Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, which affects over 500,000 people in the UK. Essentially this is the result of damage to the brain so that the mental ability of an individual is impaired.
Typically, the initial symptoms are memory loss so that it is difficult to recall recent events and to learn new information.
There are uncanny parallels with T2D. The incidence of AD has been growing rapidly and is projected to continue increasing for some time.
Furthermore, as with T2D, the disease is now being diagnosed in comparatively young people.
A study conducted in Holland has found that those with T2D are more than three times as likely to develop dementia as those who do not have the disease. Those being treated with insulin showed an even higher risk.
The links between the two diseases are now so closely established that AD has been dubbed “Type 3 Diabetes”.
There is now a convincing case that the common factor is insulin resistance. Research has demonstrated that insulin is essential for the brain to function effectively and that insulin resistance can be present in the brain.
Epidemiological studies have shown that those who consume a diet with a high carbohydrate content have a much higher risk of developing AD than those with a low carb intake.
Similarly, even lower risks have been observed in those who consume a diet with a high content of healthy fats.
There are many case histories of individuals who have successfully alleviated the symptoms of AD by making significant changes to their diet and lifestyle.
Invariably these have included the almost complete elimination of sugar and carbs from their diet and the consumption of lots of healthy saturated fats.
Although it is often argued that dietary carbs are essential to provide the brain with glucose, this is simply not true.
The brain can function perfectly well from ketones that are derived from dietary fat. In any event if glucose is needed the body is perfectly capable of producing it from the fat or protein in the diet.