I love this statistic. I repeat it whenever I forget a name, misplace my keys, or don’t pay enough attention to my health. I shout it at my children when they come home with processed food in their pockets. And I remind Mr K&C when he burns the candle at both ends (not that he takes much notice). The statistic comes from the authors of The Alzheimer’s Solution, Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, neuroscientists who’ve dedicated their lives to understanding and preventing Alzheimer’s.
Like Susan and I, the Sherzais watched close family members ‘lose little bits of themselves’, slowly and inexorably, to dementia. Avoidable dementia, they argue, claiming that changes to diet, sleep, exercise, stress and social interaction can prevent 90% of all cases. They also claim that lifestyle changes can reverse the disease in existing patients.
The battle against Alzheimer’s has become their life’s work.
And we’re taking note.
Dementia is already the leading cause of death in England and Wales. The World Health Organisation estimates there’ll be over 135 million sufferers by 2050. At a cost of $20 trillion. So how can you ensure you’re not one of them?
The Sherzais have some very simple tips. We’re repeating them here. Because the more we’re reminded, the less of an excuse we have. And the greater our chance of avoiding Alzheimer’s.
TOP TEN FOODS TO PREVENT ALZHEIMER’S
- Avocados
- Beans
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Coffee
- Dark chocolate
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Linseeds/flaxseeds
- Herbal tea
- Herbs
TOP TEN FOODS TO STOP EATING – NOW
- Processed foods (crisps, biscuits, white bread etc)
- Processed meats (bacon, sausages, salami)
- Red meat
- Chicken (yes, really)
- Butter and margarine
- Fried and fast food
- Cheese (damn!)
- Pastries and sweets
- Sugary drinks
- Excessive alcohol
We’ll be writing more about the Sherzais’ approach over the coming weeks and showing you how to make the little lifestyle changes that promise big rewards. If you can’t wait, their book, The Alzheimer’s Solution, is out now.
We’ll post the perfect anti-Alzheimer’s meal next week… Watch this space!
Annabel
Thanks for the heads up – just ordered the book. Got it in paperback on eBay for less than £12!
I hope you enjoy. I really like their approach and their personal story is extraordinary!
That’s a pretty outstanding claim, will definitely be watching out for those follow up posts
I agree. But it fills me with optimism so I’m going to hang on to it!
Annabel, I’ve also found a book from a long-time Alzheimer’s researcher, called The End of Alzheimer’s (by Dale E. Bredesen, just out). He has a whole protocol that involves dealing with nutritional deficits, inflammation and toxins, and gives examples of patients who have reversed the dementia process.
I think (or rather very much hope) that these guys are on to something. Sadly lifestyle change doesn’t generate big research budgets, but perhaps that will change now? Thanks for suggesting Bredesen. I will take a look…
Thanks so much, Shari. I’m fascinated by Dr Bredesen’s approach, particularly how he customises it for each patient. I’ve blogged about it a few times – the first post was this one https://agewellproject.com/blueprint-ageing-well-buckwheat-tabbouleh/ – but I haven’t read the book. Will look it out!
Fantastic! I eat most of the DO eat list. Unfortunately I still eat bacon, chicken, butter, cheese, some sourdough bread and alcohol. More work to do I feel ….
I’m a great believer in the gradual approach and in not being too hardline. I still adore a bag of crisps (a treat rather than a daily snack), love butter and eat red meat every now and then. It’s probably more important to eat the Do list – as you are – than to worry unduly over the odd slice of bacon. Other research suggests cheese is often good, and we’ve written about Swiss cheese, blue cheese and feta cheese. Thanks for the comment!
Cheese has a type of Vitamin K called menaquinone 4 (MK4) which is necessary for production of sphingomyelin for the brain.
That’s great to know… Thanks for the comment. I knew there was a biological reason for my love of cheese!
I just wanted to give you the heads up on a nutrient which you will hear more about in twenty years ,it is called spermidine and is involved in longevity
Ah, spermidine – we wrote about it here and i’m glad you think we’re ahead of the curve! https://agewellproject.com/need-spermidine-still-love-cheese/
Not much has been written about it (that I could find) but I’m very keen to uncover some more research into its benefits. Watch this space and do let us know if you come across anything in the meantime… Thanks!
Hallo, great blog, great recipes!
I am from the Lab, where researchers first found out that feeding spermidine to yeast, fruit flies and mice prolongs life and health span of these model organisms (Eisenberg et al., Nat Cell Biol. 2009). This rocked the scientific as well as normal media and opened a new field of research. Recently, our Lab released a study showing that spermidine positively influences health and lifespan of mice due to rejuvenating cardiovascular function (Eisenberg et al., Nat Med. 2016). Further, an epidemiological study suggests that these results may be valid in humans as well. These researchers wrote a review about the studies on spermidine and longevity recently (Madeo et al., Science, 2018), which will be available on the homepage of our Lab soon (https://molekularbiologie.uni-graz.at/en/ageing-cell-death-laboratory-frank-madeo/).
As I am not only a passionate scientist in this filed but also love cooking, I started a food blog with spermidine-rich recipes recently (it is in German and English) http://www.ringshealthkitchen.com .
Thanks Julia – that’s very interesting. I’m fascinated by spermidine but there are still very few scientists/doctors talking about it, and not many studies either. So I’m delighted to know more are coming and look forward to checking out you website… Thanks for sharing!