What is Alzheimer’s and how can it be prevented with Immunonutrition?

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that primarily affects the brain. The symptoms of Alzheimer’s are characterized by gradual memory loss, language impairments, mood changes, and increasing difficulty remembering the names of people, objects, and places, as well as carrying out daily tasks and social activities.

The World Health Organization states that Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, accounting for 60 to 70% of all cases.

The course of the disease usually lasts around 10 to 12 years, and its incidence increases with age, affecting between 20% and 40% of people over the age of 85 (Romano, Nissen, Del Huerto Paredes, & Parquet, 2007).

Did you know? Specialized medical and nutritional care can help maintain the quality of life of people with Alzheimer’s.

Can Alzheimer’s disease be prevented?

Although no preventive measures against Alzheimer’s disease and similar dementias have been definitively confirmed, it is known that genetics and age are significant risk factors for its onset.

The Alzheimer’s Association states that approximately 1 in 9 people over the age of 65 has Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition, some studies suggest that maintaining a healthy lifestyle—with regular exercise, good nutrition, and an active mind—can positively influence brain health and cognitive reserve.

One study showed that people with two to three healthy lifestyle habits have a 37% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to those with only one healthy habit. The risk factors decrease by up to 60% for those who maintain four to five of these habits.

How to reduce risk factors to help prevent Alzheimer’s

So, what can be done to lower the risk of dementia? Here are some measures:

1. Reduce inflammation through Immunonutrition

Inflammation is a risk factor in the development of diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is characterized by insulin resistance and the corresponding brain inflammation—a condition some researchers refer to as type 3 diabetes (Toro Paca et al., 2022).

Insulin resistance actually makes you more susceptible not only to Alzheimer’s and diabetes but also to conditions such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and cardiovascular diseases, which can also contribute to cognitive decline and poor brain health.

One of the best-known anti-inflammatory diets is the Mediterranean Diet, which includes foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, such as olives, and fiber from friendly vegetables you can digest—also helping if you have high cholesterol.

It is also known that gluten sensitivity plays an additional role in the predisposition to this condition and cardiovascular risk factors (heart disease). Therefore, removing it from your diet is one of our recommendations from the foundational principles of the 3R Immunonutrition Protocol.

2. Exercise regularly

Physical activity helps your brain produce new neurons and thus prevents neuronal degeneration. Aim for a minimum goal of walking 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day (Adrian De la Rosa et al., 2020).

3. Practice good sleep hygiene

It may seem obvious, but resting and sleeping properly provides oxygen to your brain. Recent studies indicate that poor sleep habits cause brain damage and may accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s.

Prepare your environment before bedtime: have dinner early, avoid electronic devices and physical activity for at least three hours before bed, and take a bath—if possible, with Epsom salts—to help you relax and detox.

4. Manage your stress

Researchers have found that nearly 3 out of 4 Alzheimer’s patients experience severe emotional stress during the two years prior to their diagnosis.

5. Optimize your vitamin D levels with safe sun exposure

Maintain your vitamin D levels between 50 and 70 ng/ml, as there are strong links between vitamin D deficiency and Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin D increases important chemicals in the brain, protects brain cells by improving the efficiency of glial cells in neurons, prevents dementia through its anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties.

6. Stimulate your mind daily‍

Mental stimulation—learning something new, such as playing an instrument or learning a new language—is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

How to follow a healthy, Alzheimer’s-preventive diet?

The following list of nutritional strategies will help you maintain a healthy diet and keep your brain in good shape as you age:

1. Avoid refined sugar

Ideally, you should keep your sugar levels low and avoid all artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame, which has been linked in studies to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

2. Avoid gluten and casein

Mainly wheat and pasteurized dairy products—but not dairy fats like butter. Research shows that gluten negatively affects your blood-brain barrier and makes your gut more permeable, as it promotes inflammation and immune dysfunction.

3. Avoid environmental toxins and chemicals as much as possible

The increase in Alzheimer’s cases may be related to genetically modified foods and modern agricultural methods: herbicides such as glyphosate are mineral chelators that deplete important nutrients.

4. Reduce calorie intake

Intermittent fasting is a powerful tool to prompt your body to burn fat and repair insulin/leptin resistance.

5. Follow a nutrient-rich diet high in active folate and zinc

Fresh vegetables are undoubtedly a good source of folate. It is suggested that zinc deficiency may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s by allowing the buildup of defective proteins in the brain (Shippy D et al., 2022).

6. Improve your magnesium levels

Increasing magnesium levels in the brain has been suggested to help reduce Alzheimer’s symptoms (Khawlah Alateeq et al., 2023).

7. Optimize your gut flora

Eat fermented foods regularly, according to your tolerance: sauerkraut, water kefir, kombucha, etc.

8. Increase your intake of healthy fats

They help protect your brain. These include animal-based omega-3 fats found in foods such as wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, and krill oil.

What Is the relationship between the microbiota and Alzheimer’s?

When we eat, we are actually also feeding the intestinal bacteria collectively known as the microbiota. This community of microbes plays a fundamental role in brain health and vitality.

Our microbiota is a community of microscopic single-celled organisms, mostly composed of bacteria, viruses, yeasts, fungi, and intestinal parasites.

Among its functions are helping to digest dietary fiber and breaking down metabolic products, which have a wide-ranging effect on the body—including the immune, hormonal, and nervous systems.

A correlation has been shown between gut microbiota and the appearance of amyloid plaques in the brain, which are typical of Alzheimer’s disease. When the gut microbiota is altered, a bacterial community imbalance (dysbiosis) occurs, leading to the production of protein fragments (peptides and enzymes) that travel to the nervous system and cause damage to neurons and their connections.

To avoid this alteration, we need to improve our eating patterns.

The 3R Immunonutrition Protocol

The entryway to all diseases—including Alzheimer’s—is your gut! You can keep it healthy through the 3R Immunonutrition Protocol:

• ‍Remove grains and derivatives, sugar, and dairy: Remember that gluten sensitivity is also related to Alzheimer’s, as is excess sugar or foods that spike your insulin, such as dairy, along with your particular food sensitivities, which can trigger these inflammatory processes.
• Remove excess weight or obesity: A healthy weight is also key for maintaining low levels of inflammation.
• Replace with antioxidants: Omega-3, Coenzyme Q10, magnesium, and active-form vitamin B12; replace foods according to your tolerance—such as olive oil, red meat. You don’t have to fear saturated fats if you remove harmful foods!
• Replace, as part of your healthy lifestyle habits, social relationships: An active social life is important for brain health, especially in the later years of life.

In your NutriWhite online consultation with our team of NutriWhite Ambassadors, we can provide you with the tools for healthy eating, with recommendations tailored to your condition, lifestyle, genetics, and preferences.

REFERENCES:

• María José Toro Paca, Diana Rebeca Parra Parra, Nathali Viviana Pacheco Mena, Amanda Graciela Alvarado Galarza. Enfermedad de Alzheimer: 10.26820/recimundo/6.(4).octubre.2022.68-76 RECIMUNDO. ISSN: 2588-073X 
• Dietary magnesium intake is related to larger brain volumes and lower white matter lesions with notable sex differences. Khawlah Alateeq, Erin I. Walsh & Nicolas Cherbuin. European Journal of Nutrition (2023)
• Álvarez Sánchez, M., Pedroso, I., de la Fe, A., Padrón Sánchez, A., Álvarez Sánchez, M., & Álvarez, L. (2008). Fisiopatología de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Revista Mexicana de Neurociencia, 9(3), 196-201.
• Exploring the zinc-related transcriptional landscape in Alzheimer’s disease. Author links open overlay panel. Daniel C. Shippy, Tyler K. Ulland, 2022. 
• Alzheimer 's Association. (2016). Información Básica sobre la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Qué es y qué puede hacer.
• Romano, M. F., Nissen, M. D., Del Huerto Paredes, N. M., & Parquet, C. A. (2007). Enfermedad de Alzheimer. Revista de posgrado de la VIa Cátedra de Medicina, 9-12.
• De la Rosa A, Olaso-Gonzalez G, Arc-Chagnaud C, Millan F, Salvador-Pascual A, García-Lucerga C, Blasco-Lafarga C, Garcia-Dominguez E, Carretero A, Correas AG, Viña J, Gomez-Cabrera MC. Physical exercise in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. J Sport Health Sci. 2020 Sep;9(5):394-404. doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2020.01.004. Epub 2020 Feb 4. PMID: 32780691; PMCID: PMC7498620.