Alzheimer’s disease has actually shown in the literature to be an autoimmune condition. The current science suggests that the body has an excess production of antibodies that are produced to rid the brain of the amyloid plaque build up that tends to accumulate over time in individuals with Alzheimer’s (1).
It is a form of dementia that tends to present itself later in life. However, science is now showing that symptoms can be delayed and even silent for decades before the individual becomes diagnosed. This means that Alzheimer’s, while it may not be diagnosed until later in life, how you live your life in your 20s, 30, and 40s can influence your risk of developing the condition.
Full blown Alzheimer’s is a progressive form of dementia that affects daily functioning and memory and it usually starts with mild confusion and memory problems. While there is no one definitive cause, many experts believe that lack of sleep, insulin resistance, obesity, smoking, and chronic stress may send an epigenetic trigger to activate the “Alzheimer’s gene”.
Epigenetics can be thought of as “above” genetic control. How we live our lives, the environment we expose ourselves to, the foods we eat, and everything about our lifestyle can virtually turn “on or off” specific genes that tell our bodies what to do. We may have specific genes for gaining weight, but if we never expose ourselves to the environment that will turn that “fat gene” on, then we won’t gain weight. We are also learning that we may have specific genes that may determine if we get Alzheimer’s. However, if we live our lives in such a way that never expresses those genes, then we don’t have to experience the disease.
While Alzheimer’s is generally seen over the age of 65, anyone with a family history that carries the specific Alzheimer’s gene may be at risk as developing this condition in their 30s! People with down syndrome, women, and those who have had TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) are at a greater risk.
Diagnosis for Alzheimer’s is determined by several different factors such as checking for thyroid disorders, nutrient deficiencies, and checking for cognitive and memory impairments.
While there are a lot of theories being thrown around in the literature with what causes the disease, there are proven protocols that have shown efficacy in improving brain function and even improving the condition itself. While scientists have been studying Alzheimer’s for decades, they are uncovering some fascinating science that may one day lead to a cure.
Alzheimer’s Disease Natural Protocol:
1. Eat a Brain Healthy Diet
Eating food is the most intimate things we can ever do. We are literally taking something from the external environment, putting it into our bodies, and it becomes us. We really are the food we eat. We can make our bodies and cells out of cereals, Twinkies, vegetable oils, and other processed, food-like products. Or we can eat a diet that our bodies have an ancestral intelligence with that we have evolved to eat over time and expresses certain genes to live a life full of health and vitality.
The truth about it is that as a species we have eaten foods that have shaped and formed us into the humans we are today. We evolved over many millennia to eat certain types of foods that literally sculpt us and either promote health, or sickness and disease.
The further away from our original design we get, the more we can expect diseases like Alzheimer’s to steadily rise in our population. And food is one of the most fundamental ways to gain our health back. When it comes to health, and for the importance of this article, brain health, there are specific foods you can eat that have scientifically shown to support memory and cognition.
Top 4 Alzheimer’s Foods to Eat:
Antioxidants like vitamins A, C, & E - There has been science showing that free radicals may be a contributor to the development of Alzheimer’s disease (2). Electrons like to be in pairs within the body. However, due to many different factors, these electrons can become lone pairs without an attached electron. These free radical scavengers seek out to find these lone electrons to make them into a pair. During this process (while it’s completely necessary), in excess this can damage cells, proteins, and even DNA. One of the best ways to combat free radical activity is to eat more antioxidant-rich vitamins.
Vitamin A - The best source is beef liver. By far, the highest source and most bioavailable form of Vitamin A (retinol) is found in the liver of animals.
Vitamin C - Can be sourced from citrus fruits and certain vegetables. But my favorite source is from camu camu berry. It mixes easily into water and has the highest botanical source of vitamin C we know about today.
Vitamin E - Can be best sourced from nuts & seeds, as well as many types of wild caught fish and grass fed butter.
Wild caught fish - Our brains are comprised of fatty acids like EPA and DHA so eating these types of fats directly will radically help to improve our brain health (3). Best sources of EPA and DHA are:
Wild sockeye salmon from Alaska
Salmon roe
Sardines
Mackerel
Oysters
Coconut oil - Despite the faulty science that says saturated fats harm our health, this hypothesis could not be further from the truth (4, 5, 6). Coconut oil has been used for thousands of years and can actually provide the brain with ketones helping to support memory and cognitive function. There have been many instances in which individual’s with Alzheimer’s have seen dramatic improvement by adding just several tablespoons of coconut oil a day to their diets (7).
Foods high in zinc - Individuals with Alzheimer’s across the board tend to have lower levels of zinc. Choose to consume high quality sources of zinc like:
Grassfed meats
Dark chocolate (80% or higher cacao)
Pastured eggs
Pumpkin seeds
Top Alzheimer’s Foods to Avoid:
Alcohol - Alcohol-related dementia has been shown in scientific literature and can impact the frontal lobes of humans. This has been shown by decreased neuron density and altered glucose metabolism inside the brain (8).
Aluminum - Has been shown to be a neurotoxin and excess should be avoided for optimal brain health.
Tap water - May contain many types of toxins and chemicals. It’s always best to drink spring water bottled in glass. If this is not an option, chose to use reverse osmosis and add back in trace minerals to give your water structure.
Sugar and other refined grains - Alzheimer’s is being called type III diabetes by some experts. Keeping insulin levels low and eating a higher healthy fat diet, full of nutrients may help to support optimal brain function.
2. Stay a Lifelong Learner
Despite the old saying, you absolutely can teach an old dog new tricks. In fact, continuing to learn and grow as we age might just be a key factor in keeping our brains sharp (9).
Your brain is a muscle, too. If you don’t use it, you will lose it. So actively seeking out information, always staying curious, and having a strong support system is a great way to keep the brain strong and sharp as you get older. To be alert and keep yourself young, it’s vitally important you find ways to stay of service even long after you retire.
A study from the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center and Wisconsin’s Alzheimer’s Institute reviewed 284 brain scans from middle-aged individuals at greater risk for the disease. The results found that those who work jobs that are more social (doctors and teachers) they maintain better cognitive function (10).
With that being said, it’s important you stay of service even after you retire. A lot of people tie their purpose to their job. The act of retirement unconsciously says that you are no longer valuable to this world anymore and may impact your well-being.
3. Exercise for Optimal Brain Health
A lot of research is supporting the idea of exercise and brain health, more specifically HIIT and reducing the amyloid plaque build up in the brain as well as strengthening our levels of BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) (11).
Just starting out, any movement is better than no movement. So do what you most enjoy, but what we are realizing now is that high intensity interval training may be the best for optimizing our brain health and preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
To start, try this:
Doing all out sprints on an assault bike for :20 seconds, resting for two minutes, and repeating four times is a great workout that has shown to produce the same results as running for 30 minutes on a treadmill (12). So there’s no need to do endless amounts of conventional cardio when you can get the same results by doing HIIT training for one minute on the assault bike.
4. Sleep for Optimal Repair
Sleep is our body’s way to detoxify at night. It’s a very anabolic pathway and one that is needed for our body to recover properly.
Knowing that our lymphatic system doesn’t reach our heads, we have what is called the glymphatic system that is highly active while we are asleep each night. Our brain cells have even shown to shrink up to 60% while we are asleep to clear out all the junk that builds up during the day. Part of this junk is the amyloid plaque that is associated with Alzheimer’s (13).
When we aren’t sleeping (more specifically cycling through our sleep cycles appropriately) we aren’t cleansing out our brains like we should (14).
Focusing on making high-quality sleep a part of your daily routine is key to ensuring you keep your brain healthy and functioning optimally as you age. Here are some key tips to implement for a high quality sleep each night:
Keep your room nice and cool - science has shown that the optimal sleeping temperature for our environment is between 62 - 68 degrees F. Our bodies undergo a process called thermoregulation and our brain’s actually want to cool down at night to help the recovery process along. If our environment is too warm, we won’t cycle through the stages of sleep properly and clear out the amyloid plaque that has been built up.
Black out your room - Even just a tiny bit of light at night while you are sleeping can decrease your melatonin production by up to half (15). To ensure you are getting the best sleep possible, turn off all lights, invest in blackout curtains, and cover up any (and all) lights in your bedroom.
5. Create a Personalized Approach to Alzheimer’s
Just like everyone has different fingerprints, everyone who has Alzheimer’s (or at risk for developing Alzheimer’s) has an individual case.
There was 2016 study published in the journal Aging, that used a personalized approach to treat (and successfully reverse) early conditions of individuals’ Alzheimer’s. They used specific methods of exercise, diet, brain stimulation, sleep hacks, and other lifestyle modifications that worked so well that some of the participants in the study were able to return to work (16).
While each person should work with his or her own physician for his or her own unique case of Alzheimer’s, if you want to optimize your brain health I suggest working with a coach who can create a personalized program for optimal brain function and long term health.
Top Alzheimer’s Supplements to include:
Phosphatidylserine - Has been shown to increase brain cell communication, leading to better memory and cognition. This can be extremely beneficial for prevention early on in life. Take 300 mg daily or best sourced from pastured eggs and grassfed meats.
Fish oil - As described above, fish is high in DHA specifically, which is crucial for proper brain development. Take 1,000mg per day of a high quality fish oil. What’s even better is if you can take a krill oil supplement along with your fish oil pills. Krill contains a powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin, which can support brain health among a host of other beneficial factors. Take the same amount with fish oil per day.
CoQ10 - This is required for brain function and levels have shown to decrease with age (this is vitally important for the elderly). Be sure to supplement as needed or consume beef heart on a regular basis to obtain highly bioavailable sources.
Vitamin D3 - Vitamin D deficiency puts us at a greater risk for a host of many unfavorable conditions, Alzheimer’s disease being one of them (17). Getting proper sun exposure and taking over 5,000 IU per day is ideal for most instances. Work with a physician to get your levels tested and consume a high-quality Vitamin D3/K2 supplement if needed.
Gingko Biloba - This plant has documented usage for thousands of years and has been shown in recent randomized controlled trials to improve the memory and cognitive performance of demented patients (18). You can find this in pill, liquid, or powder form. Consult a physician for your own unique needs but generally up to 240 mg a day for 6 weeks has shown improvements.
Closing Thoughts:
There is still much to learn about Alzheimer’s disease and working with a trained and practicing physician is key to managing your own unique condition. The methods and protocol in this article are general recommendations and should not be used in replace of medical advice given to you by your own doctor. If you are looking for specific guidance on how to optimize brain health and function, look to work with me by taking on my Ultimate Autoimmune Reset™.
