Thanks for sharing. I watch as much Dr. Oz as I can then take some and leave some. Unfortunately, half of America could not afford to eat naturally if they wanted to and a lot don’t. We eat better than ever before but no where near the healthiest way possible.
Many brain disorders can be repaired with nutrition, brain exercises and changing how we think. Every time we learn something new, we grow new neurons to remember.