My former coworker (another life too short thread)

[Letj]

I just looked at a map of countries with the lowest dementia rates and I don't think any of them, including countries like India, North Korea, Somalia and Thailand, are known for eating Paleo diets, so I would also question the Perlmutter conclusions. Many of the countries on the bottom of the list would likely have ethnic peasant kind of diets. So I could see eating less processed foods as a factor since most of the low incidence countries also tend to be less developed.

Here is the map:
ALZHEIMERS/DEMENTIA DEATH RATE BY COUNTRY

We have a neighbor we would run into walking our dogs, and he started introducing himself to us every time we saw him, which was 2 -3 times a week.

I don't expect the countries in Grey to have high Alzheimer's rates. The lifespan is fairly short in comparison to wealthier countries. In fact, most of the countries with high rates are wealthier.


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[Letj]

Also, since healthcare and record keeping are pretty much limited and of poor quality in much of the world, I don't believe those numbers are likely to be accurate.


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[Davis65]

I wouldn't count on mental stimulation warding off dementia. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan both had it, and they seemed to have pretty challenging jobs. [Mod Edit]

With my mother, we found that she became much more alert after we moved her into a retirement home where she could socialize with other people, but the dementia continued to advance.

 

[NW-Bound]

That statistics of Alzheimer's death rate by country is very interesting. Yes, developed countries have higher rates of Alzheimer and also that of cancer, but these are old-age diseases so they go with higher life expectancy.

Here's an exceptional outlier though: Singapore. Its Alzheimer death rate is 0.19 per 100,000 vs. 45.6 for the US. Life expectancy? Singapore is at 82.2, while the US is 78.7.

Singapore has very strict laws on illicit drug use. It also bans chewing gum. Perhaps non-consumption of these add to the Alzheimer-proof ability.

 

[Georgialivin]

Cool! so it's just pot induced short term memory loss, not Alzheimer's. Excellent!

I guess I set myself up there calling it marijuana?? Okay- Cannabis oil, the same stuff that is used by cancer patients and other people with life altering disabilities, may prevent Alzheimer's. It's not "pot" and you don't smoke it. Look past the propaganda and check it out!


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[MRG]

I wouldn't count on mental stimulation warding off dementia. Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan both had it, and they seemed to have pretty challenging jobs. [Mod Edit]

With my mother, we found that she became much more alert after we moved her into a retirement home where she could socialize with other people, but the dementia continued to advance.

My parents were both physically and mentally active. Ate properly, didn't smoke, drink. Avid golfers, fishermen, played bridge, reading. Dementia found them both.

Not saying it's a bad thing to do but don't count on it.

 

[Blueskies123]

My only recommendation, and I'm at least half serious about this, is to enjoy life to the fullest

eat a healthy diet
•maintain a healthy weight
•exercise regularly
•don't drink too much alcohol, smoke too much Pot.
•stop smoking (if you smoke)
•make sure to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level


These are two posts from above are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Silver]

There are some recent neurobiology studies that point toward infections throughout life creating the blood/brain barrier plaque that causes Alzheimer's disease. Googling Alzheimer's and infections results in lots of links, but I have included just one as an example.


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/health/alzheimers-disease-infection.html?_r=0


If this eventually is found to be credible, our current belief that dementia runs in families may lead us more to the finding that infections and viruses are more prevalent in certain families, and how they can be avoided. I'm also very curious as to what role antibiotics may or may not play in all of this.

 

[Dawg52]

A golf friend's wife was just diagnosed with dementia. Seems like it came on fast with her. But her mother had it so not surprising. She's 70. I hate it for her as she enjoys golf and doing lots of things. Only been retired a couple of years.

 

[JustCurious]

Learn another language! Especially languages that use a different alphabet.

There is zero evidence that eating grains contributes to dementia. There is, however, lots of evidence that scaring people silly with made-up claims is good for book sales.

Touche.

 

[Amethyst]

I'd rather have died younger with my personality intact. Dementia is existence, not living.

Somehow, I fear Alzheimer more than other diseases, but this woman came down at 69, not a young age.

I know plenty of people who died in their 40s or 50s from cancer or heart attack. Those people would say living till 69 is not so bad.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I don't expect the countries in Grey to have high Alzheimer's rates. The lifespan is fairly short in comparison to wealthier countries. In fact, most of the countries with high rates are wealthier.

Age may be a factor, but cancer rates are higher in developed countries as well:

Comparing more & less developed countries | World Cancer Research Fund International

 

[harley]

My only recommendation, and I'm at least half serious about this, is to enjoy life to the fullest

eat a healthy diet
•maintain a healthy weight
•exercise regularly
•don't drink too much alcohol, smoke too much Pot.
•stop smoking (if you smoke)
•make sure to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level


These are two posts from above are not mutually exclusive.

Except you left out part of my post -

and make sure to do things that have a good chance of killing you quickly instead of withering away. If it doesn't work, at least you had a good time before it gets you.

Since the goal was to avoid dementia or Alzheimer's, not to live a long and healthy life.

 

[braumeister]

this woman came down at 69, not a young age.

Bite your tongue, whippersnapper!

 

[Dreaming of Freedom]

There are some recent neurobiology studies that point toward infections throughout life creating the blood/brain barrier plaque that causes Alzheimer's disease. Googling Alzheimer's and infections results in lots of links, but I have included just one as an example.


http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/26/health/alzheimers-disease-infection.html?_r=0


If this eventually is found to be credible, our current belief that dementia runs in families may lead us more to the finding that infections and viruses are more prevalent in certain families, and how they can be avoided. I'm also very curious as to what role antibiotics may or may not play in all of this.

I find this facinating!

 

[Teacher Terry]

A good friend of mine that was really smart developed it in her early 50's. A few years later she had to quit working. She stayed at home with her DH and went downhill slowly. It got so that we could only really talk about the past. But then her DH's cancer came back and was terminal and we had to put her in a home last Oct since he couldn't care for her anymore. She went downhill in a month. Now she can't carry on any kind of conversation and it not happy about where she lives. She can no longer bathe herself at age 64, etc. It is really sad. I am the only person she recognizes now.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Avoid diabetes. There is a connection.

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[Ed_The_Gypsy]

High blood pressure as well.

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[NW-Bound]

Bite your tongue, whippersnapper!

Hey, that's only 9 years away for me, and we all know 9 years go by faster than a blink of an eye.

When I was in my 20s and 30s, I thought the age of 60 and 70 is so far away, but now every year goes by so fast, it's scary.

See my signature line.

All this talk and other threads about how we save and not spend makes me want to go out and spend more. The problem is the older we get, the less we care about "stuff", and eventually not even "experience". We just want more time, but all that money cannot buy us time.

"Dust In The Wind" remains one of my favorite songs.

 

[harley]

Avoid diabetes. There is a connection.

High blood pressure as well.

And getting old.

 

[Walt34]

And getting old.

Actually, I think I do want to do that, up to a point anyway. Consider the alternatives....