Stolen Memories
Like former President Ronald Reagan who lost his battle with Alzheimer's disease in June 2004, people with this severe form of dementia are eventually robbed of their memories and of their ability to communicate with loved ones. It can be very heartbreaking, especially when the victim can no longer recognize their spouse or children.
WHAT IS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE?
According to the Alzheimer's Association, "Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disease that usually begins gradually, causing a person to forget recent events or familiar tasks. How rapidly it advances varies from person to person, but the disease eventually leads to confusion, personality and behavior changes, and impaired judgment. Communication becomes more difficult as the disease progresses, leaving those affected struggling to find words, finish thoughts or follow directions. Eventually, most people with Alzheimer's disease become unable to care for themselves."
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While scientists aren't certain what causes the disease, most agree that a variety of factors could contribute to DNA damage and the death of nerve cells in the brain that can lead to a decline in brain function. Advanced age and family history appear to be risk factors.
Researchers are also exploring the role of genetics in the development of Alzheimer's. Results from a study at the Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix suggests that the brain-destroying disease actually starts decades before symptoms appear. In the study, the brain scans of 12 patients between the ages of 20 and 39 who had a mutation of the APOE gene (the gene associated with a high risk of Alzheimer's) were examined. They found that the young patients shared some of the same metabolic changes seen in patients with advanced and mild cases of the disease.
Says Dr. Eric M. Reiman, lead author of the study, "People with this susceptibility gene have reduced brain activity in each of the brain regions that are progressively affected later in life [among Alzheimer's patients]."
This study is part of an ongoing effort by many researchers to find a way to identify at an early age which individuals will later develop the memory loss and thinking problems of Alzheimer's disease.
REDUCING YOUR RISK
So what can you do to reduce your risk of developing this dreadful disease or slow down the decline in brain function once the disease starts to present itself? One of the most promising therapies concerns the intake of antioxidants. Several studies have indicated that oxidative stress and exposure to free radicals play significant roles in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, could a high intake of antioxidants prevent or delay the onset of the disease? I believe so.
In a study published in the Archives of Neurology, researchers found that high daily doses of vitamins E and C taken together reduced the risk of Alzheimer's disease among elderly people. The study involved over 4,700 adults who were over the age 65 when the study began in 1995. In the first phase of the study, data showed that the participants taking vitamin supplements had a 78 percent lower risk of developing the disease than those in the study who weren't taking supplements. At the end of the study, the risk factor was 64 percent lower among the vitamin supplement takers.
"These results are extremely exciting," says study author Peter Zandi of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "Our findings suggest that vitamins E and C may offer protection against Alzheimer's disease when taken together in the higher doses available from individual supplements." What these researchers seem to have found is that, while lower doses of vitamins C and E found in typical, store-bought multivitamins afforded a modest amount of protection, the greatest level of protection against Alzheimer's came from significantly higher doses of these two antioxidant nutrients (e.g. similar to what is contained in Basic Nutrient Support).
Prior studies support these findings. In two studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers examined whether dietary intake of antioxidants is related to the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Previous studies had indicated that oxidative stress, or exposure to free radicals (harmful elements in our environment), plays a significant role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Based on these findings, the researchers wanted to find out if, then, a higher intake of antioxidants could prevent Alzheimer's – or a least lower one's risk of developing the disease later in life. In one study conducted in the Netherlands, the dietary habits of 5,395 participants over the age of 55 who were free of dementia when the study began were continuously monitored over approximately a six-year period. At the end of the study period, data indicated that 146 had developed Alzheimer's disease. Those who were free of the disease were found to have a higher intake of the antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin E in their diets.
The researchers believe several biological mechanisms could explain the relationship between antioxidant intake and Alzheimer's disease. First, antioxidants may decrease the level of oxidative stress, thereby reducing the amount of DNA damage and the death of nerve cells in the brain. Second, because Alzheimer's disease is associated with both cardiovascular risk factors and atherosclerosis, high intake of antioxidants could also decrease the risk of dementia by reducing the risk of atherosclerosis.
In another study, the Chicago Health and Aging Project, 815 community-dwelling residents 65 years and older and free of Alzheimer's disease were followed for nearly four years during which each resident completed a food frequency questionnaire. At the conclusion of the study, a total of 131 persons developed Alzheimer's disease with those not developing the disease having the highest intake of vitamin E in their diets. In fact, persons with the highest intake of vitamin E were 70 percent less likely than those with the lowest intake to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
The research from these studies has promoted interest in assessing antioxidants for their possible benefits in modifying the course, reducing the risk or delaying the onset of Alzheimer's disease. This is extremely important as researchers have noted that "even modestly effective interventions that delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease by one to three years will substantially alleviate the growing economic and societal burden associated with the disease" – not to mention reduce the number of new cases in the United States each year, which is currently estimated at 360,000.
Alzheimer's disease is the leading cause of dementia among the elderly. It's a devastating illness that gradually steals away a person's memory and ultimately their ability to think and function. God doesn't want us to have this fate and He has shown us how to use His nutrients to help us keep a clear and focused mind throughout our lives.
