Alzheimer's & Diet

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Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's & Diet
By Andrew Kelly

Alzheimer's disease, is one of those dreaded diseases that nobody likes to talk about! Yes it is a mental illness but something that could benefit greatly from public awareness. As our understanding of Alzheimer's increases we are begining to get hints as to what is needed to help prevent the illness.

Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease of which wastes the brain and damages nerve cells. While it is usually associated with the older person there are cases of early onset in which cases it strikes in middle age. Alzheimer's early and most widely known symptoms include forgetfulness with the patient eventually becoming incapable of self care.

Over the years various studies have observed improvements in Alzheimer's sufferers who have taken dietary supplements, especially in the case of vitamins B12, C, D, and E, Folic Acid, beta carotene and coenzyme Q10. Other studies have identified that sufferers often have deficiencies in Zinc and Selenium. Of course all of these are readily available in supplemental form or are found naturally in foods.

Problems with Diet

Sadly Alzheimer's Disease causes severe problems with regards to the suferers diet. It not only robs them of their ability to care for themselves it saps their diet which increases the risk of dietary deficiencies. It is therefore an added responsibility for the carer to ensure that the Alzheimer's suferer has a well balanced and nutricious diet high in those vitamins and minerals mentioned above.

Careful thought must go into the preparation of meals as patients tend to have increasing problems with dexterity as the disease progresses. This can, eventually, make the use of cutlery virtually impossible, at best a meal should be prepared that requires minimum physical effort and coordination.

Best Foods for Alzheimer's

It has been suggested that good diet and the avoidance of Aluminium can help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.

Coenzyme Q10 can be found in oily fish, offal, liver, vegetables, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, yams, peanuts, soya beans, wheat germ and whole grains.

Vitamin B12 is found in protein from an animal source such as white fish, eggs and dairy products. B12 is commonly added to breakfast cereals so the simple inclusion of a fortified breakfast cereal in the diet could help greatly.

Vitamin C is, possibly, the most well known vitamin and is found in abundance in fresh fruits and vegetables. Obviously some fruit coulod prove problematic so consider using fresh juice or a smoothy. Best are citrus fruits and the Kiwi fruit (only one can provide sufficient vitamin C for the day!).

Vitamin D can be produced by exposure of the skin to the sun or artificial sources of ultraviolet rays (such as sunbeds). Nearly all fortified foods contain the vitamin and, in the UK it is added to margarine by law! Vitamin D can be found in cod liver and other fish liver oils, eggs, tuna, sardines and salmon. Lack of vitamin D can increase muscle weakness and lead to softening of the bones.

Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils, wheatgerm, seeds, nuts and margarine. A deficiency in vitamin E is rare but when it occurs it leads to nerve damage. As Alzheimer's Disease also causes damage to the nerve cells it would seem logical to ensure sufficient intake.

Folic Acid is readily available in green vegetables such as Brussels sprouts and broccoli, pulses, wheatgerm and fortified breakfast cereals. However many studies have identified that the human body absorbs artificial Folic Acid far easier than the natural forms.

Beta Carotene is found in the brightest coloured (orange, yellow and dark green) fruit and vegetables such as carrots, spinach, dark green cabbage, cantaloupe melons, apricots and mangoes.

Overall a good, well-balanced, diet should provide adequate minerals and vitamins for the average person but the information above should help you in creating variety and interest in the diet.

Author Details:
Andrew Kelly, copywriter for various websites including, The A to Z of Alzheimer's, part of an ambitious project to cover various subjects plus a great many other sites about health matters; Microdermabrasion, Cosmetic Surgery Info 4U and more.

Source: Information Junkie

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