My grandma is in the beginning stages of dementia. Conversations quickly get weird. I sometimes wonder if she really doesn’t remember asking me that question she asked me 5 minutes ago. Or if she’s really just reminding me for the 8th time this week.
My aunt has lived down the street from her for over 12 years now. She’s intimately familiar with my grandma’s mental shortcomings. But what caused it? Is there something we can definitely point to as the root cause? Or is it an unavoidable part of growing old?
It’s Not 100% Avoidable…
You’re not going to be able to cut your risk down to 0%, but there are some powerful strategies you can use to get your risk of Alzheimer’s down to a few measly percent.
Chief among them?
Reduce your sugar intake.
It seems so obvious and so simple, but it’s not. Oreos have been shown to be more addictive than cocaine. The second sugar touches your tongue, your body’s reward system is initiated. Your brain starts producing dopamine and you become like Pavlov’s dogs when they hear a bell. Giant milkshakes with brownies and hot fudge and caramel oozing down the sides? You may be salivating right now thinking about it. But maybe it’s not a milkshake. Maybe it’s lemonade or some other sugar treat. Whatever it is, it’s proof of the hold sugar has on you.
It can seem relatively mild, but consistent overconsumption of sugar is pretty serious. I’m not even talking about the effects it has on your weight. Alzheimer’s is now being called Type 3 Diabetes because of how insulin resistance affects the brain.
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What Sugar Does to Your Brain
When you eat or drink something with sugar, your body creates insulin. Insulin helps your body use the sugar you provide it with or allows you to store it. But as you eat more and more sugar, your body starts building up a resistance to insulin. You need more and more each time to process sugar.
Unfortunately, glucose is also your brain’s primary source of fuel. As you increase your insulin resistance, you also decrease the amount of blood sugar that’s getting to your brain. Since your brain isn’t getting enough fuel, it starts to prioritize certain areas over others. This means that processes that are necessary to keep your body alive are kept active, but the areas responsible for memory are often powered down.
It’s Not Just Sugar…
One thing you need to remember: when carbohydrates are broken down, they’re broken down into sugar molecules. Carbs are bad for you as well. But the carbs that are bad for you are grains and pretty much anything white (pasta, white rice, white bread). Whole grain isn’t much better than white bread, so leave that out as well. What it really breaks down to is this: anything that causes your blood sugar to spike should be eaten sparingly.
Vegetables also contain carbs, but they won’t raise your blood sugar like the sugary carbs will. So don’t use this as a reason to not eat your peas.
If you want to, you can go the route of eating a high fat, low carb diet. You can train your brain to use fat as its fuel instead of glucose. It’s called ketosis. It can be difficult to achieve, but it’s a diet that’s gaining popularity and is seeing good results.
Alternately, just do yourself a favor and watch your sugar intake. Aim for no more than 15 grams a day. You’ll think better. You’ll feel better. And you’ll most likely see a better number on your scale.
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References:
http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2398420
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27503449
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