Natural Support to Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

Cognitive issues, including dementia and Alzheimer’s, are distressing conditions which steal the quality of life of those affected.

In support of World Alzheimer’s Month, let’s take a deep dive into cognitive health concerns. You’ll discover how you can help support your brain and reduce your and your loved one’s risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia, a term relating to a decline in brain function, affecting memory, concentration, and task performance. In some people, language ability and thought processes deteriorate, too. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia.

Dementia currently affects over 980,000 people in the UK, with cases predicted to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.

Alzheimer’s generally affects older people, but it can appear at a younger age, too. The condition is progressive, developing over many years, so it’s never too soon to reduce your risk.

What are the Symptoms of Alzheimer’s?

Problems concentrating and remembering
Getting lost in familiar places
Forgetting words mid-sentence
Not understanding the date or time of day
Forgetting names and faces
Losing items
Balance and co-ordination issues
Mood changes, particularly anger, suspicion, anxiety, or depression

What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease?

Structural changes occur in the brains of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Clumps of protein called amyloid plaques build up and impede communication between brain neurones. Meanwhile, other types of protein seem to twist into knots around brain cells. These are known as tau tangles, and they interfere with the functioning of brain cells.

Most brains develop these plaques and tangles with age. However, those with Alzheimer’s have a particular pattern, where the protein first accumulates in areas of the brain related to memory.

The reason these proteins form in the brain isn’t currently clear, but is likely due to a combination of factors.

One of these seems to be uncontrolled chronic inflammation. Over time, this can damage brain cells and promote the development of amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Inflammation also interferes with the processes that clear the protein away. The proteins in the brain may then be flagged up as invaders by the brain’s immune system, sparking off further inflammation. Special immune cells called microglia can be put on red alert and then attack healthy brain cells.

Scientists previously believed that once a person reached adulthood, their brain connections remained static. It’s now understood the connections between cells, called synapses, are constantly being made and rewired depending on a person’s experiences. This is called neuroplasticity. A mismatch between removal and creation, however, leads to a gradual decline in the number of connections. This process is believed to play a role in Alzheimer’s.

Meanwhile, the part of the brain responsible for the ability to recall where things are in time and space is called the hippocampus. This area seems to shrink in Alzheimer’s disease.

Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s

Sedentary lifestyle
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance
Alcohol and smoking
Uncorrected hearing loss
Air pollution and toxin build-up can damage brain cells.
Poor gut function, particularly leaky gut, allowing toxins to enter the bloodstream.
There is a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s. However, even if you have this gene, you will only go on to develop the disease if it’s activated by diet, lifestyle, or environmental factors.

Alzheimer’s can also be connected with traumatic head injury, as well as to cardiovascular disease, resulting in decreased blood flow to the brain.

Positive Steps Towards Protecting Your Brain

Stabilising blood sugar is key. This means eating protein and healthy fats in every meal and avoiding sugar and caffeine.
Emphasise fresh, whole foods in your diet. A study following people who adopted the MIND diet, based on the Mediterranean diet, found it significantly slowed cognitive decline (1). Meanwhile, mildly ketogenic plant-based diets have led to impressive improvements in cognitive function (2).
Fasting can help the brain’s natural cleanup mechanism, controlling inflammation there. An easy way to fast is to leave a minimum of 12 hours’ gap between dinner and breakfast the next day.
Detoxification and liver support are helpful. Toxins, including environmental pollutants and mycotoxins from moulds, irritate brain cells.
Optimise sleep. Damaged brain cells are repaired and amyloid proteins removed while you’re asleep.
Support your gut health to decrease the likelihood of provoking chronic inflammation.
In research, yoga and meditation reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by supporting brain health and nerve connections (3).
Prioritise good dental health. Bacteria responsible for gum disease can provoke inflammation in the brain. In fact, scientists discovered a bacterium commonly found in the mouths of people with gum disease can migrate into the brain, where it’s implicated in Alzheimer’s. There, it activates the brain’s immune system.
Turmeric possesses anti-inflammatory propertoes and may even encourage amyloid plaque breakdown (4).
Important nutrients for brain function include B complex vitamins, particularly B12, vitamins D, C, and E, and Omega 3 fats. Meanwhile, many Alzheimer’s sufferers are deficient in vitamin D (5).

Help and Support to Optimise Your Brain Function

Lying behind Alzheimer’s are years of functional imbalances in the body. However, it’s never too late to start protecting your brain. Because of the many possible contributory factors, a great first step would be an Integrative Health Assessment, designed to establish the root causes of your health issues. Useful tests include genetic testing to reveal your inherited predispositions, microbiome assessment to discover how your gut health is affecting your brain function, and mycotoxin testing. All these can help pinpoint the root causes of your symptoms.

Start your journey to better health today by booking a discovery call.