Healthy mindset
July 20, 2005
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is an umbrella term for symptoms related to a decline in thinking skills and deterioration of brain performance and memory. The cumulative effect is extreme distress to the individual and their families. Dementia affects over 750,000 people in the UK and around 18,000 of that number are under 65. The disease can begin 20 years before symptoms appear and few people realise that diet can play a part in its prevention.
B vitamins and zinc Alzheimer’s disease (AD) sufferers tend to have low levels of vitamin B12 and zinc . The B vitamins help homocystines convert to glutathione, the body’s most important antioxidant and SAM, an intelligent nutrient. Characteristics of the disease have also been associated with zinc deficiency. Oysters provide the best source of zinc.
Huperzine A Huperzine A is a derivative of a tea brewed from club moss. Chinese healers have traditionally claimed drinking it improves memory and failing mental capacity. For the last 10 years, researchers in Shanghai have been working to isolate the tea’s active components. The drug Huperzine A is a result of this work. Tests carried out in China on hundreds of patients have shown it alleviates the symptoms of AD by balancing brain chemistry and halting brain cell destruction .
Turmeric AD affects one per cent of people over 65 in some Indian villages. Studies have revealed turmeric reduced the number of amyloid plaques (solid clusters) in the brain by half. Curcumin has been identified as a trigger which enhances enzyme activity, protecting the brain against neurodegenerative disease. Curcumin also seemed to reduce inflammation in brain tissue.
Bio-Strath The herbal supplement Bio-Strath (www.cedarhealth.co.uk; 0161 483 1235) has been effective in treating early AD symptoms. Trials in Germany showed 59% of AD patients saw significant improvement after three months. In another 41%, progression of the disease was halted and in no cases did the condition worsen among treated patients. In contrast, 31% of patients in the placebo group showed a significant decline .
Vitamin E This can slow the advance of Alzheimer’s by as much as 25% according to a recent study . When we reach our 40s, most people begin to produce fewer and fewer antioxidants, but more free radicals. It also becomes harder to get the required amount of Vitamin E needed to fight free radicals by diet alone. Dietary sources include spinach, eggs, nuts and seeds, avocado, tomatoes and peaches.
Lemon balm An aromatherapy study carried out by a team at the University of Newcastle evaluated lemon balm essential oil. Researchers massaged 36 agitated nursing home residents with it and applied sunflower oil to another 36 residents who were the control group. During the four weeks of treatment, 35% of the lemon balm group showed improvement in agitation scores, compared to only 11% of the sunflower group. A decline in the sense of smell occurs as much as two years before mental decline in people with Alzheimer’s.
Source: Sunday Herald Online, 17/07/2005