Tag Archives: dementia

Avoiding dementia – new research

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Dementia is a scary disease, so we all want to do everything we can to avoid it. One recent study showed that vegetarians have a 38% lower risk of dementia. We already knew that part of the reason was that vegetarians have, on average, a much lower prevalence of risk factors such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, high cholesterol and lower levels of markers for inflammation such a C-reactive protein, but now new research shows there’s an additional reason.

Investigators found that individuals with the highest blood levels of lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin were less likely to have dementia, even decades later than their peers with lower levels of these phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are nutrients found in plant foods besides vitamins, minerals and fiber, that nourish our bodies and are the focus of a lot of medical research.

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Parkinson’s Disease – the important role of the food we eat

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Parkinson’s Disease is second only to Alzheimer’s as the most common human neurodegenerative disorder in the United States. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disease of the nervous system that affects physical movements and over the years causes a progressive disability that can be slowed or even temporarily improved but not halted. So far no therapy has been proven to stop its progression.

Not surprisingly, diet is a major risk factor. The western, meat-centered diet, especially from meat fat, dairy and eggs, increases the risk of getting Parkinson’s, while plant fats do not increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease. In fact, consuming plant foods decreases the risk of getting Parkinson’s disease. There are two main processes where plant foods can help.

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Losing your mind for the sake of a steak!

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Old man forgettingMore and more people worry about getting Alzheimer’s disease and losing their memory. They wonder what’s the best way of preventing it?

They have good reason to worry. There are currently about 5 million people in the US with Alzheimer’s, and it claims the lives of 500,000 people each year. Here in Washington there are about 100,000 people with the disease. Women outnumber men with Alzheimer’s almost 2 to 1.

Alzheimer’s is a disease that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, eventually becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. Read more