Reducing dementia risk

[daylatedollarshort]

Thank you for bringing up these studies. I have seen some of them and I hope they are on to something. I also would encourage people to live a healthy life style, as suggested in these studies. I don’t want to appear overly negative, but according to NIH:

“Although scientists have conducted many studies, and more are ongoing, so far nothing has been proven to prevent or delay dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease.”

I do try to eat right and live a healthy lifestyle, but do so knowing these things may or may not help.

Also from the NIH:

"The National Institute on Aging reports a small study with big hopes for those facing cognitive decline. Ten patients were presented with a comprehensive and personalized therapeutic program....The study was small; however, the therapy program did produce promising outcomes. Moreover, the programs were customized to the patient and included bullet points beyond what is mentioned above. Of the 10 patients, nine demonstrated improvement. Six of the patients whose condition had a major impact on job performance were all able to return to work and work without difficulty." Source: https://www.medcor.com/hope-for-reversing-cognitive-decline-might-be-on-the-horizon/

 

[donheff]

Also from the NIH:

"The National Institute on Aging reports a small study with big hopes for those facing cognitive decline. Ten patients were presented with a comprehensive and personalized therapeutic program....The study was small; however, the therapy program did produce promising outcomes. Moreover, the programs were customized to the patient and included bullet points beyond what is mentioned above. Of the 10 patients, nine demonstrated improvement. Six of the patients whose condition had a major impact on job performance were all able to return to work and work without difficulty." Source: https://www.medcor.com/hope-for-reversing-cognitive-decline-might-be-on-the-horizon/

I didn't notice the NIH interventions listed above, if I missed them sorry for the redundancy. They are simple enough to be important:

"Lifestyle highlights of the therapy program include:

Following a low glycemic, low inflammatory, low grain diet to minimize insulin resistance and inflammation.
Not eating three hours prior to bedtime to allow for a 12-hour fast each night during sleep time.
Daily yoga, meditation, or music for stress reduction.
Optimize sleep by aiming for at least eight hours nightly.
Physical activity four to six times per week consisting of 30-60 minute sessions."

 

[harllee]

I didn't notice the NIH interventions listed above, if I missed them sorry for the redundancy. They are simple enough to be important:

"Lifestyle highlights of the therapy program include:

Following a low glycemic, low inflammatory, low grain diet to minimize insulin resistance and inflammation.
Not eating three hours prior to bedtime to allow for a 12-hour fast each night during sleep time.
Daily yoga, meditation, or music for stress reduction.
Optimize sleep by aiming for at least eight hours nightly.
Physical activity four to six times per week consisting of 30-60 minute sessions."

YAH! I do all those things already! I also drink a glass of white wine per day (can't drink red wine--it stuffs my nose up). Was there anything about drinking a glass of wine?

 

[donheff]

YAH! I do all those things already! I also drink a glass of white wine per day (can't drink red wine--it stuffs my nose up). Was there anything about drinking a glass of wine?

Not in the brief summary the NIH link led to. I used to have a glass of white every night with dinner but I have stopped recently. Instead I now have two fingers of bourbon while reading after dinner.

 

[calmloki]

I don't know anything about that, but I do know there are many areas of the word where cognitive decline isn't common in the elderly. In the U.S. one of those identified areas is Loma Linda.

"When I was first at Loma Linda University Medical Center in 2008, our data showed that less than 5 percent of our older patients had dementia. But when we went to communities right next door to Loma Linda, we saw markedly increased rates of dementia and stroke. This huge disparity confirmed the influence that community and lifestyle have on Alzheimer’s. Our patients in Loma Linda, as you know, have very different lifestyles than the average American: they are Seventh-Day Adventists, eat mostly vegetarian meals, exercise regularly, and have strong family and community ties....Based on our clinical work and over 300 scientific papers, we outline a proven program to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and reverse cognitive decline in The Alzheimer’s Solution.....The most important thing to know is that Alzheimer’s disease is avoidable for the majority of people." https://www.bluezones.com/2017/09/researchers-say-alzheimers-disease-cases-preventable-find/


Then there is this study -
Alzheimer's like symptoms reversed in mice
"You don't have to wait 10 to 12 years for a designer drug to make it to market; you can make these dietary changes today," said senior author Terrence Town, a professor of physiology and neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine of USC's Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. "I find that very encouraging."

The Finnish FINGER study found lifestyle changes did reverse cognitive decline in test subjects. If you do a search for terms like Alzheimer's not inevitable, or reversing cognitive decline, you'll see many promising articles and research reports like these.

I'd be a terrible scientist/researcher. Can you imagine the patience and focus it takes to convert mice to Seventh Day Adventists?

Gal's mother was in Loma Linda for several weeks for a brain bleed and we hung out there. No coffee was a bit tough, but the care that was received and the results were remarkable. Without any reservation Loma Linda was the best. Still tear up thinking about the physical therapy that got MIL up and walking again. Amazing caring competent people.

 

[RAE]

I didn't notice the NIH interventions listed above, if I missed them sorry for the redundancy. They are simple enough to be important:

"Lifestyle highlights of the therapy program include:

Following a low glycemic, low inflammatory, low grain diet to minimize insulin resistance and inflammation.
Not eating three hours prior to bedtime to allow for a 12-hour fast each night during sleep time.
Daily yoga, meditation, or music for stress reduction.
Optimize sleep by aiming for at least eight hours nightly.
Physical activity four to six times per week consisting of 30-60 minute sessions."

These are all things that I try to do, and not just to try to prevent dementia/Alzheimer's. There is a fair amount of evidence that many of these things may help you avoid a lot of chronic diseases. Alzheimer's is sometimes known as Type 3 diabetes (or "diabetes of the brain"), so anything you can do to maintain good metabolic health is probably going to help you reduce your chances of not only becoming diabetic, but probably help maintain good brain health also.

 

[audreyh1]

I didn't notice the NIH interventions listed above, if I missed them sorry for the redundancy. They are simple enough to be important:

"Lifestyle highlights of the therapy program include:

Following a low glycemic, low inflammatory, low grain diet to minimize insulin resistance and inflammation.
Not eating three hours prior to bedtime to allow for a 12-hour fast each night during sleep time.
Daily yoga, meditation, or music for stress reduction.
Optimize sleep by aiming for at least eight hours nightly.
Physical activity four to six times per week consisting of 30-60 minute sessions."

Thanks much for extracting and sharing that link. Considering that someone with type 2 diabetes is much more likely to develop dementia, minimizing insulin resistance and inflammation would seem like a critical intervention!

 

[Navigator]

Also from the NIH:

"The National Institute on Aging reports a small study with big hopes for those facing cognitive decline. Ten patients were presented with a comprehensive and personalized therapeutic program....The study was small; however, the therapy program did produce promising outcomes. Moreover, the programs were customized to the patient and included bullet points beyond what is mentioned above. Of the 10 patients, nine demonstrated improvement. Six of the patients whose condition had a major impact on job performance were all able to return to work and work without difficulty." Source: https://www.medcor.com/hope-for-reversing-cognitive-decline-might-be-on-the-horizon/

It is a small but encouraging study. The fact that it was personalized to each patient leaves me wondering what I should do now, though. Let’s hope this research holds up in larger studies.

 

[Amethyst]

Sigh. Reflux, with associated sinus and ear irritation, gets me up nightly. I've done everything I've ever heard of to get ahead of it, but it just seems to be my cross to bear. I now realize that what I thought of, and treated as, "allergies" since my 30's was probably the development of GERD.

As a result, I sleep only about 5 hours a night. Because I'm retired, I can usually take a couple of hours' nap, but that gets to be a pain when everything that needs doing, is during the day.

It seems to have gotten worse since I've been undergoing Invisalign treatment, although I can't imagine how they could be connected.

"Lifestyle highlights of the therapy program include:


Optimize sleep by aiming for at least eight hours nightly.

 

[davebarnes]

with associated sinus and ear irritation...It seems to have gotten worse since I've been undergoing Invisalign treatment, although I can't imagine how they could be connected.

Your teeth are very close to your sinus cavity.
Some people cannot get implants because the space between teeth roots and sinus cavity is too thin.

 

[Skitso999]

I'm a believer in taking one aspirin (325 mg) every day. There've been miscellaneous studies that lend some credence to that.

 

[Amethyst]

Yes, I am one of those people who can't get upper jaw implants. Good thing the Invisalign trays do not have to stay in forever, unlike implants.

Your teeth are very close to your sinus cavity.
Some people cannot get implants because the space between teeth roots and sinus cavity is too thin.

 

[Bongleur]

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigNick View Post
We could practically eliminate dementia overnight if we encouraged Ättestupa for the over-60s, but I don't see that course of action having many takers here.

Well, sure, but we're too obese to make it up to the top of the cliff, so that's clearly a nonstarter.

Dying from that heart attack on the way up is equivalent.

 

[harllee]

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigNick View Post
We could practically eliminate dementia overnight if we encouraged Ättestupa for the over-60s, but I don't see that course of action having many takers here.



Dying from that heart attack on the way up is equivalent.

I had to look up "Attestupa", a very chilling concept for someone already 69! Of course I know some people under age 60 with early onset dementia. Covid-19 may eliminate some dementia since it is mainly killing us old geezers.

 

[davebarnes]

https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Hurling_Day
From a great show.

 

[Navigator]

Just saw a study of 7500 people that indicates that it is eating fish that is responsible for the lower dementia rates of people on a Mediterranean diet: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32285590/

Unfortunately, the study found: “Closer Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment but not slower decline in cognitive function.” This seems to indicate that diet can delay the start of dementia, but once it starts it follows its normal course.

 

[sengsational]

“Closer Mediterranean diet adherence was associated with lower risk of cognitive impairment but not slower decline in cognitive function.”

Let me rephrase this...

A lower risk of cognitive impairment was associated with closer Mediterranean diet adherence

So, basically, those that weren't loosing their marbles managed to stick to their diet better.

 

[eytonxav]

I recruited a guy that I played softball with several years ago to play on our team this year. He has been suffering with dementia for several years and this will be his last year of playing. He has very good physical abilities, but has problems finding his bat and glove, does not know what to do with the the ball if it comes to him, and can only run to first base as beyond that he doesn't know when to stop. His wife told me how much he is enjoying playing and I am glad we were able to provide some happiness for him. It is quite sad to see how this formerly great player has declined, and it's even noticeable as this season has progressed.

 

[Amethyst]

So much for fitness preventing marble loss!

I recruited a guy that I played softball with several years ago to play on our team this year. He has been suffering with dementia for several years and this will be his last year of playing. He has very good physical abilities, but has problems finding his bat and glove, does not know what to do with the the ball if it comes to him, and can only run to first base as beyond that he doesn't know when to stop. His wife told me how much he is enjoying playing and I am glad we were able to provide some happiness for him. It is quite sad to see how this formerly great player has declined, and it's even noticeable as this season has progressed.

 

[Mo Money]

I'll do what I can to reduce my risk, and am grateful for whatever science suggests.

Today, I drive to my parents' house to pick up my mom. I am taking her to a dementia ward at the local nursing home for the rest of her days. Rack rate of $375 per day for a shared room -- with expenses, about $140K per year.

Thank heavens we did some planning with an eldercare lawyer. That was, and is, worth every penny.

Prevent, plan, persevere.

 

[eytonxav]

So much for fitness preventing marble loss!

I suspect in his case, it had progressed for too long and the exercise would not mitigate.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

That is interesting, as magnesium may help with hearing loss recovery, and can be a factor in cognitive decline and depression as well. Like cognitive decline, depression seems to have many factors, but magnesium is the only nutrient I remember reading about that may reverse hearing loss.

I'm updating my own post today. A friend asked me to help research hearing loss and diet. Apparently there's a ton of nutrients that can help above and beyond magnesium. It is sad that none of the doctors this person has seen even mentioned diet with hundreds, maybe thousands, of papers out there on Pubmed and related articles on the Internet.

Related article: “A common perception is that hearing loss is an inevitable part of the aging process. However, our research focuses on identifying potentially modifiable risk factors — that is, things that we can change in our diet and lifestyle to prevent hearing loss or delay its progression,” said lead author Sharon Curhan, MD, a physician and epidemiologist in the Brigham’s Channing Division of Network Medicine in a press release about the study. “The benefits of adherence to healthful dietary patterns have been associated with numerous positive health outcomes and eating a healthy diet may also help reduce the risk of hearing loss.”
https://www.docwirenews.com/home-page-editor-picks/eating-a-healthydiet-reduces-risk-of-hearingloss/

One of the first things I found was a link to vitamin D and hearing. My friend had a test and was very low in vitamin D. Plus many of the same nutrients that can prevent heart attacks and stoke can help prevent hearing loss.

 

[Amethyst]

OTOH, my surmise was that he has been fit and active all his life, but in the end, it made no difference.

I suspect in his case, it had progressed for too long and the exercise would not mitigate.

 

[TimeMeasure]

I recruited a guy that I played softball with several years ago to play on our team this year. He has been suffering with dementia for several years and this will be his last year of playing.

It’s kind of you to actively reach out and engage someone with dementia in activities that they (and you) enjoy. That is somewhat rare, and shows class. It’s more common that people with dementia experience less and less interaction with friends (and even with family).

 

[eytonxav]

OTOH, my surmise was that he has been fit and active all his life, but in the end, it made no difference.

Ah, I see your point. Anyhow being fit is generally good for most things that ail you.

It’s kind of you to actively reach out and engage someone with dementia in activities that they (and you) enjoy. That is somewhat rare, and shows class. It’s more common that people with dementia experience less and less interaction with friends (and even with family).

Thanks, I felt it was the right thing to do, although some did not like it. But heck, it's a recreational league and while we like winning and having strong players; friendship, fun and exercise are the main objectives.