Caregiving and Dementia
Tips to Preventing — Slowing the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (Type 3 Diabetes)
How a low-carb ketogenic diet can help prevent or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.
There are 50 million reported cases of Alzheimer’s disease worldwide. In 30 years the number is estimated to increase by more than 200 percent.
Fifty million doesn’t seem like a lot compared to the estimated world population of almost eight billion. Remember, though, these are reported cases. There is speculation that many people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are either undiagnosed or under-reported.
But did you know that researchers have associated Alzheimer’s with insulin resistance? For years they have named it Type 3 diabetes. And it’s been known about since the 1980s.
In fact, it seems that Type 3 diabetes is the red-headed stepchild that neither the Diabetes Associations nor Alzheimer’s Associations want to recognize. Therefore, the medical community, as a whole, doesn’t realize that Alzheimer’s and dementia should be treated as metabolic diseases.
All is not lost, though. Studies are showing that there are nutritional things you can do now to both prevent or at least slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia.
- Implement a low-carb ketogenic or carnivore diet.
- Add MCT supplements to the diet.
Before we start, I need to say that there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease. I do not want to give anyone the idea that I think there is. At the same time, I think that there may be ways that it can be prevented before it starts or at least slow its progression if it has already started.
Glucose or Ketones?
As we get older, our brain starts to lose its ability to use glucose as fuel. If you have insulin resistance of the brain, the insulin resistance limits the amount of glucose that reaches the brain cells. When the brain can’t get the fuel it needs, it starves.
Studies have shown that the brain can utilize ketones equally as well as glucose. Some studies have shown that ketones even have a protective effect on the brain.
So when you can’t use one thing, use the thing you can use.
Low-carb ketogenic and Carnivore diets
A low-carb diet is one where you cut your carbohydrate consumption to an extreme low. At the same time, you also increase your fat consumption.
Low carbohydrate diets were originally prescribed for epilepsy patients before seizure medication was invented. Most patients did well on this diet.
A carnivore diet is when you eat nothing but animal products. These would include, meat, fish, seafood, dairy, and eggs. No fruits or vegetables. No highly processed foods or oils.
When you do this, your liver produces ketones from the fat that you consume. The ketones are then used to feed your brain.
Studies have found that subjects on low-carb diets show improvements in daily quality of life functions.
Adding MCT supplements to the diet
MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. MCTs are broken down in the liver to produce ketones to fuel the brain and body.
Studies have shown improvements in participants whose meals were supplemented with MCT. More improvement was shown when MCT was added to a low-carb diet.
You can get MCT in coconut oil or you can purchase an MCT oil supplement. The supplement form is more concentrated. If you use it, start slow to see if your body handles it well or not. It can cause nausea and diarrhea.
Final thoughts
With so many reported cases of Alzheimer’s Disease with even more estimated in the coming years, Alzheimer’s should be considered a health crisis.
Even though there is no known cure, it can be managed through the use of a low-carbohydrate diet and MCT supplementation.
Researchers calling it Type 3 diabetes put it in the realm of metabolic disease and our dietary lifestyle should reflect that.
We need to be careful what we eat. It could cause us difficulty in the future. We can also help our loved ones who are already afflicted with this disease to slow its progression.
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