TOM NAUGHTON ON "THE ALZHEIMER'S PROJECT"

Tom Naughton, writer, producer and star of the movie "Fat Head" wrote a blog post about the documentary "The Alzheimer's Project" and shares his feelings about his father, who has AD. 

From Tom: 

I’ve read quite a bit about Alzheimer’s in the past year, and I know now that my dad was a walking bundle of risk factors.  His mother died of the disease, although she was in her mid-eighties, not early seventies.  He took Lipitor for 20 years.  Despite being touted as wonder drug that may even help with Alzheimer’s, the truth is that memory problems are a known side-effect of statins.  Dr. Duane Graveline, a former NASA astronaut, suffered bouts of extreme confusion and memory loss until he identified Lipitor as the culprit and stopped taking it.

(And by the way, Dad still ended up with stents put in his arteries, which were 98 percent blocked.  So much for the wonders of statins.)

Dad was also a heavy smoker until he quit at age 58 – and then, like many people who give up nicotine, he developed a fondness for sweets and starches.  He gained a lot of weight.  He suffered from sleep apnea.  He showed all the signs of someone developing insulin resistance.
Which brings me back to The Alzheimer’s Project.  In one episode, they named insulin resistance as a major risk factor.  Diabetics are four times more likely to develop the disease, and people who are insulin-resistant are at three times the usual risk.  Many doctors are now referring to Alzheimer’s as Type III Diabetes.


To read his full post, click here.

MCT FATS FOUND IN COCONUT OIL BOOST BRAIN FUNCTION IN ONLY ONE DOSE

Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), the primary type of fat found within coconut oil, have been found to boost cognitive performance in older adults suffering from memory disorders as serious as Alzheimer’s — and not after months or even days of treatment, but after a single dose!

A groundbreaking 2004 study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging found that the administration of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), the primary fat type found in coconut oil, almost immediately improved cognitive function in older adults with memory disorders.

Read the full article by clicking here.

AN EXAMPLE OF A KETOGENIC MENU

The following is found at Ketogenic Diet Resource:

Here are a few examples of a daily ketogenic diet menu. As you can see, it comes down to eating controlled portions of meat, as much fat as you like, and low carb veggies. Any hunger in between meals can be handled with low carb, high fat foods like celery with cream cheese, or an slice of cheese, or a handful of macadamia nuts.

I've analyzed the entire Day 1 menu and included the results in the graphic on the right. The protein grams are a little high but at that calorie intake, the percentage of protein in relation to the percentage of fat intake is perfect.

Day 1 Menu

Breakfast

• 2 eggs, fried in butter
• 1 ounce of chopped onion, or other low carb vegetable
• 1 oz of full fat cheese
• 4 slices bacon
• coffee with 1 oz heavy cream

Lunch

• 3 cups of salad greens
• 6 oz chicken breast strips, cooked in butter or olive oil
• 4 T high fat, low carb salad dressing
• 1 ounce of full fat cheese
• 1 celery stalk with 1 oz cream cheese
• water or unsweetened flavored sparkling water or other unsweetened beverage

Dinner

• 6 oz grilled or pan fried steak
• mushrooms sauteed in butter
• broccoli or other low carb vegetable
• water or unsweetened flavored sparkling water or other unsweetened beverage
• coffee with heavy cream

To see more daily menus, click here.

From me:  I see that this day comes out to 2600 calories, which is pretty high for a normal sized person.  I would recommend cutting down the protein, which would make the percentage of fat a little bit higher.  I, for one, would gain a ton of weight eating all that protein!

HOW AXONA MILKSHAKES HELP IN ALZHEIMER'S

Axona^® is an FDA-Approved medical food that offers MCTs in a concentrated milkshake powder. MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides) are the dementia-fighting ingredient in coconut oil and other foods. See how MCTs can help dementias such as Alzheimer's.

To watch the video and read the full article, click here.

VITAMIN D & OMEGA-3 FIGHT ALZHEIMER'S' PLAQUE

Learn how Vitamin D3 & omega-3 can enhance the immune system's ability to clear a brain's amyloid plaque (Alzheimer's #1 suspect). This may prevent plaque build-up in healthy people & ease Alzheimer's decline.

In a small pilot study published in the Feb. 5 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, scientists identified key genes and signaling networks regulated by vitamin D3 and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) that may help control inflammation and improve plaque clearance.

Previous laboratory work by the team helped clarify key mechanisms involved in helping vitamin D3 clear amyloid-beta, the abnormal protein found in the plaque. The new study extends the previous findings with vitamin D3 and highlights the role of omega-3 DHA.

"Our new study sheds further light on a possible role for nutritional substances such as vitamin D3 and omega-3 in boosting immunity to help fight Alzheimer's," said study author Dr. Milan Fiala, a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  

To read the full article, click here.

UNCONVENTIONAL BUT EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR ALZHEIMER'S TREATMENT

A TEDx talk by Mary Newport, MD, who is treating her husband with coconut oil:

THE COCONUT-OIL-DEMENTIA DIET

Coconut oil for Alzheimer's is garnering a lot of media attention. It is based on the well-researched benefits of ketone-rich diets in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, Vascular and Lewy Body Dementia.  

Learn about the coconut-oil-dementia diet, a rich source of ketones & other brain-healthy nutrients.

A coconut-oil-dementia diet focuses on foods that are rich in ingredients that help the body make ketones, as well as other brain-healthy nutrients that fight dementia. Here is how it works.

Glucose

Glucose is our brains' primary energy source. Like an athlete too weak to run due to hunger, a brain with too little glucose can experience cognitive decline. That means a person will have problems thinking and remembering.

As our brains age, they "burn" glucose less efficiently. Furthermore, research has shown that a drop in glucose metabolism usually occurs in people with dementias such as Alzheimer's. This glucose-drop often occurs years before people begin to exhibit symptoms.

To address this problem, scientists began studying ketones as an alternative energy source to glucose.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

MIND YOUR MITOCHONDRIA - CAN THIS APPLY TO ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE?

I came across this TEDx video by Dr. Terry Wahls, who has radically turned around her MS with the hunter/gatherer eating lifestyle.  Yes, the video is a little long - over 17 minutes - but I think that anyone who is following this blog is motivated to take the time to listen and consider the impact this way of eating could have on other neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS.

ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE - WHAT IF THERE WAS A CURE? - BOOK EXCERPT

Here is a short excerpt from the book, where the author, Dr. Mary T. Newport (whose husband suffers from early-onset AD), finds out about a promising drug trial:

PATENT APPLICATION #20080009467

The first item to pop up was a 2008 patent application... on www.freepatentsonline.com.  This was a continuation of a patent application that was originally submitted by Samuel Henderson, Ph.D., executive director of research at Accera, in May 2000.  I printed out the seventy-five-page document and began to read it.  After several pages of legalese, there was a well-written summary of what was known about Alzheimer's Disease at that time in relation to their invention.  It talked about beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, but also about a problem with glucose transport into neurons.  It said that researchers have discovered that neurons in certain areas of the brain in Alzheimer's Disease are unable to use glucose and that this same problem occurs in other neorodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease and Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS), but in different parts of the brain.

This rang a bell because I had previously come across research about the problem of glucose transport in Alzheimer's patients by William Klein, Ph.D., and others (Klein, 2008).  Researchers described a problem with the location of insulin receptors, which would normally be found on the surface of the cell membranes but are not.  The hormone insulin is needed for glucose to enter cells.  Insulin attaches to the receptor on the cell membrane, initiating a chain of metabolic events that allows glucose into the cell where it is converted eventually into the energy molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP).  ATP is necessary for the cell to function and maintains its very life.  Some scientists had even begun to call Alzheimer's Disease a "type 3" diabetes (de la Monte, 2005), a concept that will be discussed at length in Chapter 13.

The patent application then described the "invention," which was based on the known fact that neurons can use a type of fuel other than glucose called ketones or ketone bodies.  Ketones are transported into the cell by a different mechanism than glucose and therefore, if available in the bloodstream, can bypass the glucose/insulin transport problem and provide fuel for neurons and other brain cells, potentially keeping them alive.

You can order the book here, or check it out at your local library.

The book I have been quoting from was published in 2011.  The new addition is being released on April 15, 2013.  The first edition of Alzheimer's Disease: What if There Was a Cure?, which details Dr. Newport's discovery and use of medium-chain fatty acids (which act like alternative fuel in the Alzheimer's brain), had such a strong reception in 2011 that a second edition is now in demand. In this updated and expanded version, Dr. Newport, a neonatal practitioner, continues the story of her husband Steve's progress and provides the most recent research on the possible connection between Alzheimer's disease and the herpes simplex virus and nitrosamine substances, as well as how infection, inflammation, and genetic makeup may affect an individual's response to fatty acid therapy. Among many other updates, Dr. Newport details the latest clinical trials aimed at removing beta-amyloid, which accumulates in the Alzheimer's brain.

I pre-ordered the book a few weeks ago and expect to receive it in a few days.  

80 USES FOR COCONUT OIL - HEALTH IMPACT NEWS

 So what’s the deal with coconut oil, and how much should you take daily for general health and disease prevention?


Offering a myriad of health benefits, coconut oil is affordable, readily available and completely natural. I have completely fallen in love with coconut oil and use it for EVERYTHING. Literally. I buy it in 5 gallon increments and keep it all over my house. I even have some in the car. So here is a little information to inspire you to check out this amazing oil including 80 uses for it!


General information about Coconut Oil
Coconut Oil Is:
·       Anti-inflammatory
·       Antimicrobial
·       Antifungal
·       Antiviral
·       Improves nutrient absorption

Daily Dosage:

Here is a chart outlining the recommended daily dosage of virgin coconut oil for persons over the age of 12. Coconut oil may be consumed by children under 12 but it is advisable to check with a healthcare practitioner on the proper dosage. Any good naturopath will have the information at the ready.

(Editor’s note: the amounts below are for “general” health and maintenance. Depending on why one is taking coconut oil, and what they hope to accomplish, the amount can be much greater. For example, many people seeing positive results for neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s are reporting that they are consuming up to 9 tablespoons a day or more to see positive results. For those just starting, amounts much less than these below should be started until the body is used to consuming high amounts of fat. The most common side effect of taking too much coconut oil is diarrhea.)

Weight in pounds/kilograms	Number of tablespoons of coconut oil daily
175+/79+	4
150+ /68+	3 1/2
125+ / 57+	3
100+/ 45+	2 1/2
75+ / 34+	2
50+ / 23+	1 1/2
25+ / 11+	1

Type to use:

·       Expeller pressed coconut oil can be used for anything. It does not have a coconutty smell of taste.
·       Virgin coconut oil tastes coconutty and is great for cooking and baking where you want that flavor.
·       Food grade should always be used.

To read the rest of the article, including the 80 uses for coconut oil, click here.

KETOGENIC DIET RESOURCE - ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CARE

Studies on neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers Disease have demonstrated that the ketogenic diet may not only provide some relief of symptoms, but could also reverse some of the brain cell death processes associated with these diseases.

Researchers at Brown University in Rhode Island have coined the term "Type 3 Diabetes" in relation to the structural changes found in the brains of Alzheimers patients.

Several studies have demonstrated that the "neurofibrillary tangles" of proteins found in the brains of Alzheimers patients are in part caused by a lack of insulin sensitivity in the brain, and just as in Type 2 Diabetic patients, the disease begins as a sort of insulin resistance.

The difference is that instead of the insulin resistance being in the liver, the resistance is in the brain cells.

This insulin resistance results in a reduced ability to metabolize glucose in the brain, which sets up a scenario where brain cells begin to malfunction due to lack of cellular fuel.

Read the full article here.

BRAIN SHRINKAGE? TRANS FATS LINK TO ALZHEIMER'S

For years, doctors have been advising Americans not to consume trans fats. But do you really stay away from them?

What if trans fats cause the onset of Alzheimer's disease? That question led to an investigation at Portland's Oregon Health and Science University, led by Dr. Gene Bowman. 

"We're interested in things that might have a role in the prevention of Alzheimer's disease," he said. "But we're also looking for things that actually might be causing the disease." 

Read the full article here.

COCONUT OIL FOR ALZHEIMER'S - LOW CARB DOWN UNDER

Another article, including a video, about a man who started suffering from memory loss and depression, who completely turned it around and recovered by using coconut oil.

Click here to read the full article and see the video.

IS COCONUT OIL GOOD FOR ALZHEIMER'S?

Coconut oil is Alzheimer's most popular and most controversial non-drug treatment. See how it works. Learn about a new study on its effectiveness by Florida's Byrd Alzheimer's Institute.  Click here to learn more.