Cognitive decline is a major concern of the aging population, and Alzheimer’s disease is the major cause of age-related cognitive decline, with approximately 5.4 million American patients and 30 million affected globally
Unlike age and genetics, certain health and lifestyle factors associated with Alzheimer’s disease risk may be controlled. Scientists are exploring prevention strategies to determine whether or not things like exercise, diet, and “brain games” can help delay or prevent Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline. They are also investigating how certain medical conditions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, influence risk for cognitive impairment.
In 2014, a study was conducted about Alzheimer’s and how to reverse or lessen the effects of the disease. Though the sample size was very small (10 individuals at various stages of Alzheimer’s), the results show very promising possibilities. Of the 10 patients, only the one suffering from the late stage of Alzheimer’s did not show improvement in their condition.
All the patients had a clear declining retention, a significant memory loss, and this study though not a large study, resulted in a significant improvement with memory and reversal of other effects of ALZ by modifying things as simple as diet, exercise, sleep schedule, brain stimulation, and stress regulation.
One potentially important outcome is that all six of the patients whose cognitive decline had a major impact on job performance were able to return to work or continue working without difficulty.
The first patient was a 67-year old woman who had two years of progressive memory loss. She had held a demanding job for years that involved preparing analytical reports and traveling widely, but found herself no longer able to analyze data and had to resign.
Three months after the study, she noted that all of her symptoms had diminished and she was able to perform at the level she had before she had Alzheimer’s. She could once again remember telephone numbers without difficulty, she could write up reports and read and retain information. Overall, she became asymptomatic and even said that her memory was actually better than it had been for years.
On one occasion, she developed an acute viral illness, discontinued the program, and noticed a decline, which reversed when she reinstated the program. Two and one-half years later, now age 70, she remains asymptomatic and continues to work full-time.
This patient took many steps to reverse and lessen the effects of Alzheimer’s. She eliminated all simply carbohydrates and lost 20 pounds. She also eliminated gluten and processed food from her diet, increased vegetables, fruits, and non-farmed fish. She began yoga to reduce stress and ended up becoming a yoga instructor. She also began meditating 20 minutes two times per day to reduce stress. She took vitamins and fish oil. She improved oral hygiene by using an electric flosser and toothbrush. She exercised for 30 minutes, 4-6 days per week and fasted for a minimum of 12 hours between dinner and breakfast, as well as a minimum of three hours between dinner and bedtime.
The second patient was a 69-year old man with 11 years of slowly progressively memory loss, which began worsening rapidly over the two years leading up to the study. When Alzheimer’s began to take effect at the age of 58, he had been unable to recall things such as his locker combination. His symptoms continued to worsen progressively. After a while he noted that he was having difficulty recognizing faces at work and couldn’t manage his own daily schedule. He also lost an ability he had always enjoyed having, the ability to quickly add columns of numbers in his head.
6 months after beginning the therapeutic program, everyone, including his co-workers and his wife, saw a clear improvement in his condition. He lost 10 pounds; he could recognize faces again and manage his daily schedule. He was quicker with responses than he had been before, he could add columns in his head again. His wife was shocked because the rapid decline that had been occurring the two years prior was completely gone.
To improve his condition he took several steps similar to the steps that Patient 1 took. These included fasting for a minimum of three hours between dinner and bedtime and 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. He also eliminated simply carbs and processed foods from his diet. He increased vegetables and fruits and limited consumption of fish to non-farmed, and meat to occasional grass-fed beef or organic chicken. He took probiotics and coconut oil and exercised strenuously. He swam 3-4 times a week, cycled twice per week and ran once per week.
Researchers have also shown that exercise can stimulate the human brain’s ability to maintain old network connections and make new ones that are vital to healthy cognition. In a year-long study, 65 older people exercised daily, doing either an aerobic exercise program of walking for 40 minutes or a nonaerobic program of stretching and toning exercises. At the end of the trial, the walking group showed improved connectivity in the part of the brain engaged in daydreaming, envisioning the future, and recalling the past. The walking group also improved on execu¬tive function, the ability to plan and organize tasks such as cooking a meal.
Several other clinical trials are exploring further the effect of physical activity on the risk of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline. Other NIA-supported research is examining whether exercise can delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease in people with MCI. Findings from these and other clinical trials will show more definitively whether exercise helps protect our brains from cognitive impairment.
The therapeutic program that these two patients had and the results are representative of the rest of the patients. 9 out of the 10 patients had significant improvement in their condition and many were labeled asymptomatic after just a few months with this program.
A study called: Reversal of cognitive decline: A novel therapeutic program
Dale E Bredesen
Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095;
2 Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA 94945
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