Bonding Over Books

Reading to Alzheimer's patients can help them interact with family and friends--even after verbal exchanges have become difficult. Even in the latter stages of the disease, many patients enjoy having books read to them. Research has shown that listening to familiar music can engage Alzheimer's patients, and listening to books appears to have a similar effect. --New York Times, April 22, 2010.

Suzanne

Think purple and prevent Alzheimer`s Disease, Parkinson`s and Multiple Sclerosis

by John Phillip, citizen journalist

(NaturalNews) The world of natural science is rapidly painting a clear picture that helps us better understand the underlying mechanism behind devastating diseases including Alzheimer`s, Parkinson`s and Multiple Sclerosis. Researchers are revealing that these illnesses develop as a result of poor dietary and lifestyle choices and can be prevented by adopting a raw, organic diet including plenty of purple colored fruits and vegetables.

Study Implicates Unbound Iron with Declining Brain Health
Excess iron in the blood is associated with an increased risk for heart disease and heart attack and new research now highlights the metal with a decline in brain health. The results of a study published in the journal [i]Archives of Toxicology[/b] show that the brain is particularly sensitive to unbound iron that crosses the blood-brain barrier to cause free radical damage as well as toxins known as hydroxyl radicals.

Purple Berries are Excellent Iron Chelators
In order to protect yourself from these damaging iron particles it`s necessary to ensure a healthy intake of binding nutrients known as iron chelators. Purple fruits and vegetables are a particularly potent source of compounds that bind tightly with iron particles to neutralize their effect on the brain. Blueberries, and acai berries and have been cited as excellent foods that help protect the brain.

This study underscores the importance of avoiding red meat due to its source of unbound iron. Most of the iron in red meat is unbound and is freely released into the blood where it can wreak havoc throughout the body. Conversely, vegetarian sources of iron such as leafy greens and spinach are tightly bound with fiber and do not elevate iron levels. The study author noted that the antioxidant effect of vitamin C is negated with high levels of unbound iron and is dramatically improved with a diet high in vegetables and fruits.

Acai Berry Extract Shown to Improve Brain Housekeeping
A significant pathway that leads to declining brain health occurs when the normal cellular housekeeping cycle is disrupted in a process known as autophagy. Researchers from the USDA`s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging have found that berry extracts can enhance the process of housekeeping in aging adults in part due to their powerful antioxidant properties.

Anthocyanins in the skins of the berry protect against the pro-inflammatory agents including COX-2 and TNF-alpha. The researchers conclude: "these results suggest that acai may contribute to `health span` in aging, as it is able to combat some of the inflammatory and oxidative mediators of aging at the cellular level". Acai berries can be consumed in their natural form, as a concentrated drink or as a supplemented extract.

The purple compounds found in the skins of many fruits and vegetables are important to brain health as they are able to cross the critical blood-brain barrier. Extensive research demonstrates that these chemical structures help to reduce brain inflammation and bind with iron to protect sensitive brain cells. Be certain to include a variety of purple foods to naturally protect your brain and lower your risk from devastating diseases that threaten your ability to walk, learn, think and make new memories.

Article References:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/release...
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com...
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Res...

Suzanne

This speaks of iron in the context of red meat. Does this not apply to other forms of flesh? (i.e., the problem of iron being unbound only applies to red meat).

B Vitamins Proven To Slow Progression of Dementia, Alzheimer's

by David Gutierrez, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Mega-doses of B vitamins may significantly slow brain shrinkage and slow the progression of dementia, according to a study conducted by researchers from Oxford University and published in the journal PLoS One.

"This is a very dramatic and striking result," lead researcher David Smith said. "It's much more than we could have predicted."

"It is our hope that this simple and safe treatment will delay development of Alzheimer's in many people who suffer from mild memory problems."

Researchers assigned 168 people suffering from mild cognitive impairment to take either a placebo or a pill containing 15 times the recommended daily dose of vitamin B6, four times the recommended dose of B9 and 300 times the recommended dose of B12. These vitamins are known to lower levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Approximately 50 percent of people who suffer from mild cognitive impairment eventually develop a more severe form of dementia.

On average, the brains of patients taking the vitamins shrank at half the rate of those taking a placebo. The benefit was most pronounced in patients whose homocysteine levels were high at the start of the study.

An estimated 35 million people around the world suffer from dementia, including 26.6 million with Alzheimer's disease. In the United States, Alzheimer's rates are estimated at 1.2 percent of the general population, climbing to as high as 42 percent of those older than 84.

"Clearly, in the Western World, dementia is not a rare problem," write doctors Abram Hoffer and Harold D. Foster in Feel Better, Live Longer with Vitamin B-3.

"Indeed, R. Katzman and colleagues have argued that in people more than 75 years of age, new cases of dementia occur as frequently as myocardial infarction and twice as often as stroke."

The authors note that Hoffman has been prescribing vitamin B3 to patients who show preliminary signs of age-related cognitive impairment since 1955.

To learn more about how to fight disease with nutrition, read the free NaturalNews.com report "Nutrition Can Save America!" at
http://www.naturalnews.com/report_N....

Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS... http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/....

Suzanne

This link is probably not complete as it isn't working:

http://www.naturalnews.com/report_N....

Can this be verified by other sources?

I am really wondering about the above quoted portion.

It's copied from a website and therefore the links only copy across as the visible display part. You'd have to go to the site she's getting the page from to be able to click on it.

From the beginning of the post, it's probably from naturalnews so you could go there and search for the title or author.

Or maybe Suzanne could give a link to her posts?

A sound sleep may be a solid defense against memory loss and Alzheimer's disease

by John Phillip

(NaturalNews) Alzheimer's disease presently ranks as the sixth leading cause of death in the US, as the number of new cases is projected to triple by the year 2050 and affect as many as sixteen million people. The result of a new study presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting has found that the level and duration of quality sleep may later affect memory function and the risk of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

Researchers determined that poor quality sleep is associated with the build-up of neural tangles between synapses that is associated with the loss of ability to form new memories and progression of Alzheimer's dementia. Making time for seven to nine hours of uninterrupted sleep each night may be a crucial factor to Alzheimer's risk reduction as we age.

A Good Night's Sleep Dramatically Lowers Risk of Developing Brain Plaques and Alzheimer's Disease

The lead study author, Dr. Yo-El Ju from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis noted "Disrupted sleep appears to be associated with the build-up of amyloid plaques, a hallmark marker of Alzheimer's disease, in the brains of people without memory problems". In an effort to determine the link between poor sleep habits and cognitive decline, researchers tested the sleep patterns of 100 people between the ages of 45 and 80 who were free of dementia.

Half of the participants tested had a family history of Alzheimer's disease, while a second control group had no familial history of the disease. A special device used to measure sleep patterns was placed on all participants for a period of two weeks to assess quality and depth of sleep time. Additionally, sleep diaries and questionnaires were employed to further analyze sleep cycles.

The study found that 25% of the subjects tested showed signs of amyloid plaques, a consistent marker of Alzheimer's disease progression. Although the participant's averaged 8 hours of sleep each night, this was reduced to 6.5 hours due to sleep disruptions during the night that affected the total sleep time and quality of deep sleep required by the brain to perform repair functions.

Those who did not wake up frequently during the night were 5 times less likely to possess the amyloid plaque build-up compared to those who slept poorly or less than 7 total hours. Participants who did not sleep well were significantly more likely to exhibit the amyloid markers associated with cognitive decline resulting in Alzheimer's disease.

Although this study did not provide a direct reason for the finding, scientists believe that the amyloid protein clumps and tangles that occur as a normal process of metabolism in the brain are only cleared during quality sleep time and duration of 7 to 9 hours each night. In addition to the myriad of lifestyle and dietary patterns presently known to help prevent most chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's, a good night's sleep in a totally dark room with no interruptions should now be added to the top of the risk reduction list.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.aan.com

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241729.php

http://www.cbsnews.com

Suzanne

Exercise Reduces Dementia Risk

Any exercise that gets the heart pumping may reduce dementia risk and slow the condition's progress once it begins, according to a study from the Mayo Clinic. The researchers broadly defined exercise as enough aerobic activity to raise the heart rate and increase the body's need for oxygen. Walking, working out in a gym, and chores such as shoveling snow and raking leaves were provided as examples.

"We culled through all the scientific literature we could find on the subject of exercise and cognition, says J. Eric Ahlskog, MD, PhD, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic. "You can made a very compelling argument for exercise as a disease-modifying strategy to prvent dementia and mild cognitive impairment, and for favorably modifying these processes once they have developed." --Taste for Live, November 2011.

Suzanne

Resveratrol may be the missing link to prevent and even treat Alzheimer's disease

by John Phillip

(NaturalNews) Incidence of Alzheimer's disease cases continue to explode at an unprecedented rate as processed food diets, overweight and obesity become the norm for middle and senior aged adults in the US and most western societies. By the year 2050, it's projected that 13.2 million adults will suffer from this degenerative disease that ranks as the sixth leading cause of death, with many suffering early signs of the condition at earlier ages. Any natural compound that can be shown to prevent or even treat Alzheimer's disease would be a potent therapeutic tool.

Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center's Memory Disorders Program have embarked on a mission to demonstrate that resveratrol can affect memory deterioration and daily functioning in people with mild to moderate dementia due to Alzheimer's disease. Resveratrol is a natural compound found in red grapes, red grape juice, red wine, chocolate, tomatoes and peanuts. In prior studies, the polyphenol has been shown to help prevent diabetes, act as a natural cancer fighter, ward off cardiovascular disease, and prevent memory loss.

Resveratrol study to confirm the benefits of resveratrol to thwart Alzheimer's disease

As the risk of many chronic conditions increase with aging, resveratrol exhibits unique characteristics as it has been shown to impede telomere shortening and extend natural cell life and activity. Resveratrol has also been shown to improve glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, two mechanisms known to speed the aging process.

Researchers will examine the direct impact of pure resveratrol supplementation on neural aging and amyloid protein clearance. Recent research has suggested that Alzheimer's disease may result from insulin resistance specifically in the brain, and as resveratrol is known to cross the blood-brain barrier, the compound may prevent faulty insulin signaling that promotes the degenerative condition.

This is the largest and most extensive study of its kind developed to validate the brain health benefits of resveratrol. Researchers will recruit participants from 26 U.S. academic institutions that are affiliated with the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study around the country. This study is unique because it is designed to demonstrate the impact of a natural compound and not a patentable pharmaceutical drug.

Resveratrol is supplied in small amounts from dietary sources including red grapes, red wine, chocolate and tomatoes. Nutrition experts recommend supplementing with a pure extract (20 to 500 mg per day) for optimal protection against Alzheimer's disease and a myriad of chronic conditions.

Sources for this article include:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/245346.php
http://www.examiner.com
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-05/gumc-gpl050812.php

Suzanne