Editor’s Word: This text is a reprint. It was initially printed July 2, 2023.
On this video, I interview repeat visitor Dr. Dale Bredesen, a neurologist specializing within the remedy of Alzheimer’s. In 2014, he printed a paper1 demonstrating the facility of way of life selections for the prevention and remedy of this tragic situation. By leveraging 36 wholesome way of life parameters, he was in a position to reverse Alzheimer’s in 9 out of 10 sufferers.
Randomized Trial Launch Goals to Observe and Reverse Cognitive Decline
For starters, his crew has printed one other proof-of-concept paper and is launching a randomized, managed trial at six websites — Hollywood, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; Cleveland, Ohio; and Sacramento, Oakland and San Francisco in California.
• The trial will assess organic growing old, mind growing old and epigenetics — The researchers will use newer blood checks that weren’t accessible even a couple of years in the past, together with phospho-tau 181, phospho-tau 217, A-beta 42 to 40 ratio, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament gentle polypeptide (NF-L). “A few these aren’t commercially accessible but, so we’re doing these as analysis, however they’ll all turn into commercially accessible,” Bredesen says.
• Early detection and monitoring with out a PET scan — At the moment, phospho-tau 181 and A-beta 42 to 40 ratio are commercially accessible, permitting people to get an concept of the place they stand with out essentially needing a PET scan.
• Monitoring enhancements and reversing cognitive decline — In response to Bredesen, “Extra importantly, you may comply with it as you enhance. Prevention is vital, but additionally reversing cognitive decline, which we have been the primary to do … We have seen it repeatedly, whenever you’re doing the fitting issues, whenever you’re attacking the essential drivers of the method, you see [reversal].”
This trial represents a significant development within the capability to watch and tackle cognitive decline, providing new hope for prevention and reversal of neurodegenerative processes.
Precious Assessments to Detect Early Indicators of Cognitive Decline
A number of key checks can present early insights into mind well being, serving to to detect neurological modifications lengthy earlier than signs seem:
• GFAP (Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein) check — Whereas nonspecific, this check is a priceless instrument for detecting mind modifications related to astrocytosis. Astrocytes reply when there’s an issue within the mind, so it may give you a heads-up that one thing is afoot as much as 10 years earlier than signs turn into obvious. “The excellent news is that if it is regular, you are in fairly good condition. So that you wish to know that going ahead,” Bredesen explains.
• Phospho-tau 181 and phospho-tau 217 — These are particular checks for Alzheimer’s modifications associated to the dying of neurons.
• Genetic testing for APOE standing — Genetic testing is essential to determine what number of copies of the APOE ε4 gene you might need. “That is an [important] piece,” Bredesen says. “Everyone ought to know their APOE standing.”
• Hormone and toxin testing — Assessing hormone ranges and screening for toxins, together with mycotoxins and heavy metals, present further insights into components that will contribute to cognitive decline.
The place There’s Smoke There’s Fireplace
In response to typical thought, elevated tau and beta-amyloid are causative components in Alzheimer’s, however Bredesen’s analysis suggests in any other case, arguing that these proteins are responses and mediators reasonably than root causes.
• The flawed logic of concentrating on tau and beta-amyloid — Bredesen explains:
“This can be a little bit like saying, ‘There’s some smoke there. If we simply blow away the smoke, then the home will not be going to burn down.’ It is unnecessary. The important thing factor to know is that [tau and beta-amyloid] are responses and mediators.”
• Alzheimer’s is brought on by a number of upstream contributors — Whereas mitochondrial dysfunction is a well known issue, many different contributors play a task, together with:
◦Irritation
◦Infections (notably within the mouth)
◦Insulin resistance
◦Leaky intestine
◦Decreased blood circulation and oxygenation
◦Diminished mitochondrial operate
• Alzheimer’s is basically a community insufficiency — The mind incorporates about 500 trillion synapses, and when environmental and metabolic stressors weaken this community, cognitive operate begins to say no. Because of this, tau and beta-amyloid emerge, not as major drivers however as mediators that amplify the injury.
• Amyloid is a superb biomarker however a horrible therapeutic goal — Dr. Lee Hood and Dr. Nathan Value, authors of “The Age of Scientific Wellness,” emphasize that whereas amyloid can point out illness presence, concentrating on it therapeutically is ineffective, a conclusion supported by medical information.
• The failure of Lecanemab and what works higher — Bredesen criticizes the FDA’s advice to approve Lecanemab. “Lecanemab doesn’t make you higher, it doesn’t maintain you a similar, it slows the decline by 27%. That’s it,” he identified.
• Different interventions carried out higher in medical trials — These embrace ketones alone, additional virgin olive oil, mixed metabolic activators (akin to carnitine and nicotinamide riboside) and protocols concentrating on energetics and irritation.
• Bredesen’s protocol reveals the most effective long-term outcomes — He states, “We’ve received folks now who’ve sustained their enchancment for greater than 10 years. So, it’s unhappy that this drug has been really helpful for approval.”
Bredesen’s Strategy to Stopping and Treating Alzheimer’s
In response to Bredesen, supporting power and decreasing irritation within the mind are the 2 most essential components to stop and deal with Alzheimer’s. Fundamentals that every one of Bredesen’s sufferers implement embrace:
• Dietary intervention — Bredesen recommends a plant-rich, mildly ketogenic weight loss plan, with a superb omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, no dairy, no grains and no easy carbs. “That is the strategy that has labored the most effective,” he says. “We name that KetoFLEX 12/3.”
• My issues about polyunsaturated fat (PUFs) — Within the interview, I counter a few of Bredesen’s dietary suggestions, as he nonetheless recommends PUFs. I’m satisfied all omega-6 PUFs must be saved low, under 2% and even 1% of day by day energy, for optimum well being.
I strongly suspect folks with dementia must be much more cautious, as linoleic acid (LA) seems to be the most important dietary supply of all of the drivers of Alzheimer’s, together with irritation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and dysfunction in electron transport chain such that you simply can’t effectively produce ATP.
I’ve written extensively on the ins and outs of this, so for extra data, take heed to the interview and/or evaluation “Linoleic Acid — The Most Damaging Ingredient in Your Eating regimen.”
• Reevaluating omega fats consumption and prolonged keto — I’m additionally not satisfied that the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio is as useful as generally recommended since you can not counter the injury brought on by omega-6 fat just by taking extra omega-3. On high of that, most omega-3 dietary supplements, primarily fish oil, are nugatory as a result of they’re artificial and rancid in addition, so ensuring you’re getting high-quality omega-3 is a necessary issue.
Lastly, since this interview, I’ve come to understand the significance of carbs for mind well being, together with easy carbs from complete fruits, and the drawbacks of long-term keto. So, please perceive, Bredesen’s dietary suggestions are his personal, based mostly on his analysis, and don’t essentially replicate my very own views.
• Train — Bredesen is seeing notably good outcomes with KAATSU (blood circulation restriction coaching) and train with oxygen remedy (EWOT).
• Sleep optimization — Sleep apnea is a typical drawback that unquestionably contributes to cognitive decline, because it reduces oxygen to your mind and raises adrenaline whilst you’re sleeping.
“Sleep is a large space in and of itself,” Bredesen says. “Affected person zero, the primary particular person we handled again in 2012 who reversed her cognitive decline superbly, she’s now over a decade in on this, doing nice frequently. She’s now in her late 70s.
Considered one of her points was poor sleep and, in fact, one of many issues that was addressed. Getting no less than an hour of deep sleep and no less than an hour and a half of REM sleep may be very useful … Poor sleep provides you extra amyloid. It is only a marker, nevertheless it’s a marker of issues that are not so good, and sadly, amyloid then provides you poorer sleep.”
• Further methods — Different essential approaches embrace stress discount, mind coaching, detox and focused supplementation.
The opposite a part of Bredesen’s program is personalized to every affected person, as many have undiagnosed power infections, for instance, that must be addressed.
• Oral pathogens can invade the mind — Widespread infections embrace P. gingivalis and T. denticola, which work their approach into your mind out of your oral microbiome, herpes simplex and human betaherpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A).
• Herpes viruses are linked to Alzheimer’s — Your complete household of herpes viruses is related to modifications within the mind and neurons. HHV-6A particularly is related to the mind degeneration seen in Alzheimer’s.
• Chlamydia pneumoniae and tick-borne infections pose a danger — Chlamydia pneumoniae can be extremely troublesome, as are all tick-borne infections, together with Borrelia, Bartonella, Babesia and Anaplasma.
• Infections overstimulate the innate immune system — All these infections put your innate immune system into overdrive and must be quenched. As famous by Bredesen, COVID-19 and Alzheimer’s are “each innate immune system mismatches with the adaptive system.”
You are not clearing the pathogen, so you have received this continued onslaught of cytokines. Within the case of COVID, you die from the acute cytokine storm, whereas in Alzheimer’s, you die from cytokine drizzle. “It is a long-term cytokine drawback,” Bredesen says.
Excessive-Fructose Corn Syrup Down-Regulates ATP Manufacturing
Bredesen additionally highlights the significance of avoiding fructose. In March 2023, Dr. Richard Johnson, Bredesen, Dr. David Perlmutter and a number of other different co-authors printed a paper2 on Alzheimer’s illness as “a maladaptation of an evolutionary survival pathway mediated by intracerebral fructose and uric acid metabolism.”
• Fructose indicators the physique to retailer fats and scale back ATP manufacturing — When the physique metabolizes fructose, it interprets the sign as an power disaster, prompting fats storage and a lower in ATP manufacturing. In response to Bredesen:
“It’s actually the long-term analysis of Rick Johnson. You speak about mitochondrial operate, about injury to mitochondria. He is speaking a few change in sign. They’re each essential. As he factors out, whenever you get that fructose, your physique is actually responding to it saying, ‘Winter is coming. We’re going to retailer fats and we will flip down your ATP by about 15%.’”
• Decrease ATP ranges contribute to cognitive decline — Because the mind is already energy-intensive, decreasing ATP manufacturing by 15% can push it right into a state of dysfunction, contributing to neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s illness.
• Fructose metabolism mirrors modifications seen in Alzheimer’s illness — Analysis reveals that mind modifications brought on by extreme fructose consumption parallel these seen in Alzheimer’s sufferers, making dietary selections a necessary think about neurodegenerative illness prevention.
“Rick put collectively an entire desk taking a look at all of the relationships, modifications in PET scans, modifications in blood biomarkers. In every of those circumstances, what occurs with fructose is similar factor that occurs in Alzheimer’s illness.”
• Avoiding extreme fructose is vital to preserving mind energetics — Whereas pure fruit consumption sparsely will not be problematic, extreme consumption of high-fructose corn syrup and processed sources of fructose disrupts mind metabolism and accelerates cognitive decline.
“So once more, it comes again to the essential nature of the energetics, whether or not you are turning them down by taking an excessive amount of fructose and high-fructose corn syrup, which isn’t to say you may’t eat some fruit, it simply means you do not wish to have huge quantities of fructose.”
Fruit vs. Excessive-Fructose Corn Syrup
Right here too, my present views veer a bit. It’s essential to grasp there’s a world of distinction between fructose from fruit and high-fructose corn syrup. I used to suggest limiting each sources, however I’ve modified my pondering on this, as fructose from fruit prompts pyruvate dehydrogenase, which you might want to metabolize glucose from pyruvate to acetyl-CoA in your mitochondria. If that enzyme will not be activated, the glucose can’t be used for gas.
• The important thing to this riddle is the Randle cycle — This cycle mainly acts as a metabolic swap. Your major fuels are fat and carbs, and the Randle cycle determines how your cells resolve which one to burn. When your weight loss plan is greater than 30% to 35% fats, this swap shifts to fats metabolism, so that you simply’re burning fats in your mitochondria reasonably than glucose. The glucose as an alternative will get shuttled into glycolysis and any extra goes out into your blood.
• Consuming plenty of fruit and plenty of fats on the similar time will not be a good suggestion — In essence, fructose by itself will not be what’s inflicting the issue. Reasonably it’s consuming an excessive amount of fructose together with an excessive amount of fats. In the event you enhance your recent fruit consumption, you additionally have to decrease your fats consumption, or else the sugar can’t be used for gas.
• Particular person components affect carbohydrate tolerance — There are particular person variations in metabolic flexibility, toxicity and microbiome that possible contribute to an individual’s capability to tolerate elevated carbohydrates.
• PUFs may contribute to metabolic dysfunction — The opposite level of rivalry I’ve is that PUFs additionally seem to induce torpor (decreased physiological exercise marked by a diminished metabolic price), very similar to high-fructose corn syrup does. So, I believe ripe fruit will not be going to be a significant contributor to dementia.
• Fructose from fruit doesn’t behave like high-fructose corn syrup — In a earlier interview with Johnson, he additionally admitted being shocked that fructose from fruit didn’t have the identical results as high-fructose corn syrup. Bredesen replies:
“Sure. And it makes good sense. The fascinating factor to me is we’re frugivore (animals that thrive on uncooked fruits), we’re descended from frugivores. The issue we now have at present, in fact, is that our fruit has been bred to have a a lot increased sugar content material. That is the difficulty.
However the excellent news is, it retains the great fiber and, as you identified, it does not offer you that impact that high-fructose corn syrup and processed meals offer you.”
For a deeper take a look at the risks of high-fructose corn syrup and why it must be eradicated from our meals provide, learn “Why Excessive-Fructose Corn Syrup Should Be Faraway from Our Meals.”
Methylene Blue, Niacinamide, NAC and Glycine
One remedy adjunct Bredesen favors is methylene blue, which is one thing I like to recommend for nearly anybody who desires to enhance their well being and reverse degenerative illness, primarily as a result of it’s so efficient at decreasing reductive stress.
• Methylene blue helps mitochondrial operate — It facilitates electron switch ahead within the mitochondria, thereby permitting ATP manufacturing to happen, even when the complexes are broken.
• Elevating NAD+ is essential for power manufacturing — NAD+ is oxidized, not diminished, so it facilitates the switch of electrons ahead within the electron transport chain. Whereas there are costly precursors on the market, my favourite is apparent previous niacinamide, which is extremely cheap but raises NAD+ successfully.
• Analysis confirmed that niacinamide helps sluggish mind growing old — For normal well being, I like to recommend taking 50 milligrams of niacinamide thrice a day. Niacinamide additionally works synergistically with methylene blue.
• Dementia sufferers have low glutathione ranges — Publicity to mycotoxins or different toxins. Glutathione in its diminished type is much less efficient, because the oxidized type is required for optimum operate.
• The way to make the precise glutathione molecule — You want each cysteine and glycine, so one option to enhance your glutathione degree could be to take glycine and N-acetylcysteine (NAC).
• Two different methods to get extra glycine into your weight loss plan — Consuming “nostril to tail,” not together with muscle meat, or taking a collagen complement or gelatin powder will increase your glycine consumption. “Nostril to tail” refers to organ meats and connective tissues, that are wealthy in collagen. Collagen, in flip, makes up about one-third of the protein in your physique, so it’s extremely essential. About 30% of the collagen and gelatin is glycine, so it’s a wonderful supply.
Precision Medication Program to Launch
Bredesen can be a part of a crew launching a Precision Medication Program on the Pacific Neuroscience Institute in Santa Monica, California. This system will work to stop and deal with power circumstances in any respect levels, however will concentrate on getting folks in for prevention and early remedy.
• Alzheimer’s progresses by means of 4 levels — Bredesen explains that Alzheimer’s illness develops progressively, transferring by means of distinct phases:
“Whenever you get Alzheimer’s, you undergo 4 levels. You undergo a presymptomatic part, and also you undergo subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) that lasts on common 10 years. For these areas, prevention and remedy are just about 100% efficient. We will stop, and we will reverse nearly each time individuals are in SCI.”
• Delicate cognitive impairment (MCI) is a late stage of Alzheimer’s — Regardless of its identify, MCI will not be gentle; it indicators important illness development.
“MCI is the following. It is too dangerous it is referred to as gentle cognitive impairment. It is like telling somebody they’ve mildly metastatic most cancers. It is a comparatively late stage of Alzheimer’s illness. Nonetheless, in our trial, we had 84% of these folks enhance,” stated Bredesen.
• Reversal is feasible, however more durable in later levels — Whereas some dementia sufferers enhance with remedy, success charges lower because the illness progresses.
“The ultimate stage is dementia. And we nonetheless see some folks with proof of dementia enhance. However the farther you go, the more durable it’s to get all of them the way in which again. So, we encourage everybody, please are available in early.
We have had folks go from MoCA [Montreal cognitive assessment] scores of 18 to 30, which is implausible, from demented to regular. We have had folks go from zero to 9. However we have by no means seen anybody but be capable to go from zero MoCA, which is end-stage Alzheimer’s, to good 30 …”
• Even small enhancements are life-changing — Bredesen remembers a case the place a lady with end-stage Alzheimer’s regained independence, despite the fact that full restoration was not doable:
“A man wrote me a nasty be aware a pair years in the past, saying ‘How dare you inform people who in the event that they’re too far alongside, they should not get on this protocol? My spouse had a MoCA rating of zero. She’s in a nursing dwelling.
We used the protocol that you simply developed, she solely went up slightly bit, however her signs have been so significantly better.’ She may costume herself, she may communicate once more, she may interact.”
• The most effective outcomes happen with early intervention — Whereas later-stage sufferers nonetheless see advantages, beginning remedy early provides the best probability of full reversal. Bredesen famous:
“So I do not say there is a restrict, however it’s a lot more durable under 16. You may get some dramatic subjective enhancements. And once more, we have seen folks go from 15 to 27. So, it does occur, it is simply that it’s more durable the longer you wait, which is why we encourage everybody to return early. If all people would are available in in these first two phases — prevention or SCI — dementia could be a uncommon drawback.”
On a associated be aware, revelations have referred to as into query long-standing Alzheimer’s analysis. To be taught extra about how flawed research could have misled the scientific group, learn “Landmark Alzheimer’s Examine Retracted After Proof of Knowledge Manipulation.”
Continuously Requested Questions (FAQs) About Alzheimer’s Prevention and Remedy
Q: Can Alzheimer’s be reversed?
A: Sure, Dr. Bredesen’s analysis reveals that addressing way of life components reverses cognitive decline in early levels, notably within the subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) part.
Q: Is beta-amyloid the principle reason for Alzheimer’s?
A: No, beta-amyloid is a response to mind stress, not the basis trigger. The true drivers embrace irritation, infections, insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction.
Q: Why is fructose dangerous to mind well being?
A: Extra fructose, particularly from high-fructose corn syrup, reduces ATP manufacturing and triggers fats storage, which contributes to cognitive decline.
Q: Can infections contribute to Alzheimer’s?
A: Sure. Oral pathogens like P. gingivalis, herpes viruses and tick-borne infections gas power irritation and contribute to neurodegeneration.
Q: What dietary supplements assist assist mind well being?
A: Methylene blue, niacinamide, NAC, glycine and high-quality omega-3s assist mitochondrial operate and mind energetics.
