Nonprofit, science-based website NutritianFacts.org founder Dr. Michael Greger, who is also known as an internationally recognized physician, author and speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues, once said, “A life without memories is not much of a life. Whether those memories are lost all at once from a massive stroke, chipped away by mini strokes that leave little holes in the brain, or destroyed from within by degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.”
I remember how heartbroken my mother was when my grandmother couldn’t recognize her own daughter at the age of 63 years old. My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which had caused her to lose precious memories. Her inability to recognize anyone in her life, impaired speech, and reduced cognition rendered her unable to socialize and do daily living activities. Her inability to verbally express herself resulted to mood swings, fear, and frustration, which manifested through constant crying and sometimes physically hurting us with her hands. I remember my cousin and I were laughing over something on television and our grandmother smacked us from behind. She was the gentlest woman before she had this disease.
What exactly is Alzheimer’s disease? It is a brain disease, but autopsies of patients reveal plaque buildup on arteries in the brain. Simply put, there are clogged blood vessels in the brain. The blockage prevents blood flow and proper oxygenation in the memory center of the brain. These plaques are caused by excess cholesterol and fatty deposits. Furthermore, autopsies reveal tangles in the brain caused by the loss of sirtuin enzymes that keep our DNA intact. This condition results to the accumulation of amyloid plaques and tangles from protein in the brain. Thus, impairing its function.
Alzheimer’s disease used to be a death sentence, but not anymore. In June 2024, American physician Dr. Dean Ornish, who is known as the founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and for being a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco, published the results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial on the effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Ornish and his colleagues gathered 51 participants diagnosed with early stage dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease between September 2018 to June 2022. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups and the study went on for 20 weeks. One group underwent multimodal lifestyle intervention, while the second group was asked not to make any lifestyle changes for 20 weeks. After which, they were offered the intervention.
The study concluded that comprehensive lifestyle changes may improve cognition and function among individuals with mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease in just 20 weeks. Their findings also have implications in the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
The intervention included a diet plan. “A whole foods minimally-processed plant-based (vegan) diet, high in complex carbohydrates (predominantly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, soy products, seeds and nuts) and especially low in harmful fats, sweeteners and refined carbohydrates. It was approximately 14 to 18 percent of calories as total fat, 16 to 18 percent protein, and 63 to 68 percent of mostly complex carbohydrates. Calories were unrestricted. Those with higher caloric needs were given extra portions.”
In addition, aerobic exercises like walking for at least 30 minutes a day and mild strength Training, through guidance of an exercise physiologist, at least three times a week was done. Stress management like meditation, yoga, stretching, progressive relaxation, breathing exercises, and imagery for an hour a day was done to increase the patients’ sense of relaxation, concentration, and awareness.
The participants, together with their spouses or study partners, joined support group activities for an hour, three days a week for emotional support and communication skills. Supplements were also given in the form of omega-3 fatty acids with curcumin (a component of turmeric), multivitamins and minerals, Coenzyme Q10, Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, magnesium L-threonate, Lion’s Mane mushroom, and probiotics.
While a randomized controlled study is regarded as the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, this study had its own limitations. The small number of 51 participants, of whom two have dropped out, as well as, the short duration of 20 weeks.
“Not all patients in the intervention group improved. Of the 24 patients in the intervention group, 10 showed improvement as measured by the CGIC test, seven were unchanged, and seven worsened. In the control group, none improved, eight were unchanged, and 17 worsened.
In part, this may be explained by variations in adherence to the lifestyle intervention, as there was a significant relationship between the degree of lifestyle change and the degree of change in cognition and function across both groups. We hope that further research may further clarify other factors and mechanisms to help explain why cognition and function improved in some patients but not in others.”
If you have early onset of Alzheimer’s disease, making drastic lifestyle changes in your diet (predominantly plant-based from whole and minimally processed food), having regular physical activity, managing stress, and correcting nutrient imbalances with targeted supplementation under the supervision of a registered nutritionist dietitian or physician specializing in functional medicine, will most likely improve your health.
To the family members of individuals suffering from this dreaded disease, they need all the love and emotional support that we can give. With recent discoveries, there is hope for them, unlike my grandmother who passed away at 73 after 10 years of living without her memories.