With the last of the “Baby Boomer” generation turning 60 and the upper end of it turning 75, and due to the aging population, a great deal of research has become focused on the causes of Alzheimer’s disease and possible ways to prevent it. Each new study published is giving us more and more hints as to what might be contributing factors.
Two of them are a high carbohydrate diet in general, and high consumption of sugar in particular. Due to the body turning Carbohydrates into glucose, eating Carbs make blood sugar level rise.
High carb diets
The high carbohydrate diet came about in part from the conclusion of medical experts more than 45 years ago that fat was bad for us and had to be removed from commercial food products. In order to replace flavor and make the new low-fat foods more palatable, however, they added sugar. Fast forward to the present day and the world is unhealthier than ever.
One voice in the wilderness in those early low-fat days was Dr. Atkins. He argued that carbohydrates were the killer, not fat. Excess carbs get stored as fat, he said, so cutting down carbs would naturally cut down on body fat and fat storage. Since then, his diet has gone from mocked to mainstream, with countless people successfully losing weight and keeping it off by following the Atkins diet. Today many are on the Keto diet, which both Atkins and Keto are low carb diets which may benefit weight loss, diabetes management, and heart health, allowing your body to stay in ketosis and burn ketones for energy. And not feed off the insulin (sugar) from the Carbohydrates.
Not all carbs are equal
All foods have some carbs, but not all carbs are created equal. Diets high in simple carbohydrates such as table sugar have been linked to Alzheimer’s.
Low carb diets containing slow carbs, that is, foods that take some time to digest and release their carbs, such as oats and quinoa, have been associated with a heart-healthy and brain healthy diet.
Artificial sweeteners cause damage as well
Sugar might not be the only culprit in Alzheimer’s, but artificial sweeteners as well. Some studies have shown that aspartame, brand names NutraSweet and Equal, leave holes in the brain of laboratory animals.
It also triggers potentially deadly methanol poisoning, which severely damages the brain. Alcoholics who can’t afford commercial liquor will become desperate enough to drink methylated spirits, resulting in methanol poisoning, which leads to brain cell destruction and premature death.
Women are much more prone to Alzheimer’s than men. Could it be their sweet cravings causing the issue? If you’re worried about your brain health, heart health, and weight, drop that cupcake and cut out sugar and/or opt for a low carb diet and see what a difference it can make to your brain health. You are sweet enough as it is. So if you feel you want to be able to have a bite of cake, without having the WHOLE cake, try the 7 day sugar detox Ebook, (Coming soon) cause it’s got your name all over it, written in chocolate buttercream frosting. Better yet do a Mitzvah, life a healthy lifestyle.
xoxo Ilanit BS, CPT, CNS