Editor’s Notice: 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 therapy of Alzheimer’s. In 2014, he printed a paper1 demonstrating the facility of life-style selections for the prevention and therapy of this tragic situation. By leveraging 36 wholesome life-style parameters, he was capable of reverse Alzheimer’s in 9 out of 10 sufferers.
Randomized Trial Launch Goals to Observe and Reverse Cognitive Decline
For starters, his workforce 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 exams that weren’t obtainable 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 should not commercially obtainable but, so we’re doing these as analysis, however they are going to all grow to be commercially obtainable,” Bredesen says.
• Early detection and monitoring with no PET scan — At present, phospho-tau 181 and A-beta 42 to 40 ratio are commercially obtainable, permitting people to get an thought of the place they stand with out essentially needing a PET scan.
• Monitoring enhancements and reversing cognitive decline — In accordance with Bredesen, “Extra importantly, you’ll be able to comply with it as you enhance. Prevention is vital, but additionally reversing cognitive decline, which we had been the primary to do … We have seen it repeatedly, once you’re doing the fitting issues, once you’re attacking the essential drivers of the method, you see [reversal].”
This trial represents a serious development within the capability to observe and tackle cognitive decline, providing new hope for prevention and reversal of neurodegenerative processes.
Helpful Exams to Detect Early Indicators of Cognitive Decline
A number of key exams can present early insights into mind well being, serving to to detect neurological adjustments lengthy earlier than signs seem:
• GFAP (Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein) check — Whereas nonspecific, this check is a helpful device for detecting mind adjustments 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 grow to be obvious. “The excellent news is that if it is regular, you are in fairly fine condition. So that you wish to know that going ahead,” Bredesen explains.
• Phospho-tau 181 and phospho-tau 217 — These are particular exams for Alzheimer’s adjustments 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 may need. “That is an [important] piece,” Bredesen says. “All people 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 which will contribute to cognitive decline.
The place There’s Smoke There’s Hearth
In accordance with standard 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 quite than root causes.
• The flawed logic of focusing on tau and beta-amyloid — Bredesen explains:
“It is a little bit like saying, ‘There’s some smoke there. If we simply blow away the smoke, then the home shouldn’t be going to burn down.’ It is mindless. 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 widely known issue, many different contributors play a job, together with:
◦Irritation
◦Infections (significantly within the mouth)
◦Insulin resistance
◦Leaky intestine
◦Lowered blood stream and oxygenation
◦Diminished mitochondrial operate
• Alzheimer’s is basically a community insufficiency — The mind comprises about 500 trillion synapses, and when environmental and metabolic stressors weaken this community, cognitive operate begins to say no. In consequence, 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, focusing on it therapeutically is ineffective, a conclusion supported by scientific information.
• The failure of Lecanemab and what works higher — Bredesen criticizes the FDA’s suggestion to approve Lecanemab. “Lecanemab doesn’t make you higher, it doesn’t hold you an identical, it slows the decline by 27%. That’s it,” he identified.
• Different interventions carried out higher in scientific trials — These embody ketones alone, further virgin olive oil, mixed metabolic activators (corresponding to carnitine and nicotinamide riboside) and protocols focusing on energetics and irritation.
• Bredesen’s protocol exhibits one of the best long-term outcomes — He states, “We’ve obtained folks now who’ve sustained their enchancment for greater than 10 years. So, it’s unhappy that this drug has been advisable for approval.”
Bredesen’s Strategy to Stopping and Treating Alzheimer’s
In accordance with Bredesen, supporting power and lowering irritation within the mind are the 2 most essential components to stop and deal with Alzheimer’s. Fundamentals that each one of Bredesen’s sufferers implement embody:
• Dietary intervention — Bredesen recommends a plant-rich, mildly ketogenic weight loss plan, with an excellent omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, no dairy, no grains and no easy carbs. “That is the method that has labored one of the best,” 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 should be saved low, beneath 2% and even 1% of day by day energy, for optimum well being.
I strongly suspect folks with dementia should 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 just can not 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 assessment “Linoleic Acid — The Most Harmful Ingredient in Your Weight loss program.”
• 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 urged since you can’t counter the injury brought on by omega-6 fat just by taking extra omega-3. On prime of that, most omega-3 dietary supplements, primarily fish oil, are nugatory as a result of they’re artificial and rancid besides, 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 entire fruits, and the drawbacks of long-term keto. So, please perceive, Bredesen’s dietary suggestions are his personal, primarily based on his analysis, and don’t essentially replicate my very own views.
• Train — Bredesen is seeing significantly good outcomes with KAATSU (blood stream 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 when you’re sleeping.
“Sleep is a big space in and of itself,” Bredesen says. “Affected person zero, the primary particular person we handled again in 2012 who reversed her cognitive decline fantastically, she’s now over a decade in on this, doing nice frequently. She’s now in her late 70s.
Certainly one of her points was poor sleep and, in fact, one of many issues that was addressed. Getting at the least an hour of deep sleep and at the least an hour and a half of REM sleep could be very useful … Poor sleep offers you extra amyloid. It is only a marker, but it surely’s a marker of issues that are not so good, and sadly, amyloid then offers you poorer sleep.”
• Extra methods — Different essential approaches embody stress discount, mind coaching, detox and focused supplementation.
The opposite a part of Bredesen’s program is custom-made to every affected person, as many have undiagnosed power infections, for instance, that should be addressed.
• Oral pathogens can invade the mind — Frequent infections embody P. gingivalis and T. denticola, which work their method into your mind out of your oral microbiome, herpes simplex and human betaherpesvirus 6A (HHV-6A).
• Herpes viruses are linked to Alzheimer’s — The complete household of herpes viruses is related to adjustments 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 threat — Chlamydia pneumoniae can also 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 should 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 obtained 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 several 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 alerts 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 accordance with 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, once 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, lowering ATP manufacturing by 15% can push it right into a state of dysfunction, contributing to neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s illness.
• Fructose metabolism mirrors adjustments seen in Alzheimer’s illness — Analysis exhibits that mind adjustments 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 a complete desk taking a look at all of the relationships, adjustments in PET scans, adjustments in blood biomarkers. In every of those instances, what occurs with fructose is identical factor that occurs in Alzheimer’s illness.”
• Avoiding extreme fructose is vital to preserving mind energetics — Whereas pure fruit consumption carefully shouldn’t 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’ll be able to’t eat some fruit, it simply means you do not wish to have large quantities of fructose.”
Fruit vs. Excessive-Fructose Corn Syrup
Right here too, my present views veer a bit. It’s essential to know there’s a world of distinction between fructose from fruit and high-fructose corn syrup. I used to advocate limiting each sources, however I’ve modified my considering on this, as fructose from fruit prompts pyruvate dehydrogenase, which that you must metabolize glucose from pyruvate to acetyl-CoA in your mitochondria. If that enzyme shouldn’t 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 change. Your major fuels are fat and carbs, and the Randle cycle determines how your cells determine which one to burn. When your weight loss plan is greater than 30% to 35% fats, this change shifts to fats metabolism, so that you just’re burning fats in your mitochondria quite than glucose. The glucose as a substitute will get shuttled into glycolysis and any extra goes out into your blood.
• Consuming a whole lot of fruit and a whole lot of fats on the identical time shouldn’t be a good suggestion — In essence, fructose by itself shouldn’t be what’s inflicting the issue. Moderately it’s consuming an excessive amount of fructose together with an excessive amount of fats. In case you enhance your contemporary fruit consumption, you additionally must 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 seemingly contribute to an individual’s capability to tolerate elevated carbohydrates.
• PUFs can also contribute to metabolic dysfunction — The opposite level of competition 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 shouldn’t be going to be a serious 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 attention-grabbing factor to me is we’re frugivore (animals that thrive on uncooked fruits), we’re descended from frugivores. The issue now we have immediately, in fact, is that our fruit has been bred to have a a lot larger sugar content material. That is the problem.
However the excellent news is, it retains the great fiber and, as you identified, it would not offer you that impact that high-fructose corn syrup and processed meals offer you.”
For a deeper have 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 therapy adjunct Bredesen favors is methylene blue, which is one thing I like to recommend for almost anybody who needs to enhance their well being and reverse degenerative illness, primarily as a result of it’s so efficient at lowering 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 obvious outdated niacinamide, which is extremely cheap but raises NAD+ successfully.
• Analysis confirmed that niacinamide helps sluggish mind growing old — For common well being, I like to recommend taking 50 milligrams of niacinamide 3 times 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 best way to make the precise glutathione molecule — You want each cysteine and glycine, so one method to increase your glutathione stage can 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 also be a part of a workforce 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 phases, however will deal with getting folks in for prevention and early therapy.
• Alzheimer’s progresses by means of 4 phases — Bredesen explains that Alzheimer’s illness develops steadily, shifting by means of distinct phases:
“If you get Alzheimer’s, you undergo 4 phases. You undergo a presymptomatic part, and also you undergo subjective cognitive impairment (SCI) that lasts on common 10 years. For these areas, prevention and therapy are just about 100% efficient. We will forestall, and we are able to reverse nearly each time persons are in SCI.”
• Delicate cognitive impairment (MCI) is a late stage of Alzheimer’s — Regardless of its title, MCI shouldn’t be gentle; it alerts vital illness development.
“MCI is the following. It is too unhealthy it is known 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 phases — Whereas some dementia sufferers enhance with therapy, 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 best way again. So, we encourage everybody, please are available early.
We have had folks go from MoCA [Montreal cognitive assessment] scores of 18 to 30, which is improbable, from demented to regular. We have had folks go from zero to 9. However we have by no means seen anybody but be capable of 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, although full restoration was not doable:
“A man wrote me a nasty notice a pair years in the past, saying ‘How dare you inform folks that 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 house.
We used the protocol that you just developed, she solely went up a bit of bit, however her signs had been so significantly better.’ She may costume herself, she may communicate once more, she may have interaction.”
• The very best outcomes happen with early intervention — Whereas later-stage sufferers nonetheless see advantages, beginning therapy early gives the best likelihood of full reversal. Bredesen famous:
“So I do not say there is a restrict, however it’s a lot more durable beneath 16. You will 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 come back early. If all people would are available in these first two phases — prevention or SCI — dementia can be a uncommon drawback.”
On a associated notice, revelations have known as into query long-standing Alzheimer’s analysis. To be taught extra about how flawed research could have misled the scientific neighborhood, learn “Landmark Alzheimer’s Examine Retracted After Proof of Information Manipulation.”
Often Requested Questions (FAQs) About Alzheimer’s Prevention and Remedy
Q: Can Alzheimer’s be reversed?
A: Sure, Dr. Bredesen’s analysis exhibits that addressing life-style components reverses cognitive decline in early phases, significantly 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 foundation trigger. The true drivers embody 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 help mind well being?
A: Methylene blue, niacinamide, NAC, glycine and high-quality omega-3s help mitochondrial operate and mind energetics.
