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.