It is proven that a diet can become a lifestyle when one understands the rationale behind it. We provide this Anti-Alzheimer’s diet so you may eat, play, and live a fulfilling life that will help you or your aging loved ones fight Alzheimer’s disease.

In This Article:

Anti-Alzheimer’s Diet
Fish Oil Can Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

Exercise To Stay Healthy and Fit
Pre Diabetes
Exercise and Free Radicals
Cholesterol and The Brain
Importance of Nut Consumption
Co-Enzyme Q

The Anti-Alzheimer’s Diet

Here are some diet tips that will help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease:

Tip #1 – Do a Kitchen Overhaul

Get rid of all highly-processed foods, foods high in sodium, and foods with high doses of bad fats, sugar, and white flour. These are brain-killers. Also, avoid foods that are high in corn syrup, MSG, salt, sugar substitutes, transfats, saturated fats, or partially hydrogenated oils.

Tip #2 – Go Shopping

Fill your refrigerator and cupboards with “The Golden Dozen” foods that boost the brain and are proven to help keep insulin levels balanced, if eaten in the proper proportions, and block inflammation and harmful free radicals in the brain. Recommended foods include: berries, apples, fish, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, low-fat dairy, greens, dried beans, soy, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and whole grains.

Tip #3 – Follow the One-Third Rule

Follow the harmonic method of eating, equally distributing your calories amongst good fat, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates throughout the day. A third of your daily calories consumption should consist of very lean protein, including fish, lean meats, poultry, eggs, soy products, nuts and seeds, and low-fat dairy. Another third should come from good fats, including olive oil, grape seed oil, peanut oil, flaxseed oil, olives, avocadoes, and nuts. Another third is from complex carbohydrates, such as fruits and brown rice.

“Along with weight loss, when you follow the Anti-Alzheimer’s Diet, you can lower your blood pressure, bad cholesterol, levels of C-reactive protein and risk for metabolic syndrome – all health conditions that increase the chance of Alzheimer’s,” concludes Dr. Fortanasce.
Dr. Fortanasce also suggests taking a number of supplements to stave off Alzheimer’s, including:

  • A multivitamin that doesn’t contain copper.
  • 800 micrograms of folic acid daily.
  • 1000 mg twice-a-day of fish oil.
  • Supplements with antioxidants: Vitamins C and E and selenium.
  • A baby aspirin daily.
  • A glass of red wine daily or Brite Shield, a supplement that contains both turmeric and resveratrol.
  • Co-enzyme Q10 if you’re on cholesterol lowering drugs (Statins)

To learn more about the Anti-Alzheimer’s Diet, Read the Anti-Alzheimer’s Prescription.


Diet Ideas For Fighting Alzheimer’s Disease

Fish Oil Can Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

The Archives of Neurology showed that patient’s eating fish oil supplements at Karolinski Institute in Stockholm Sweden where they examined 174 patients with mild cognitive impairment. They found that there was a significant slower decline after six months in the treated group then in the placebo group. The patients were being treated with EPA 0.6gm and 1.7gm of BHA per day.

This, once again, we know that eating fish three times a day showed patient have half the likelihood of having Alzheimer’s disease, however, it has never really been certain that if supplements will help. This study supports that contention.

Exercise To Stay Healthy and Fit

The ten count thousand steps a day versus aerobic exercise must be looked at with new light. Ten thousand step idea started in Japan ten years ago and it has really taken off in North America; however, it may not be as good as moderate exercise aerobic program. The average per day three to five thousand steps, two thousand steps equal one mile, ten thousand equaling five miles may be better if one keeps their pulse at a higher rate which does not necessarily occur with the ten thousand steps. The Archives of Internal Medicine note; 30 minutes of walking per day equals ten to twelve miles per week and can prevent weight gain. With looking at the ten thousand steps a day without a doubt it is a great idea to get the people going. But, one should not rest at that and should include a moderate aerobic exercise program in addition.

Pre Diabetes

If you have pre-diabetes, or what we call insulin-resistant diabetes, the statistics are that you have a 75% chance of getting diabetes mellitus within 30 years. If born in the USA, there is one in three chances of getting Type II diabetes at present time with the diet that we have. It is a true epidemic.

You can change your chances of getting it and be in that two-thirds that have it with diet and exercise. First, the risk factors for having pre-diabetes is:

  1. Knowing your family history or having a family history of diabetes.
  2. If you are African-American, Latino, or from the Asian Pacific Rim.
  3. If you developed gestational diabetes, that is diabetes during your carrying a child.
  4. If you had a baby more than 9 pounds.
  5. If you have hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and are overweight, especially with a BMI over 30.

It is important to obtain a glucose tolerance test. If, after two hours of ingestion of the substance they give you, your blood sugar is over 200, you probably have diabetes mellitus. If it ranges between 141-199 you are in the pre-diabetic state. If less than 140, you are normal.

Exercise and Free Radicals

I want you to know that there are good and there are bad free radicals. Free radicals, as you remember, are molecules that have a better seeking in an extra electron and are unstable. However, some of these free radicals are good and they help kill bacteria and other invaders of the body. Also, they tells cells to start or stop making various proteins, which is important. Exercise boosts the good free radicals by creating cells to boost the body’s control and immune system.

Cholesterol and The Brain

This is from Harvard Medical School March 2007, Men’s Health Watch.
The brain has 2% of the weight of the body, however, contains 25% of total cholesterol. This cholesterol is contained in the myelin or the sheath that covers the nerves. It is both for nutrition and for protection and insulation.

Some statins, that is drugs like Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor, enter the blood brain barrier and others do not. Those that are lipid soluble like Lipitor do, others that are water soluble like Pravachol do not. The brain depends on an enzyme HNG-Coenzyme A reductase to produce cholesterol. Cholesterol, as you know, is very important in the production of hormones, besides the membranes that are around all cells, which are essential for its integrity. Statins inhibit cholesterol production, especially the LDL.

In 1960, Clofibrate was produced that decreased cholesterol; however, was noted to be associated with increased violence and suicide. Recent experience, however, with statins does not bare this out. The MRSIT study evaluated 12,866 patients between 35 and 57 and in this study lowered cholesterol noted a definite decrease in ischemic strokes.

Also, a high HDL noted a decrease in ischemia. There has been 65 trials with over 200,000 patients in a Meta-analysis with statins that showed an overall 18% reduction in ischemic strokes. So statins do seem to protect the brain.


The Nut Connection

A physician health study with 21,545 men noted 45% decrease in sudden death and a 30% decrease in coronary artery disease by eating nuts.

A Harvard study with 86,016 women between 34 and 59 with a 14 year follow up taking 5 ounces of nuts per week were 35% less likely to have heart attacks.
A nurse health study linked increased nut consumption with a considerable decrease in diabetes.

How do nuts help and which nuts should you eat? First, nuts reduce cholesterol, LDL level, walnuts, for instance, have high levels of Omega III fatty oils and believe to work on this basis. Cholesterol education programs study noted a 12% decrease in cholesterol, which equates to a 20-30% decrease risk in coronary artery disease.

It is noted that all Macadamia nuts and almonds show similar results. 2.2 ounces of nuts decrease the LDL by 30%.

The second mechanism of walnuts work, of course, is that they contain high levels of Omega III fatty acids more than any other nut. The third way that they work, of course, is that nuts have arginine that increases nitric oxide, which improves endothelial function. Finally, nuts have mono and poly unsaturated fats and like olive oil contain high levels of vitamin D an antioxidant. Almonds are the higher in this antioxidant.
A word of caution, nuts are high in calories, 9 calories per gram, though one must decrease foods or else gain weight. Once again, almonds are the highest in vitamin E, 7.3mg/ounce, walnuts are highest in poly unsaturated Omega IIIs, 13.4gm/ounce.

Co-Enzyme Q

Co-Enzyme Q helps the brain. Joel Perlmutter, M.D. Washington University School of Medicine, in bottom line 1/15/05, notes CO-Enzyme Q helps the brain utilize glucose more efficiently. The dose advised is around 1200mg per day.

About the Author: Dr. Vincent Fortanasce is a renowned bio-ethicist, author, and radio show host with twenty years experience dealing with medical issues on a national and international level. His rehabilitation center was ranked in the top 10 on the West Coast in 2003, and Dr. Fortanasce was selected as in the top 100 physicians in Los Angeles County and Best Physicians in the USA in 1998. Over the past decade, he has treated such notables as the Dali Lama and Pope John Paul II.

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