Tagged with 'alzheimers-disease'

One of the saddest diseases to watch a loved one go through is Alzheimer's Disease. I certainly want to avoid it at all costs! Here are four Alzheimer’s Triggers that can harm to your brain AND scientifically proven strategies for avoiding them.

Trigger #1: High Blood Pressure

This is a problem for one in three Americans, and what you may not know is high blood pressure puts your brain at risk. It’s linked to memory loss, vascular dementia (caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to the brain) and Alzheimer’s. Hypertension can lead to changes in the brain similar to those caused by a stroke, and may also injure small arteries that nourish the cells that relay information within the brain.

Tips to Protect Your Brain from high blood pressure:

• Hit up the produce aisle. Fruits and vegetables are the cornerstone of a diet that’s beneficial to blood circulation and lowering blood pressure. 

• Improve the health of your circulatory system with these two other major changes.  

Trigger #2: Pesticide Laden Produce

Even though DDT was banned in the US in 1972 (Thankful!), people were unfortunately heavily exposed to this pesticide known to cause cancer and other serious health issues. Forty-five years after DDT was outlawed, traces of the chemical remain in our soil and water (and on produce imported from countries where the chemical is still in use, legally and illegally), and its health problems may extend to the brain.

When blood samples from 86 people with Alzheimer’s were tested, the blood levels of DDT in 74 of the Alzheimer’s patients were four times higher than the control group. This exposure might play a role in the disease by promoting the growth of amyloid proteins.

Tips to Protect Your Brain from pesticides:

• Shop organic whenever possible –at a minimum purchase organic produce based off the Environmental Working Group’s dirty dozen and clean fifteen list. Make the healthiest choices given your circumstances. 

• Always wash produce under running water before eating.

• Before you wash lettuce or other leafy vegetables grown with pesticides, toss the outer layer, where residue accumulates.

• As a last resort, eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to reduce your exposure to any one particular pesticide.

Trigger #3: Habitual Snoring

Sleep apnea, a condition of disrupted breathing and sleep, is linked to an increased risk of brain disease. People with sleep-disordered breathing are more likely to start showing mid cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s at an average age of 73. Those who slept normally were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at an average age of 88.

Tip to Protect Your Brain from disrupted sleep:

• Discuss persistent snoring with your doctor, who may send you to a sleep specialist. If sleep apnea is the diagnosis, you’ll likely end up with a CPAP machine, shown to be effective at restoring normal breathing.

Trigger #4: Type 2 Diabetes

In a study of middle-aged men and women with a family history of Alzheimer’s, researchers linked insulin resistance, a key driver of type 2 diabetes, with poorer performance on memory tests. Diabetes is thought to reduce the size of the brain regions associated with memory. People with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Tip to Protect Your Brain from type 2 diabetes:

• Shed some excess pounds. Some 86 million US adults have prediabetes, in which blood sugar levels are elevated but not yet high enough to signify type 2 diabetes. Losing 15 pounds cut your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%.

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

After a busy holiday season, take some time to relax, reflect, and sip on a nice cup of green tea. It tastes great, you’ll receive some surprising health benefits, and feel relaxed.  

Here are some exciting facts about green tea:

1) It contains a powerful amino acid called l-theanine. It increases alpha brain wave activity, which induces relaxation. In addition, it combines with caffeine in a way that produces relaxed alertness.

2) Green tea contains two of the most potent antioxidants of all the flavonoids. Flavonoids have demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, anti-viral, anti-aging, and anti-carcinogenic activity. It may lower cholesterol levels and rates of heart disease as well as some types of cancer.

3) It’s a good source of EGCG, a polyphenol that may help reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, prevent cancer and boost the immune system.

4) Green tea is being studied as a potent weapon against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. Although the studies differ widely in technique, all focus on ways the polyphenol, EGCG, effect important areas of the brain. They found EGCG prevented the formation of the potentially dangerous amyloid aggregates associated with Alzheimer’s disease. 

5) Green tea offers antibacterial properties. One study suggests drinking green tea enhances the effects of antibiotics, even against drug-resistant bacteria and "superbugs."

6) If you’re looking to sip some EGCG, white and green tea have the highest concentration of EGCG, oolong tea the ‘middle’ amount, and black tea the least. 

Introduce yourself by substituting a cup of green tea for a cup of coffee; you (and your heart) will soon be enjoying the health benefits of this delicious beverage!

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

1. Rosenberg, Irwin H., MD. "Green Tea Protects Brain Cells." Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 31, No.4 (June 2013): 7. Print.

2. S Borgwardt, F Hammann, K Scheffler, M Kreuter, J Drewe and C Beglinger. Neural effects of green tea extract on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 66, 1187-1192 (November 2012)

3. Hyunge, Suk-Joon, DeToma, Alaina S., Brender, Jeffrey R., et al. Insights into antiamyloidogenic properties of the green tea extract (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate toward metal-associated amyloid-β species. PNAS 2013 110 (10) 3743-3748

4. Rushworth, Jo V., Griffiths, Heledd H., Watt, Nicole T., and Hooper, Nigel M. Prion Protein-mediated Toxicity of Amyloid-β Oligomers Requires Lipid Rafts and the Transmembrane LRP1 J. Biol. Chem. 2013 288: 8935-8951.

Nobody wants to hear their brain is rapidly shrinking! Sadly enough, this is one of the diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease. We all lose brain cells as we get older, normally about a half percent per year. If you have mild cognitive impairment that rises to 1% and when Alzheimer’s sets in, the atrophy speeds up to 2½%. 

B-vitamins and Alzheimer's Disease

The cause of Alzheimer’s still remains a mystery, but it’s becoming increasingly clear what you eat, or don’t eat, can influence your risk as well as the rate at which the disease progresses. B-vitamins, especially folic acid, vitamin B₆ and vitamin B₁₂, are once again being talked about for their powerful role in preventing or at least slowing the development of mild memory loss and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease.

High levels of the amino acid homocysteine are linked to brain shrinkage and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. B-vitamins are known to suppress homocysteine.

In one study, blood levels of folate and vitamin B₁₂, as well as homocysteine, were analyzed in 121 normal patients and 321 patients with either mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease. Results showed homocysteine levels were highest in the patients with both cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s, and homocysteine was highest and folate levels lowest in those with Alzheimer’s. In addition, performance on a series of cognitive tests worsened as levels of vitamin B₁₂ and folate decreased, while those scores were inversely associated with homocysteine levels.

Take This Type of Folic Acid

If you take a B-complex or folic acid supplement, make sure the folic acid is in its biologically active form – L-5-MTHF. This is the form that’s able to cross the blood-brain barrier to give you the brain benefits mentioned above.

Blood Pressure and Mental Decline

Maintaining a normal blood pressure is also important in preventing dementia. Research concludes elevated blood pressure harms blood vessels in the brain associated with damage to the structure of the brain’s white matter and mental decline even in people as young as 40-years-old. Visit this blog post for strategies for reducing blood pressure.

Some good news though – seniors who stay physically active show less brain tissue atrophy and white matter lesions in the brain.

Bottom Line: There is certainly a link between memory loss and a deficiency of specific B-vitamins. However, the question of “how much” folic acid, vitamin B₆ and vitamin B₁₂ still needs to be determined.   

For more information about Alzheimer's Disease, visit the blog "Improve Your Odds Against Alzheimer's Disease."

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

Kim G, Kim H, Kim K, et al: Relationship of cognitive function with B vitamin status, homocysteine, and tissue factor pathway inhibitor in cognitively impaired elderly. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2012;October 5th.

Maillard P, Seshadri S, Beiser A, et al: Effects of systolic blood pressure on white matter integrity in young adults in the Framingham Heart Study. Lancet neurology 2012;November 1^st.

Gow A, Bastin M, Munoz Maniega S, et al: Neuro-protective lifestyles and the aging brain. Neurology 2012;79:1802-1808.

Verdelho A, Madureira S, Ferro J, et al: Physical activity prevents progression for cognitive impairment and vascular dementia. Stroke 2012;November 1^st.

Exciting findings! 

A flurry of new studies is raising hope green tea may someday be a potent weapon in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.  Although the studies differ widely in technique, all focus on ways polyphenol compounds in green tea affect important areas of the brain. 

The studies used extracts of green tea---notably a polyphenol compound called EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), but experts say similar benefits could be gained simply by sipping tea (1).

“As some research has revealed the potential benefit of selected vitamins and fatty acids in promoting cognitive function, recent studies on flavonoids, which are phytochemicals especially rich in plant foods like berries and tea, show they too may act to promote brain performance and/or reduce the risk for neurodegenerative conditions,” says Jeffery Blumberg, PhD, director of Tufts’ HNRCA Antioxidants Research Laboratory (1).

Very Exciting Findings from Several Rearch Studies:

1.  Research on green tea, specifically EGCG, found green tea extract was associated with increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of the brain.  That’s a key area for working-memory processing (2).

2.  Two other new studies tested whether green tea extracts could block the formation of the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.  They found the green tea compound prevented the formation of the potentially dangerous amyloid aggregates.  The EGCG extract also actually broke down existing aggregates in proteins that contained metals—copper, iron and zinc—associated with Alzheimer’s disease (3, 4).

Tea Differences? 

If you’re looking to sip some EGCG, white and green tea have the highest concentration of EGCG, oolong tea the ‘middle’ amount, and black tea the least.  It appears, however, gut bacteria can metabolize compounds in black and oolong tea into EGCG.  In other words, your intestinal bacteria can partially turn black tea into green tea (1). 

Also consider taking a green tea extract supplement.

Much more research needs to be done, but this is an excellent and promising start!  Finding a preventative to such an awful, debilitating disease like Alzheimer’s would be amazing!

In Health and Happiness,

Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Goods

References:

1. Rosenberg, Irwin H., MD. "Green Tea Protects Brain Cells." Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 31, No.4 (June 2013): 7. Print.

2. S Borgwardt, F Hammann, K Scheffler, M Kreuter, J Drewe and C Beglinger.  Neural effects of green tea extract on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 66, 1187-1192 (November 2012)

3. Hyunge, Suk-Joon, DeToma, Alaina S., Brender, Jeffrey R., et al.  Insights into antiamyloidogenic properties of the green tea extract (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate toward metal-associated amyloid-β species. PNAS 2013 110 (10) 3743-3748

4. Rushworth, Jo V., Griffiths, Heledd H., Watt, Nicole T., and Hooper, Nigel M.  Prion Protein-mediated Toxicity of Amyloid-β Oligomers Requires Lipid Rafts and the Transmembrane LRP1 J. Biol. Chem. 2013 288: 8935-8951.