Alzheimer’s is a progressive and serious brain disease. More than 5 million Americans now have Alzheimer’s. Although symptoms can vary widely, the first problem many people notice is forgetfulness severe enough to affect their work, lifelong hobbies or social life. As the disease progresses, other symptoms include confusion, trouble with organizing and expressing thoughts, misplacing things and getting lost in familiar places. The most common form of this disease is dementia, a general term for the loss of memory and other intellectual abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.
Let’s first cover some common concerns for foods that have been commonly thought to lead to the disease. One concern has been the relationship of aluminum and its possible link to this disease. Since the 1960s, aluminum has been used in everyday products such as pots and pans, soda cans, antacids and antidepressants. So far no research has successfully linked aluminum as a contributor to this disease.
The other concern involves the use of artificial sweeteners and the potential cause for memory loss. Nutrasweet, Equal and Splenda are all artificial sweeteners that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in foods and beverages. According to the FDA, as of May 2006, there has been a lack of any scientific evidence from over 100 laboratory studies to conclude that these sweeteners are unsafe.
So what factors can play a role in putting us at risk for this disease? We can’t change certain factors such as age, family history and heredity. Currently, research is starting to study the strong link between serious head injury and future risk of Alzheimer’s. There are other strong links between brain health and heart health. Your brain is nourished by one of your body’s richest networks of blood vessels. The risk of developing Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia appears to be increased by many conditions that damage the heart or blood vessels. These include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and high cholesterol.
Other evidence suggests that overall health may help keep the brain healthy. In next week’s blog, I’ll take a closer look at what you can do for overall health and memory.
Rebecca
Rebecca Mohning M.S., R.D., L.D. is a registered dietitian and a certified personal trainer. She received her Bachelor’s degree in dietetics and her graduate degree in exercise and sports science from Iowa State University. She also has a personal training certification from the American College of Sports Medicine. Rebecca currently has her own private nutrition and fitness consulting business is the Washington DC area.