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Did scientists just discover the cure for Alzheimer's -- or the cause?
By Alice Wessendorf on 01/22/2010
At first blush the recent research published in the Journal of American Medical Association would have us dancing in the streets. Researchers say that high levels of the fat hormone leptin were associated with fewer cases of all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer's.
What the leptin connection seems to do is open up the possibility of a preventive therapy. By identifying those at risk, those with low leptin levels, we may be able to treat people before there is ever a threat. Up the levels of leptin in at risk people and…ta da…no more future cases of Alzheimer's! But not so fast. The problem is scientists have no idea whether low levels of leptin came first or if the mental decline caused those low levels. What we have is the classic chicken or the egg dilemma.
We'll keep watching the research and let you know of any new developments. In the meantime here are some great ways to keep your brain healthy and firing on all cylinders:
- Keep moving: Staying active helps to circulate blood to the brain and helps ward off other Alzheimer's risk factors like heart disease and diabetes.
- Stay connected: Keeping in touch with friends and being socially active has been shown to reduce stress and ward off dementia.
- Change your diet: Eating a diet rich in monounsaturated fats like olive oil and antioxidant packed foods like dark- skinned fruits and vegetables can help protect your brain cells.
- Stimulate your brain: An active brain is a happy brain, and giving it a work out with mentally stimulating activities like games and crossword puzzles can keep you sharp.
- Get more sleep: Adults generally need a good eight hours of quality sleep or our health starts to suffer including our memory.
Also learn about the sugar-Alzheimer's connection and how that sugary drink may be leading you down the road to dementia.
Source:
Association of Plasma Leptin Levels With Incident Alzheimer Disease and MRI Measures of Brain Aging, Journal American Medical Association, Vol. 302 No. 23, December 16, 2009
Printer-friendly versionAbout the author
An enthusiastic believer in the power of natural healing, Alice has spent virtually her entire 17-year career in the natural-health publishing field helping to spread the word.
She is an advocate of self-education and is passionate about the power of group knowledge sharing, like the kind found right here on HealthierTalk.com. Alice loves to share her views on holistic and natural healing as well as her, sometimes contentious, thoughts on the profit-driven inner workings of traditional medicine.
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Comments
Sam Johnson
It only makes sense that eating a healthy diet would prevent many diseases. A few other things to consider might be
-- flax seed oil w/cottage cheese
-- Spirulina
-- no mercury in fillings. A single battery has too much mercury for a landfill and yet they can put amalgam in our mouths - just inches from our brains... go figure!
-- no flu vaccinations - once again 50% mercury
Alice Wessendorf
Great points Sam! Thanks for your comment.
jam427
One of the best prevention for Alzheimers is to get rid of FLOURIDE in every thing, as water for example, one of the Drs. I respect, mentions the facts that as for the tests in patients with this illness their brain contais abnormal amouts of ALUMMINUM and what do they put in our water FLOURIDE and what is this ALUMMINUM so let us get rid of this junk.
Alice Wessendorf
Juan I am willing to bet that one of our own contributors here at HealthierTalk.com--Dr. William Campbell Douglass--would agree with you. He has been very outspoken about the toxins in our water...in particular fluoride. Although he hasn't touched on the Alzheimer's issue in one of his articles here yet he has been raising the red flag and waving it wildly for a long time now.
In this Q&A here he talks a bit about the dangers of fluoride.
Carole
It's a complicated issue. Along with the other great advice here, you need to make sure that you're getting enough Omega 3s. Vitally important!
Then there are the other issues like aluminum pans, aluminum cans, the toxic chemicals in lab created foods (packaged & processed foods) and prescription drugs that destroy cell membranes and alter DNA.
As scary as that all may seem, by following the advice given above, and adding fish a couple times a week, you'll cut your risk of most diseases. It's really that simple.
Anonymous
Did you know that there's aluminum in your antiperspirant and other products you use every day?
jam427
It may be good advise for Omega 3s and so on, I found out that European countries banned Fluoride all together and some cities in the good old USA did the same, I am proud of these people, you see by loading yourself on antioxidants and drink contaminated water is like cutting yourself every day and then you just put a band aid, it is best to get read of most of the junk so the body recuperates under normal circumstances. It is obvious the contamination went far beyond our control with the blessing of our fearless leaders, so the word of mouth may help, but the written word is better, so let's act.
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