Excluding the recent coronavirus pandemic, neurodegenerative disease is the fastest-growing cause of death on the planet. Alzheimer’s disease alone is taking the lives of 50-100 million people around the world now. Millions will die of the disease this year, while millions more will be diagnosed and misdiagnosed. Millions of additional people will go undiagnosed.

Prions are an infectious, deadly protein that consumes the brain. The prion pandemic has been accelerating for years. There is no vaccine and there is no cure.

A variety of factors can trigger neurodegenerative disease, including genetics, head trauma and exposure to prions. Prion disease is clinically known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). As the name suggests, TSEs are transmissible via bodily fluids and tissue (milk, blood, saliva, mucus, urine, feces, skin and organs). Few, if any, precautions are being taken to contain these aggressive neurotoxins.

Preventing Alzheimer’s disease is not a science, but there are proven strategies.

If you have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, or another form of neurodegenerative disease, targeted nutrition is the best treatment available. As you will read below and in our book, some foods are superfoods and smart foods when it comes to brain disease.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved six drugs that temporarily improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease by increasing the amount of chemicals (neurotransmitters) in the brain. The effectiveness of these drugs varies from person to person. However, none of the treatments available today for Alzheimer’s disease slows or stops the damage to neurons.

Many factors contribute to the difficulty of developing effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. These factors include the high cost of drug development, the relatively long time needed to observe disease progression in Alzheimer’s disease, and the structure of the brain, which is protected by the blood-brain barrier, through which few drugs can cross. Proper nutrition can benefit those with Alzheimer’s disease.

Your personal prevention plan should include the following critical strategies. The sooner that you start a prevention regimen the better:

Nutrition: Poor nutrition can complicate dementia. Provide a balanced diet with a variety of foods (vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean protein foods). Limit foods with saturated fat to help keep cholesterol levels down. Go light on fats that are bad for heart health, such as butter, solid shortening, lard and fatty cuts of meats. Fats from avocados and fish are often beneficial, however.

Limit refined sugars from processed foods. You can treat a sweet tooth with fruit, honey or juice-sweetened baked goods. In the later-stages of Alzheimer’s disease, weight loss can be a problem, so adding sugar to foods might help. Limit salt consumption to manage blood pressure. Use more spices and herbs to season food. Spices and herbs often contain chemicals that stimulate blood flow and others have neuroprotective properties.

As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, loss of appetite and weight loss may become concerns. Add supplements between meals to add calories. Staying hydrated also can be a problem. Encourage small cups of water and other liquids throughout the day. Offer foods with high water content, such as fruit, vegetables, soup, ice cream and smoothies.

Some scientists are studying whether turmeric, magnesium, folic acid and Vitamin D3 are effective treatments for Alzheimer’s disease. The immune-boosting effects of vitamin D3 in combination with curcumin (found in turmeric), seems to help purge some of the protein buildup in the brain. Both vitamin D and curcumin have shown efficacy against Alzheimer’s disease. They might accomplish even more when used in combination. Alpha-lipoic acid supplements also show efficacy when treating Alzheimer’s disease.

Other Alzheimer’s disease studies indicate that foods rich in vitamin B12 and Omega 3 fats might lower your risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease. Coconut oil, fish oil, olive oil, walnut oil and blueberries also appear to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

According to Dr. James Duke, affectionately referred to as “Uncle Sam’s Medicine man,” plant-based nutrition offers hope. One of Duke’s books, The Green Pharmacy, has a chapter devoted to Alzheimer’s. He prescribes diets that include rosemary, horse balm, Brazil nuts, dandelion, fava beans, sage, ginkgo, stinging nettle and willow. He says that rosemary and horse balm have compounds that preserve acetylcholine, the vital brain chemical in cognition and reasoning. He notes that while the pharmaceutical tacrine hydrocloride (cognex) preserves acetylcholine and reportedly slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, the herb horse balm contains compounds that can cross the blood-brain barrier. 

Exercise: Exercise is often recommended as a way to boost our overall health and longevity. The theory holds true with many forms of neurodegenerative disease. It has become common knowledge that one of the factors in the onset of Alzheimer’s disease is the build-up of proteins in the brain. These proteins proceed to kill neurons in the brain, so it’s important to minimize, if not prevent, the proteins from accumulating. Increasing the blood circulation to and from the brain is thought to help minimize the protein threat. Of course, exercise and proper nutrition promote circulation to and from the brain. Any movement is beneficial, but increasing your heart rate with a regular cardiovascular routine is best.

Avoid Neurotoxins: Prions are arguably the most deadly neurotoxin on earth. They migrate, mutate and multiply. They are impossible to neutralize. Prions are infectious, deadly protein that consumes the brain. Prion disease is clinically known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). As the name suggests, TSEs are transmissible via bodily fluids (milk, blood, saliva, mucus, urine, feces, tissue and skin). Prions shed from infected humans via mucus and saliva, for example, are highly transmissible. Items contaminated by prions, such as dental and medical devices, are impossible to sterilize. Prion disease is always fatal.

Thanks to misinformation and mismanagement, this aggressive and progressive brain disease has killed millions of people around the world over the past 40 years. Prion disease also kills livestock (mad cow disease), wildlife (chronic wasting disease) and sea mammals. This pandemic has been gaining momentum for years.

Learn more about Dr. Stanley Prusiner and the Nobel Prize for prion science and prion disease.

Most people don’t believe that Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) are infectious. When we press most neurologists for evidence, there is none. It’s all based on wishful thinking. In fact, all evidence confirms that TSEs are transmissible. Research can clarify the issue, but it has been blocked for years. The bad news is that prion pathways are abundant and impossible to avoid. Homes, hospitals, blood supplies, dental offices, food, water and more have become prion pathways. Answers begin with the truth. Be sure to spend more time on this site to assess the prion risks in your world.

Preventing Alzheimer’s disease is easier said than done. Our book explores Alzheimer’s disease as part of a protein epidemic. It dissects several causes of Alzheimer’s disease, including genetics, food, water and contact with patients who have the disease. Explore the pages on this website for more detail about what causes Alzheimer’s disease. Join our coalition for truth and reform.

Although the outlook for treatments is bleak, having an early diagnosis helps families plan for the future, make living arrangements, take care of financial and legal matters, and develop support networks. Plus, beginning treatment for Alzheimer’s disease can help preserve brain and bodily functions.

Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are known in the medical world as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (prion disease).

Prion disease is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world. The truth is more elusive than a cure. Many factors are contributing to the surge, including misinformation, disinformation and reckless public policies.

The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease. The operative word is transmissible. Victims generate a tremendous amount of infectious waste.

The major difference between these forms of neurodegenerative disease is the species under attack and the region of the brain that is under attack. The primary difference between Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, for example, is the region of the brain that is under attack by the pathological protein.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Brain Food Prevents Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.

According to the most current research, a brain-healthy diet is one that reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes, encourages good blood flow to the brain, and is low in fat and cholesterol. Like the heart, the brain needs the right balance of nutrients, including protein and sugar, to function well. A brain-healthy diet is most effective when combined with physical and mental activity and social interaction.

A growing body of research suggests there may be a powerful connection between the foods you eat and your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, via similar pathways that cause type 2 diabetes. Some have even re-named Alzheimer’s disease as “type 3 diabetes.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, Alzheimer’s disease is largely preventable.

The risk for cognitive impairment is 42 percent lower in elderly individuals who consume healthy fats and fewer carbohydrates.

Up to half of those who have Alzheimer’s disease could have prevented it with a smarter diet and exercise. The truth and targeted nutrition represent our best hope for both prevention and treatment.

Manage your body weight for overall good health of brain and body. A long-term study of 1,500 adults found that those who were obese in middle age were twice as likely to develop dementia in later life. Those who also had high cholesterol and high blood pressure had six times the risk of dementia. Adopt an overall food lifestyle, rather than a short-term diet, and eat in moderation.

Reduce your intake of foods high in fat and cholesterol.

Saturated fat and cholesterol clogs the arteries and is associated with higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

However, HDL (or “good”) cholesterol may help protect brain cells. Use mono- and polyunsaturated fats, such as olive oil, for example. Try baking or grilling food instead of frying.

Increase your intake of protective foods. Current research suggests that certain foods may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, and appear to protect brain cells.

• In general, dark-skinned fruits and vegetables have the highest levels of naturally occurring antioxidant levels. Such vegetables include: kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, beets, red bell pepper, onion, corn and eggplant. Fruits with high antioxidant levels include prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, oranges, red grapes and cherries.
• Cold water fish contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids: halibut, mackerel, salmon, trout and tuna.
• Some nuts can be a useful part of your diet; almonds, pecans and walnuts are a good source of vitamin E, an antioxidant.

Not enough information is available to indicate what quantities of these foods might be most beneficial for brain health. For example, it is not clear how much fruit would have to be consumed to have a detectable benefit. However, a study of elderly women showed that those who ate the most green, leafy and cruciferous vegetables in the group were one to two years younger in mental function than women who ate few of these vegetables.

Vitamins may be helpful. There is some indication that vitamins, such as vitamin E, or vitamins E and C together, vitamin B12 and folate may be important in lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. A brain-healthy diet will help increase your intake of these vitamins and the trace elements necessary for the body to use them effectively.

Faulty insulin (and leptin), signaling caused by a high non-fiber carb diet is an underlying cause of insulin resistance, which, of course, typically leads to type 2 diabetes. However, while insulin is usually associated with its role in keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range, it also plays a role in brain signaling. In a 2012 animal study, researchers were able to induce dementia by disrupting the proper signaling of insulin in the brain. All in all, it seems clear that your diet plays a tremendous part in Alzheimer’s, and the low-fat craze may have wrought more havoc than anyone could ever have imagined.

It was the absolute worst recommendation possible, limiting the nutrient you, and your brain, need the most in your diet. The disease is currently at epidemic proportions, with 5.4 million Americans — including one in eight people aged 65 and over — living with Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050, this is expected to jump to 16 million, and in the next 20 years it is projected that Alzheimer’s will affect one in four Americans. If that comes to pass, it would then be more prevalent than obesity and diabetes is today!

Carbohydrates Can Cause Neurodegenerative Disease

Dr. Ron Rosedale, a prominent expert in the low-carb, high-quality fat approach to improving your health, was possibly the first person to advocate both a moderate protein (and therefore high fat) and low-carb diet. Most low-carb advocates were very accepting of, if not promoting, high protein, and protein was, and still is, often recommended as a replacement for the carbs. However, a high-fat, low-carb diet is very different than a high-protein, low-carb diet and this is a major source of confusion by both the public and researchers when doing studies and publishing conclusions as if all low-carb diets are the same.

You cannot live without protein, as it’s a main component of your body, including muscles, bones, and many hormones. We also know that protein was instrumental in advancing our intelligence. However, most people today are indulging in hormone laced, antibiotic loaded meats conveniently available at fast food restaurants and processed meats in grocery stores.

Dr. Rosedale believes the average amount of protein recommended for most adults is about one gram of protein per kilogram of LEAN body mass, or one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. If your total weight is 200 pounds, you would divide 160 by 2.2 to convert pounds to kilograms and come up with 72.7 grams of protein. If you are doing vigorous exercises or are pregnant you can add up to another 25 percent or another 18 grams in this illustration to increase your total to 90 grams per day.)This is something that makes sense to me and something I seek to apply personally, but this is partly because I foolishly had my amalgam fillings removed 20 years ago by a non-biologically trained dentist that caused serious kidney damage, so I can’t tolerate high levels of protein anyway. However, it seems obvious to me that most people consume too much low-quality protein and carbohydrates, and not enough healthy fat.

The majority of your diet should be comprised of good fats, followed by good proteins like whey protein concentrate from grass-fed cows, and organic grass-fed beef, pastured organic eggs and chicken, and fish like wild caught salmon.

Your healthiest option is to ensure your carbs come primarily from fresh, organic vegetables, high-quality protein, and eat primary a high fat diet. Depending on the type of carbs, most people need anywhere between 50-75 percent fat in their diet and sometimes even higher for optimal health.

Recent research has also shown that intermittent fasting triggers a variety of health-promoting hormonal and metabolic changes similar to those of constant calorie restriction — including reduced age-related brain shrinkage. According to Professor Mark Mattson, head of neuroscience at the U.S. National Institute on Aging:

He recommends fasting. He likens the effects to those from exercise, stating intermittent fasting could help protect your brain against degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Constant calorie restriction typically includes restriction of protein, and as discussed above, some of the beneficial effects of calorie restriction may actually be due to the reduction in protein. Likewise, intermittent fasting, where meals are either restricted to a small window of time each day, or calories are restricted on specific days of the week, will also typically lead to a reduction in the amount of protein you consume.

Again, going back to the featured study, the animals were only given a protein-restricted diet every other week for four months — essentially, they were on an intermittent fasting-type diet. So we’re not promoting going vegan here. Just cutting your protein back to what your body really needs, and no more. The science on this is relatively new and there are many different protocols but I personally have evolved to the point where I do it on most days. I will make exceptions a few times a month.

Alzheimer’s Disease Described As Brain Diabetes

No discussion of brain health can be complete without emphasizing the need to dramatically cut down on the sugars in your diet. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the same pathological process that leads to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes may also hold true for your brain. As you over-indulge on sugar and grains, your brain becomes overwhelmed by the consistently high levels of sugar and insulin and eventually shuts down its insulin signaling, leading to impairments in your thinking and memory abilities, and eventually causing permanent brain damage. You may already know I have become passionate about warning of the dangers of fructose. There is NO question in my mind that consuming more than 25 grams of fructose regularly will dramatically increase your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Consistently consuming too much fructose will inevitably wreak havoc on your body’s ability to regulate proper insulin levels. Additionally, fructose has other modes of neurotoxicity, including causing damage to the circulatory system upon which the health of your nervous system depends, as well as profoundly changing your brain’s craving mechanism, often resulting in excessive hunger and subsequent consumption of additional empty carbohydrate-based calories. In one study from UCLA, researchers found that rats fed a fructose-rich and omega-3 fat deficient diet (similar to what is consumed by many Americans) developed both insulin resistance and impaired brain function in just six weeks.

The beauty of following my newly revised Nutrition Plan is that it helps treat and prevent all chronic degenerative diseases, from the common ones like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and Alzheimer’s to the ones you have never heard of or can’t even pronounce. It is divided into three helpful sections, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced to help you start at the right level.

The plan is the first step in addressing Alzheimer’s disease. In spite of how common memory loss is among Westerners, it is NOT a “normal” part of aging. While even mild “senior moments” may be caused by the same brain lesions associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, these cognitive changes are by no means inevitable! People who experience very little decline in their cognitive function up until their deaths have been found (post-mortem) to be free of brain lesions, showing that it’s entirely possible to prevent the damage from occurring in the first place… and one of the best ways to do this is by leading a healthy lifestyle.

• Limit fructose. Most people will benefit from keeping their total fructose consumed below 25 grams per day.
• Only use moderate amounts of protein. The featured studies provide compelling evidence that in most cases you will want to limit your protein to the levels discussed in the article. Most people consume 200-300 percent more protein than their body can use and the altered metabolism and metabolic breakdown products can be pernicious to human health.
• Improve your magnesium levels. There is some exciting preliminary research strongly suggesting a decrease in Alzheimer’s symptoms with increased levels of magnesium in the brain. Unfortunately most magnesium supplements do not pass the blood brain barrier, but a new one, magnesium threonate, appears to and holds some promise for the future for treating this condition.
• Optimize your vitamin D levels with safe sun exposure. Strong links between low levels of vitamin D in Alzheimer’s patients and poor outcomes on cognitive tests have been revealed. Researchers believe that optimal vitamin D levels may enhance the amount of important chemicals in your brain and protect brain cells by increasing the effectiveness of the glial cells in nursing damaged neurons back to health.Vitamin D may also exert some of its beneficial effects on Alzheimer’s through its anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of your immune system to combat inflammation that is also associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
• Keep your fasting insulin levels below 3. This is indirectly related to fructose, as it will clearly lead to insulin resistance. However other sugars (sucrose is 50 percent fructose by weight), grains and lack of exercise are also important factors.
• Vitamin B12. According to a small Finnish study recently published in the journal Neurology,5 people who consume foods rich in B12 may reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s in their later years. For each unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12 (holotranscobalamin) the risk of developing Alzheimer’s was reduced by 2 percent. Very high doses of B vitaminshave also been found to treat Alzheimer’s disease and reduce memory loss.
• Eat a nutritious diet, rich in folate, such as the one described in my nutrition plan. Vegetables, without question, are your best form of folate, and we should all eat plenty of fresh raw veggies every day.
• High-quality animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. (I recommend avoiding regular consumption of most fish because, although fish is naturally high in omega-3, most fish are now severely contaminated with mercury.) High intake of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA help by preventing cell damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease, thereby slowing down its progression, and lowering your risk of developing the disorder.
• Coconut Oil may offer profound benefits in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. One of the primary fuels your brain uses is glucose, which is converted into energy. When your brain becomes insulin resistant, atrophy due to starvation can occur. However, ketone bodies, or ketoacids can also feed your brain, perhaps better, and prevent brain atrophy. It may even restore and renew neuron and nerve function in your brain after damage has set in. In fact, ketones appear to be the preferred source of brain food in patients affected by diabetes or Alzheimer’s. Ketones are what your body produces when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy, and a primary source of ketone bodies are the medium chain triglycerides (MCT) found in coconut oil.
• Astaxanthin is a natural pigment with unique properties and many clinical benefits, including some of the most potent antioxidant activity currently known. As a fat-soluble nutrient, astaxanthin readily crosses your blood-brain barrier. One study6 found it may help prevent neurodegeneration associated with oxidative stress, as well as make a potent natural “brain food.”
• Eat plenty of blueberries. Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanidin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.
• Gingko biloba: Many scientific studies have found that Ginkgo biloba has positive effects for dementia. Gingko, which is derived from a tree native to Asia, has long been used medicinally in China and other countries. Sixteen years ago, in one of the first issues of my newsletter, I posted the results of a 1997 study from JAMA that showed clear evidence that Ginkgo improves cognitive performance and social functioning for those suffering from dementia. Research since then has been equally promising. One study in 2006 found Gingko as effective as the dementia drug Aricept (donepezil) for treating mild to moderate Alzheimer’s type dementia. A 2010 meta-analysis found Gingko biloba to be effective for a variety of types of dementia.
• Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) can help stabilize cognitive functions among Alzheimer’s patients and may slow the progression of the disease.
• Avoid and remove mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings, which are 50 percent mercury by weight, are one of the major sources of heavy metal toxicity, however you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet described in my optimized nutrition plan, you can follow the mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
• Avoid aluminum, such as antiperspirants, non-stick cookware, vaccine adjuvants, etc.
• Exercise regularly. It’s been suggested that exercise can trigger a change in the way the amyloid precursor protein is metabolized,7 thus, slowing down the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s. Exercise also increases levels of the protein PGC-1alpha. Research has also shown that people with Alzheimer’s have less PGC-1alpha in their brains8 and cells that contain more of the protein produce less of the toxic amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer’s. I would strongly recommend reviewing the Peak Fitness Technique for my specific recommendations.
• Avoid flu vaccinations as most contain both mercury and aluminum, well-known neurotoxic and immunotoxic agents.
• Challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such as learning to play an instrument or a new language, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
• Avoid anticholinergic and statin drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers. Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of coenzyme Q10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density lipoprotein.

The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease. The operative word is transmissible. Victims generate a tremendous amount of infectious waste.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Carbohydrates Promote Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.

Treating Alzheimer’s disease looks more promising thanks to new research. An enzyme that could represent a powerful new tool for combating Alzheimer’s disease has been discovered at Mayo Clinic. The enzyme — known as BACE2 — destroys beta-amyloid, a toxic protein fragment that litters the brains of patients who have the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common memory disorder. It affects more than 5.5 million people in the United States and more than 44 million people globally. Despite the disorder’s enormous financial and personal toll, effective treatments have not yet been found for Alzheimer’s disease.

The Mayo research team, led by Malcolm A. Leissring, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Mayo Clinic in Florida, made the discovery by testing hundreds of enzymes for the ability to lower beta-amyloid levels. BACE2 was found to lower beta-amyloid more effectively than all other enzymes tested. The discovery is interesting because BACE2 is closely related to another enzyme, known as BACE1, involved in producing beta-amyloid.

“Despite their close similarity, the two enzymes have completely opposite effects on beta-amyloid — BACE1 giveth, while BACE2 taketh away,” Dr. Leissring says.

Beta-amyloid is a fragment of a larger protein, known as APP, and is produced by enzymes that cut APP at two places. BACE1 is the enzyme responsible for making the first cut that generates beta-amyloid. The research showed that BACE2 cuts beta-amyloid into smaller pieces, thereby destroying it, instead. Although other enzymes are known to break down beta-amyloid, BACE2 is particularly efficient at this function, the study found.

Previous work had shown that BACE2 can also lower beta-amyloid levels by a second mechanism: by cutting APP at a different spot from BACE1. BACE2 cuts in the middle of the beta-amyloid portion, which prevents beta-amyloid production.

“The fact that BACE2 can lower beta-amyloid by two distinct mechanisms makes this enzyme an especially attractive candidate for gene therapy to treat Alzheimer’s disease,” says first author Samer Abdul-Hay, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

The discovery suggests that impairments in BACE2 might increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This is important because certain drugs in clinical use — for example, antiviral drugs used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) — work by inhibiting enzymes similar to BACE2.

Although BACE2 can lower beta-amyloid by two distinct mechanisms, only the newly discovered mechanism — beta-amyloid destruction — is likely relevant to treat the disease, the researchers note. This is because the second mechanism, which involves BACE2 cutting APP, does not occur in the brain. The researchers have obtained a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study whether blocking beta-amyloid destruction by BACE2 can increase the risk for Alzheimer’s disease in a mouse model of the disease.

The research was supported by a grant from the Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust Fund in affiliation with the American Federation for Aging Research.

The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Enzymes Prevent Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.

Sleep deprivation could be a contributing factor fto neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It appears that harmful plaque is more likely to build-up in the brains of older adults who get a poor night’s sleep.

Researchers at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore took brain imaging scans of 70 senior adults who had slept five hours or less or had reported poor quality sleep. They found these individuals had greater accumulations of the telltale beta-amyloid plaques seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. 

“These results could have significant public health implications as Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, and approximately half of older adults have insomnia symptoms,” study author Dr. Adam Spira, an assistant professor in the department of mental health at Hopkins, said in a statement.

Under a microscope, brain tissue from Alzheimer’s disease patients show abnormal clusters of protein fragments between nerve cells called “plaques” and strands of dead and dying nerve strands called tangles, the Alzheimer’s Association notes.

In people who have the disease, pieces of a sticky protein found in the fatty membrane surrounding nerve cells — called beta-amyloid — break off and clump together to form the plaques. Some clumps may block signaling between nerve cells or activate immune system responses that further damage cells. These brain changes usually spread as the disease progresses, and plaques may form in regions of the brain involved in processes like learning, memory, thinking and planning early on in the disease.

For the new study, researchers examined self-reported sleep survey results and looked at brain scans of adults who had an average age of 76 to find a correlation between poor sleep and brain plaque proteins.

The research does not prove not getting enough sleep will cause Alzheimer’s, and the authors called for more studies to track adults for longer periods of time.The good news is poor sleep can be treated in older people, which Spira said may help reduce risk for brain changes.

Treatments include cutting back on caffeine, napping, light therapy, behavioral therapies and medication, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Poor sleep promotes Neurodegenerative disease

Not getting sufficient sleep is already linked to numerous health woes including risk increases for diabetes, heart disease, obesity and depression.

Recent studies have shown poor sleep may cause changes to hundreds of genes that may interfere with body processes or damage organs and other tissues. Sleep may help flush out cellular waste and other “gunk” that builds up in the brain when people are awake.

“All of the studies so far are kind of showing the same thing, that there is an association between disrupted sleep and Alzheimer’s disease pathology, meaning brain changes,” Dr. Yo-El Ju, a neurologist at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Prion disease is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world. The truth is more elusive than a cure. Many factors are contributing to the surge, including misinformation, disinformation and reckless public policies.

The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease. The operative word is transmissible. Victims generate a tremendous amount of infectious waste.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Sleep Helps Prevent Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.

Researchers found that artery stiffness — a condition called atherosclerosis — is associated with the buildup of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

“This is more than just another example of how heart health relates to brain health. It is a signal that the process of vascular aging may predispose the brain to increased amyloid plaque buildup,” said lead researcher Timothy Hughes, from the department of internal medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Plaque builds with age and appears to worsen in those with stiffer arteries, he said. “Finding and preventing the causes of plaque buildup is going to be an essential factor in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and extending brain health throughout life,” Hughes added.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among older adults. The progressive brain disorder seriously affects thinking, memory and the ability to carry out daily activities. The report, published in the online edition of JAMA Neurology, looked at brain images and arterial health of patients 83 and older.

Cardiologists and neurologists are starting to warm to the idea that heart health and brain health are not independent, but interrelated, said Dr. Kevin King, an assistant professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

“I find the new direction to be satisfying in that it is a more holistic approach,” King said. “The invention of these cool new tools to directly image amyloid plaque while people are alive allows us to look at these interactions that have been very difficult to tease apart.” But still more research is needed, he said, “into how chronic vascular disease impacts the brain and leads to dementia.”

For the study, researchers used PET scans to examine plaque development in the brains of 81 dementia-free elderly adults. They also measured the stiffness of arteries by assessing the speed that blood moves through them — a process called pulse wave velocity.

Over two years, the percentage of patients with plaque in their brain increased from 48 percent to 75 percent. Moreover, the development of plaque was associated with increased stiffness of arteries, the research team found.

Dr. Sam Gandy, director of the Center for Cognitive Health at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, welcomed the study.

“One of the most important problems in clinical dementia is parsing out what role brain blood vessels play in the clinical status,” Gandy said. “This is a groundbreaking paper that promises to put us on an evidence-based course toward unraveling this mystery.”

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, professor of medicine and associate chief of the division of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, agrees that dementia and arterial stiffness may be related.

“There is increasing evidence that arterial stiffness plays not just an important role in cardiovascular disease but also in cerebrovascular disease, impaired mental function and dementia in older individuals,” he said.

More research of the relationship between high blood pressure, high cholesterol, vascular disease, arterial stiffness and the development of dementia is needed, Fonarow said.

Damaged blood vessels in the brain can contribute to the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

“The implication of this study is that we may be able to prevent or at least delay Alzheimer’s disease by proper control of cardiac risk factors,” King added.

Reducing heart risks means eating a healthy diet, exercising, maintaining normal weight, minimizing stress and not smoking. These behaviors can help keep blood pressure and cholesterol at safe levels, experts say. But much still needs to be learned about the association between heart health and brain health, King said. “A lot remains unknown about what changes in arteries may be leading to chronic brain disease. We just don’t know enough about blood flow to the brain.”

Even though you can’t feel your brain working, it’s one of the most active organs in your body. Your heart pumps about 20 percent of your blood to your brain, where billions of cells use about 20 percent of the blood’s oxygen and fuel.

Conditions that damage your heart or blood vessels can affect your brain.

Evidence suggests that the same factors that put you at risk of heart disease also may increase the chance that you’ll develop Alzheimer’s disease, including:

• Lack of exercise
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High blood cholesterol
• Elevated homocysteine levels
• Poorly controlled diabetes
• A diet lacking in fruits and vegetables

These risk factors are also linked to vascular dementia, a type of dementia caused by damaged blood vessels in the brain. Working with your health care team on a plan to control these factors will help protect your heart — and may also help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.

Prion disease is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world. The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Prevent Neurodegenerative Disease With Cardiovascular Health appeared first on Neuroscience News.

As part of a German-French research project, a team led by  Dr. Christa E. Müller from the University of Bonn and Dr. David Blum from the University of Lille demonstrated that caffeine has a positive effect on tau deposits in Alzheimer’s disease. The two-year project published initial results in the online edition of the journal “Neurobiology of Aging.“

Tau deposits, along with beta-amyloid plaques, are among the characteristic features of Alzheimer’s disease. These protein deposits disrupt the communication of the nerve cells in the brain and contribute to their degeneration. Despite intensive research there is no drug available to date  which can prevent this detrimental process. Based on  the results of Prof. Dr. Christa Müller from the University of Bonn, Dr. David Blum and their team, a new class of drugs may now be developed for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Caffeine, an adenosine receptor antagonist, blocks various receptors in the brain which are activated by adenosine. Initial results of the team of researchers had already indicated that the blockade of the adenosine receptor subtype A2A in particular could play an important role. Initially, Prof. Müller and her colleagues developed an A2A antagonist in ultrapure and water-soluble form (designated MSX-3). This compound had fewer adverse effects than caffeine since it only blocks only the A2A adenosine receptor subtype, and at the same time it is significantly more effective. Over several weeks, the researchers then treated genetically altered mice with the A2A antagonist.

The mice had an altered tau protein which leads to the early development of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.

In comparison to a control group which only received a placebo, the treated animals achieved significantly better results on memory tests. The A2A antagonist displayed positive effects in particular on spatial memory. Also, an amelioration of the pathogenic processes was demonstrated in the hippocampus, which is the site of memory in rodents.

“We have taken a good step forward,” says Professor Müller. “The results of the study are truly promising, since we were able to show for the first time that A2A adenosine receptor antagonists actually have very positive effects in an animal model simulating hallmark characteristics and progression of  the disease. And the adverse effects are minor.”

The researchers now want to test the A2A antagonist in additional animal models. If the results are positive, a clinical study may follow. “Patience is required until A2A adenosine receptor antagonists are approved as new therapeutic agents for Alzheimer’s disease. But I am optimistic that clinical studies will be performed,” says Prof. Müller.

Prion disease is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world. The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease. The operative word is transmissible.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Caffeine Prevents Alzheimer’s Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.

Turmeric is a spice that spans the globe. It is a major ingredient in Indian curries and it makes American mustard yellow. But evidence is building that shows that this brightly colored relative of ginger is a promising disease-preventive agent as well, probably due to its anti-inflammatory properties.

One of the most comprehensive summaries of turmeric studies to date was published by the respected ethnobotanist James A. Duke, Phd., in the October 2007 issue of Alternative & Complementary Therapies, and summarized in the July, 2008, issue of the American Botanical Council publication HerbClip.

Here are some of the diseases that turmeric has been found to help prevent or alleviate:

• Alzheimer’s disease: Duke found more than 50 studies on turmeric’s effects in addressing Alzheimer’s disease. The reports indicate that extracts of turmeric contain a number of natural agents that block the formation of beta-amyloid, the substance responsible for the plaques that slowly obstruct cerebral function in Alzheimer’s disease. If it works on Alzheimer’s disease, it will treat Parkinson’s disease, too.
• Arthritis: Turmeric contains more than two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds, including sixdifferent COX-2-inhibitors (the COX-2 enzyme promotes pain, swelling and inflammation; inhibitors selectively block that enzyme). By itself, writes Duke, curcumin – the component in turmeric most often cited for its healthful effects – is a multifaceted anti-inflammatory agent, and studies of the efficacy of curcumin have demonstrated positive changes in arthritic symptoms.
• Cancer: Duke found more than 200 citations for turmeric and cancer and more than 700 for curcumin and cancer. He noted that in the handbook Phytochemicals: Mechanisms of Action, curcumin and/or turmeric were effective in animal models in prevention and/or treatment of colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer, murine hepatocarcinogenesis (liver cancer in rats), esophageal cancer, and oral cancer. Duke said that the effectiveness of the herb against these cancers compared favorably with pharmaceuticals.

How can you get more turmeric into your diet? One way is via turmeric tea. There are also extracts in tablet and capsule form available in health food stores; look for supercritical extracts in dosages of 400 to 600 mg, and take three times daily or as directed on the product.

Turmeric is part of a healthy diet.

Prion disease is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world. The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease. The operative word is transmissible.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Turmeric Helps Prevent Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.

Men and women who take drugs to keep high blood pressure in check may be somewhat protected against Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, a new study found. And those who took a type of blood pressure drug called a beta blocker may be particularly protected from dementia.

The report found that treatment for high blood pressure was good for the brain, regardless of the type of blood pressure medication taken. Beta blockers seemed to be the most effective.

Examples of beta blockers, which slow the heart beat, include acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta), metoprolol, nadolol (Corgard), nebivolol (Bystolic) and propranolol (Inderal LA). Over time, high blood pressure has corrosive effects on blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain.

For the study, researchers looked at elderly Japanese-American men who were part of the ongoing Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Autopsies were performed on 774 of the men after they died, most of whom had suffered from high blood pressure or were being treated for the disease. About 15 percent were taking a beta-blocker alone, while another 18 percent were taking a beta blocker along with another blood pressure medication.

Those taking beta blockers had the fewest brain abnormalities typical of Alzheimer’s disease. They also had fewer microinfarcts, a condition that arises when blood does not get to certain areas of the brain, causing multiple tiny strokes.

Study participants who had taken beta blockers, alone or in combination with another blood pressure medication, also had significantly less shrinkage in their brains. Shrinkage of the brain occurs in all forms of neurodegenerative disease and progresses as the disease gets worse.

This does not mean that beta blockers will prevent Alzheimer’s disease in people who do not have high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Treatment of their high blood pressure with beta blockers lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer’s to the level of risk seen in people without high blood pressure.

“With the number of people with Alzheimer’s disease expected to grow significantly as our population ages, it is increasingly important to identify factors that could delay or prevent the disease,” said study author Dr. Lon White of the Pacific Health Research and Education Institute in Honolulu. “These results are exciting, especially since beta blockers are a common treatment for high blood pressure.”

More research needs to be done to confirm the links between high blood pressure, dementia and various types of blood pressure medications. It is not a good idea for someone to start taking beta blocker drugs as an Alzheimer’s preventive or for someone on blood pressure medications to switch drugs without consulting their doctor.

Prion disease is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world. The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease. The operative word is transmissible.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Beta Blockers Prevent Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.

Alzheimer’s disease causes an unnatural accumulation of amyloid plaque formations around nerve synapses that block the transmission of electrical and chemical transmitters that allow the brain to retain a high level of cognitive function and to store and retain memories.

Millions of people around the world suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, as the illness continues to escalate at an epidemic rate. It is projected that the prevalence will nearly quadruple in the next 50 years, by which time approximately one in 45 Americans will be afflicted with the disease.

The past decade has uncovered a small handful of natural, bioactive compounds that easily cross the blood-brain barrier where they have been found to alter the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK have determined that natural chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step of the Alzheimer’s disease pathway.

Publishing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists have identified the process that allows harmful clumps of protein to latch onto brain cells, causing them to die.

Green tea and red wine extracts impede amyloid formation.

Scientists understand that amyloid proteins in the brain clump together to form toxic, sticky balls of varying shapes. These amyloid balls latch onto the surface of nerve cells in the brain by attaching to proteins on the cell surface called prions, ultimately causing nerve cells to malfunction and die. Study co-author Dr. Jo Rushworth commented, “We wanted to investigate whether the precise shape of the amyloid balls is essential for them to attach to the prion receptors, like the way a baseball fits snugly into its glove.”

The team wanted to determine if it was possible to prevent the amyloid balls from binding to prions by manipulating their shape and stop the cells from dying. Scientists formed amyloid balls in a test tube and then added them to human and animal brain cells. Study authors concluded, “when we added the extracts from red wine and green tea, which recent research has shown to re-shape amyloid proteins, the amyloid balls no longer harmed the nerve cells.”

Prion disease is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world. The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease. The operative word is transmissible. Victims generate a tremendous amount of infectious waste.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Green Tea Prevents Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.

According to a new report in JAMA, vitamin E can help people cope with symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers also found that the treatment reduced burden on caregivers.

Both Vitamin E and memantine, an FDA-approved drug, have been shown to slow the rate of progression of moderately severe Alzheimer’s disease. But Veterans Administration researchers across the country wanted to know if Vitamin E and memantine could also slow the rate of Alzheimer’s disease progression in patients with mild to moderate forms of the disease. Different patient groups received Vitamin E alone, memantine alone, a combination of the two or a placebo pill daily.

“Patients had to have a caregiver present who could manage the medications,” explained Dr. Maurice Dysken, a geriatric phsychiatrist at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System.

Caregivers also answered questionnaires about how ordinary activities were affected by the patients’ illness, including using the telelphine, shopping, cooking, dressing and bathing.

Vitamin E slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Adults require about 15 mg (22.4 IU) of vitamin E per day, according to the Office of Dietary Supplements. The vitamin (alpha tocopherol) is found in vegetable oils, including olive oil, wheat germ, sunflower, and safflower oils.

For the study, researchers analyzed data obtained from 613 people with mild to moderate AD. Participants were divided into groups and they either received a daily dose of vitamin E; memantine; combination of vitamin E and the drug, or a placebo, according to BBC.

Memantine belongs to the category of drugs called NMDA receptor antagonists and is used to slow AD progression in patients who are at the advanced stages of the disease.  The drug works by decreasing abnormal activity in the brain. However, the drug doesn’t cure the condition.

Researchers found that people on vitamin E had lower functional decline when compared with others. They were able to perform daily activities (washing or dressing) better than people on the dummy pill.  Also, participants getting the combo treatment were less dependent on caregivers.

“This is a well done study by a solid research group,” said Maria Carrillo, vice president of Medical and Scientific Relations at the Alzheimer’s Association, in a statement, CNN reported. “The results are positive enough to warrant more research to replicate and confirm these findings, but should not change current medical practice. No one should take vitamin E for Alzheimer’s except under the supervision of a physician.”

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking.

Latest data from the Alzheimer’s Association shows that over 5 million people in the U.S. have AD, a number that is expected to explode to 13. 8 to 16 million people by 2050. There is no cure for the disease.

However, people should consult their doctors before increasing vitamin E levels in the diet as the vitamin is also linked to a higher chance of developing prostate cancer. The risk stays even after people stop taking the supplements.

Prion disease is now the fastest-growing cause of death in the world. The medical term for prion disease is transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which includes ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease, chronic wasting disease. The operative word is transmissible. Victims generate a tremendous amount of infectious waste.

The major difference between these forms of neurodegenerative disease is the species under attack and the region of the brain that is under attack. The primary difference between Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, for example, is the region of the brain that is under attack by the pathological protein.

There are proven strategies to help avert neurodegenerative disease, including nutrition, exercise and prion aversion. There is not a cure for prion disease. Preview and order the eBook now to defend yourself and your family.

The post Vitamin E Treats Neurodegenerative Disease appeared first on Neuroscience News.