THE AGING BRAIN, PART 1
Janet’s Story: Alzheimer’s in the family
A few years before my own father passed, I heard him turn to my mother and ask who she was. They had just celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. It was heart wrenching. Many of us are worried about our memory, especially in the face of news about an epidemic of MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) and Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. And when there is a family history of memory problems, even forgetting where you left your car keys can seem ominous.
Recently I met a patient I’ll call Janet. Her mother had developed early onset Alzheimer’s disease when she was relatively young, in her early 50s, and passed away before she turned 60. Janet was now 42 years old and, knowing that the disease was at least partly inherited, wanted to know whether she was at risk, and what she could do to preserve her own faculties.
Janet was right to be concerned, not only because she had a compelling family history of Alzheimer’s disease, but because she turned out to have a combination of lifestyle and genetic risk factors that did increase the chances she would follow in her mother’s footsteps. Janet was in a high-stress marketing position, was a smidge overweight, smoked half a pack of cigarettes a day and didn’t exercise either physically or mentally.
The good news was that the genetic risk factors we identified can be overcome by successfully modifying these lifestyle behaviors. Quitting smoking, reducing the effects of stress on the body and mind, exercising and controlling weight and blood sugar levels have all been shown to help reduce the development of dementias. Making these changes may not be easy but programs are available that can help people like Janet, and our genetic test results galvanized her to stick with the program.
The reality is that Janet’s story is far from unique. In fact, it’s estimated that 500,000 Canadians have Alzheimer’s disease and that number is growing – within a generation over one million of us will get it and half of us will be caring for a loved one who has it.
Part of the trouble in dealing with this growing threat is that the medical system has often approached dementias too late, with medications that are only moderately effective at treating symptoms of a brain that has already degenerated. Now, however, we are able to be more predictive and proactive. Recent studies have allowed doctors to appreciate the root causes of the disease and intervene to prevent damage before it occurs.
Over the course of the next three posts, I’ll share with you more of Janet’s story, as well as:
- the diabetes/Alzheimer’s connection and how our high sugar diet may be a significant contributor to brain function decline
- fascinating genetics discoveries that are helping us better understand the aging brain, and,
- the personalized and tailored diet and lifestyle action plans we’re creating for patients to increase long-term health and reduce their chances of suffering memory loss
The great news is that, every day, we’re discovering more and more clues to understanding the aging brain and the causes of dementia. In the next post we’ll take a look at what might just be public enemy number one in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease: sugar.