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Alzheimer\u2019s: America\u2019s other killer pandemic<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr.\u00a0Cass\u00a0Ingram, author of\u00a0How to Eat Right and Live Longer<\/em>, recommends key dietary changes we can make to combat dementia<\/p>\n and keep our brains healthy and functioning<\/p>\n According to the Alzheimer\u2019s Association, an estimated 6.2 million Americans aged 65 and older are currently suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease \u2013 and that number is projected to climb to 12.7 million by 2050.<\/p>\n Alzheimer’s disease tends to develop slowly and gradually worsen over several years. Eventually, the disease affects most areas of the brain: memory, thinking, judgment, language, problem-solving, personality and movement can all be affected.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Alzheimer\u2019s is not just about cognitive impairment: Alzheimer\u2019s kills,\u201d says Dr.\u00a0Cass\u00a0Ingram, author of the book\u00a0How to Eat Right and Live Longer. \u201c<\/em>This disease kills more Americans annually than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, and over the last two decades deaths from Alzheimer\u2019s disease have increased by 145%.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLike most degenerative diseases, Alzheimer\u2019s is related to deficient diet. The brain is an organ, and like any other organ it requires good nutrition. If the required nutrients are not supplied, dysfunction and, ultimately, degeneration are likely to occur.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are some key lifestyle and nutritional advices that Dr.\u00a0Ingram\u00a0recommends for keeping the brain in good health and for combating age-related mental decline.<\/p>\n Refined sugar has many negative effects and no positive ones.\u00a0 Its consumption is associated with an increased incidence of Alzheimer\u2019s and a myriad of other health problems. Sugar and allergenic foods deplete the brain\u2019s supply of antioxidants.<\/p>\n Fried foods, cookies, snack foods, and foods prepared with margarines and shortenings contain trans fatty acids which give the packaged product a long shelf life, but because they are not found in nature, these \u201cfake fats\u201d eat up the body\u2019s supply of antioxidants, triggering a wide range of degenerative illnesses.\u00a0 Instead of using vegetable oils, use olive oils, flax seed oils, fish oils, and almond oils.<\/p>\n Lean meats, cold water fish, leafy green and cruciferous vegetables, mushrooms, omega-3 rich seed oils, blueberries, cherries and other antioxidant-rich fruits.<\/p>\n Dr.\u00a0Ingram\u2019s book,\u00a0How to Eat Right and Live Longer<\/em>\u00a0(p.151) contains a comprehensive list of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, and spice oils helpful in addressing disorders of the nervous system:<\/p>\n \u201cAlzheimer\u2019s and dementia deaths have increased 16% during the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d says Dr.\u00a0Ingram.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring this highly stressful period it\u2019s critical that we ensure family members with cognitive impairment receive proper nourishment, as nutrition is their first line of defense against more serious stages of the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\n
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