Stop Alzheimer’s Disease! Here’s How

Considered the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease is estimated to effect at least 6.7 million people who reside in the United States. Women have a lifetime risk of Alzheimer development  of 1 in 5 and men have a lifetime risk of 1 in 10.  Researchers are still exploring gender risk correlates. Emerging theories include the natural longevity in women. If you live long enough, you are more likely to experience dementia. Another possible correlate relates to women who experience a hypertensive pregnancy crisis such as eclampsia. 

Racial correlates for Alzheimer’s among a large Veteran’s Hospital Administration (VHA)  population of older adults indicated significant differences between race and ethnicity. Incidence rates remained higher for Black and Hispanic participants than for White participants.  The Kaiser Permanente of Northern California study also reported higher age -adjusted dementia among Blacks. In addition, they found similar rates among  American Indians or Alaska Native patients. 

The doleful reality of Alzheimer’s has been that it was an inevitability of living.  However, the question remained, why was it that some people lived to their 90s and above without evidence of dementia? Is it just luck of the draw? Or are their factors which increased the risk of development? Exciting new research regarding the effect of lifestyle on both the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease is offering hope for one of the most feared diseases of seniors. 

Findings published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, report that mixing sugary snacks, starchy food, and processed meat may significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. Further, researchers contend that people who developed dementia more likely combined highly processed meats with starchy food like potatoes, alcohol and snacks like cookies and cakes.  Samieri, author of the study, added that despite not being consumed in higher quantity, processed meat appeared to be central in their diet. Processed meats include ham, sausage, hot dogs, bacon, pepperoni, beef jerky, deli meats inclusive of roast beef and turkey. These meats have been preserved by smoking or salting, curing, or adding chemical preservatives. 

While many are aware of the World Health Organization classification of processed meats as a Class 1 carcinogen, few realize the association between processed meats and the development of Alzheimer’s Disease. Group 1, Class 1 carcinogen means that there is enough evidence to conclude that processed meats cause cancer in humans. Note that cigarettes and red meats are also classified as Class 1 carcinogens. 

Researchers agree that  those who didn’t develop dementia were more likely to have diversity in their diet such as inclusion of fruits and vegetables. Thus far, it appears that reduction of highly processed meats, sugary snacks like cookies and cakes and alcohol may offer some protection against Alzheimer’s. 

Physiologically, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that results in neurodegeneration. It is characterized by cognitive decline and the presence of the pathologies of amyloid β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. These tangles and plaques all result in and/or from inflammatory processes in the brain. Numerous studies provide evidence that immune function or inflammation has a significant role in dementia. Blood or cerebral spinal fluid  of people who have Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment reveal higher inflammation. The question begs:  Can brain inflammation be reduced and/or prevented ? An affirmative answer to that question would provide a significant key to one’s prevention and reduction of Alzheimer’s. 

Please examine Table 1.