Alzheimer’s and Diet

The other day I was flipping channels and came across the Charlie Rose show.

On his show, Charlie Rose had a panel of medical experts. Most of the experts were older men who have been in the medical field for 50 years or so. There was one woman on the panel that was much younger but she still was heavily credentialed.

The subject matter on the show was dementia, Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. The panel discussed at length and in detail the internal workings of the brain and how certain diseases affect certain parts of the brain. Honestly, there were parts of the show that were so detailed that the info went over my head, but I kept watching because I found the subject matter intriguing.

In the show they explained that brain atrophy or disease could be a result of:

• Age
• Dietary habits
• Lifestyle
• Heredity

The 50-Year Marker

What really caught my ear (and seemed to confirm a suspicion of mine) was when one of the esteemed doctors (I believe it was Dr. Eric Kandel) mentioned that 50 years ago when he was earning his medical degree, there was no discussion of Alzheimer’s disease. The other panel members concurred with Dr. Kandel. None of them were introduced to the disease during their school years.

Imagine that. No discussion or educational course on the disease Alzheimer’s. But, when you think of it, why would medical schools require a course on a disease that barely existed back then. The epidemic of Alzheimer’s is a more resent development. Fifty years ago, it was nowhere near as much of a problem as it is today.

My Suspicious Mind

After hearing that statement from the esteemed panel member, I couldn’t help but recall some of my recent research on food additives. In particular I thought of monosodium glutamate and its derivatives. According to the information I found, monosodium glutamate is a neurotoxin. In other words, it kills brain cells. An accumulation of MSG in the body can cause damage to the brain.

The insidious character of MSG doesn’t make a difference whether or not the person consuming it has an immediate response such as sleepiness, diarrhea or headache. As MSG accumulates in the system, it has the potential to damage the brain.

The 50-Year Marker for MSG

Putting two and two together I did more research to find out when MSG was introduced into the American diet (you know where I’m going with this). Take a guess when it was introduced. Yep, about 50 years ago. By the 1960’s it was a part of the American diet to enhance the flavor of food.

So, 50 years ago medical school students were not taught about Alzheimers. Right around the same time this food additive was infused into the American diet. Fast-forward 50 years and monosodium glutamate is included in just about every processed food on the market and Alzheimer cases are increasing.

As a layperson, I don’t have scientific proof of the correlation of MSG and brain disease. However, I’ll tell you one thing, I’d rather take the time and effort to remove MSG from my diet. Even if I am wrong, eating foods that don’t have MSG is much healthier on so many levels that it’s worth making the transition.

Interesting Experiment

During my research, I came across a blog where a young lady had been treating her father’s Alzheimer’s by switching his diet.  She switched him to a raw food diet and within 2 1/2 months there were marked improvements in his dementia.  Don’t take my word for it, read her post: Update on my Dad’s progress with Alzheimer’s on Raw Food.