Alzheimer's is a degenerative brain disease that usually begins gradually, causing a person to forget recent events or familiar tasks. How rapidly it advances varies from person to person, but the disease eventually leads to confusion, personality and behavior changes and impaired judgment. Communication becomes more difficult as the disease progresses, leaving those affected struggling to find words, finish thoughts or follow directions. Eventually, most people with Alzheimer’s disease become unable to care for themselves. One in 10 people over 65 and nearly half of those over 85 suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Today, 4 million Americans have the condition. That number could jump to 14 million by the year 2050 unless prevention methods are developed. In Japan, the number is half that of US. Scientists still are not certain of the disease's cause. Advancing age and family history are risk factors. Researchers are exploring the role of genetics in the disease, but most agree it's caused by a variety of factors. Some believe that it is caused by a faulty protein metabolism. Although we don’t know quite what causes Alzheimer’s disease, we do know that affected individuals end up with abnormal plaque lesions in their brain tissue. It turns out, and this was discovered in the ’80s, that the lesions are made up of something called beta-amyloid, which is a tiny protein fragment. A vaccine is being tested that stimulates body's own defence mechanism to mop up these tiny protein fragments. While we are waiting for the vaccine to be available to the public, managing your protein metabolism may be an avenue to keep the onset at bay. That means, less proteins and more carbs, no alcohol to keep the liver in good order and taking immune boosting supplements.
