A different perspective toward Alzheimer's disease

Brain degeneration diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, are strongly influenced by nutritional and lifestyle factors. So much so that one of the key components to preventing, or even reversing, Alzheimer’s may indeed be nutrition itself.

Alzheimer’s is considered a form of dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term for several health disorders that affect cognitive performance. Someone can have multiple forms of dementia, though Alzheimer’s is the most common.

Other forms of dementia include Creutzteldt-Jakob Disease, Lewy Body, Frontoemporal, Huntington’s, and Korsakoff. These can have different causes and affect people in varying ways, though each can wreak havoc on intellectual and social skills.

One form of dementia is caused by a stroke, one by traumatic brain injury, and another by alcohol overuse. Even Parkinson’s can cause dementia. It is important that we understand the type and underlying contributors not just for addressing the situation, but for avoidance in the first place.

With Alz-heimer’s, there are many underlying contributors that have been identified. These include glucose deficiency, chronic inflammation, immune dysregulation, malnutrition, neurotoxins, molds, stress, medications, metals, severe or chronic infections, high homocysteine levels, head injury, inadequate sleep, hormone imbalances, solitude, overproduction of unstable free radicals, and a breakdown of energy production in the cell mitochondria.

We have also been able to identify what happens in the brain with Alzheimer’s. Studies are showing that two abnormal structures, called plaques and tangles, develop in the brain that inhibit normal function of neurons. While these plaques are a protective measure by the brain against chronic inflammation, they also interfere with communication between nerve cells and disrupt other processes these cells need to survive.

Amyloid plaques outside the cell are deposits of protein fragments. Neurofibillary tangles inside a cell are twisted fibers from a different protein. Both of these are part of aging but are found to a far greater degree, in a predictable pattern, in individuals with Alzheimer’s.

Glial cells in the brain that normally also protect us by producing inflammatory signals, when over activated, can destroy our neurons. I am not alone in thinking, though, that loss of brain cells, tangles, and plaques are an effect rather than the cause of Alzheimer’s.

There is one gene called ApoE, or apolipoprotein, that is responsible for guiding how a protein is made that, when combined with fat, helps remove cholesterol from the blood stream. It also regulates how glucose and keytones are managed in the brain. Mutations in this gene have been associated with a greater risk of Alzheimer’s.

Another thought is that genes relevant to viral infections, like herpes, may also have variations that contribute to Alzheimer’s if one already has a predisposition. I think genetics play a role but also feel we can influence the expression of our genes.

It is better to think of Alzheimer’s as being caused by a combination of environmental and lifestyle factors that affect the brain slowly over time. Damage is occurring decades before symptoms begin to appear.

There are no known cures for Alzheimer’s, yet if we look at the Alzheimer’s problem differently we can get a hint of some possible answers to how to avoid it. This means turning our heads around from focusing on addressing the symptoms and start asking how did we get here?

There are four developmental processes to cells – proliferation, differentiation, migration, and integration. We rely on each of these for repair and regeneration of brain cells and neurons. These process work best when they are in balance with each other. When they get out of balance major diseases occur.

Alzheimer’s disease happens when migration and integration get out of balance. More activity is taking place in breakdown of nerve synapses than in the formation of them. Thus degeneration takes place over time.

What contributes to these imbalances are factors we can influence through the decisions we make about our diet, nutrition, movement, and attitude. Identifying an individualized nutritional and lifestyle plan can go a long ways towards keeping our minds performing optimally.

Come on down and we can talk more.

Scott Porter, a functional medicine pharmacist, is the director of the Center for Functional Nutrition at Sandpoint Super Drug.