DIET MAY KEEP ALZHEIMER’S BRAIN FROM SHRINKING

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Jeffrey Newman

According to a study published in the newest on line issue of Neurology(r), the medical journal of the America Academy of Neurology, people with diets high in several vitamins including C,D,E and B as well as omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease than those without those nutrients. Those with diets high in omega 3 fatty acids and vitamins C,D,E and B  also scored higher on mental thinking tests than people with diets low in those nutrients. Omega 3 and vitamin D are mainly found in fish and B vitamins and C and E are primarily found in fruits and vegetables. Blood tests were used to determine the levels of the tested individuals and 42 individuals had MRI scans to measure brain volume. The author of the study is Gene Bowman of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. The results need to be confirmed and re-examined for false positives but it was the first study to use nutrient biomarkers in the blood to analyze the effect of diet on memory and thinking skills and brain volume and the study was supported by the National Institutes of Health as will further studies on the matter.

Here are my thoughts on this study: In the context of Alzheimer’s treatment, it is probably premature to say that dietetic increases Omega 3’s and the vitamins noted would be therapeutic. It will necessary to examine Bowman’s findings from different vantage points, including animal studies allowing for autopsy examination of brains with induced Alzheimers. However, the approach is exciting as it examines the bodies own blood borne biomarkers in connection with MRI studies, which are repeatable on a larger scale. Given the tremendous burden of Alzheimer’s, this  should be done as soon as possible. One could envision the creation of an open source data base of measured bloods and tissue samples from early Alzheimer’s patients and cross correlation with neuropsych evaluations; mental status tests and a more sensitive tweaking of the blood saturations of different nutrients and the effects on the human Alzheimer’s burdened brains. In addition, there may be subsidiary benefits towards understanding the prevention of other chronic illnesses derived from such guided data mining.  It would not be difficult to get such an inexpensive project up and running if there was an expressed interest. In addition, relatively new drugs such as memantine and other developing treatments may find pronounced benefits from specific nutrients if those nutrients can be sustained in the blood stream and adequately delivered to the brain tissues. A recent finding in the treatment of multiple sclerosis through a clearing of the carotid arteries for enhanced circulation might be valuable in context. There is a need for the confluence of neurology, nutrition, hematology, endocrinology and pathology. Can delivery of the nutrients to the brain be sustained and enhanced in order to saturate the neurons and synapses so affected by Alzheimer’s?