World Alzheimer's Day 2013

World Alzheimer's Day 2013

World Alzheimer's Day 2013

Every year on the 21st of September, Alzheimer associations across the globe unite to recognize World Alzheimer's Day. Together, we are making small but important strides toward increasing awareness and combating the stigma.  

The theme for World Alzheimer's Month 2013 is Dementia: a journey of caring.

The Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and irreversible disease which has millions of victim in every part of the world with at least two people getting the disease every three minutes. Almost ten percent of adults above the age of 65 are affected by Alzheimer's and it is believed that the incidence and the rate of disease will increase with age and time. 

What is Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease of the nervous system where the patient starts to lose their memory and in later cases even show behavioral disorders and forgets their own identity. Dementia is the major symptom of Alzheimer's disease where the person loses the activity of the brain and the memory.Till now only symptomatic treatment are available for it and neither the reason behind the disease or its progression is clearly understood.

Nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease

Age and family history/genetics are major risk factors, but emerging research is suggesting that lifestyle factors including diet and exercise can also play an important role in prevention. 

Here are a few other things you should consider.

Up your Vitamin E. Vitamin E is a very potent anti-oxidant and appears to play a role in staving off Alzheimer's. Research shows that those with the highest amounts in their diet  have a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. 

Top food sources include sunflower and safflower oil, nuts and seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts) and green vegetables including broccoli and spinach. Make sure to consume green vegetables with a little healthy fat to maximize the absorption of vitamin E.

Go for fish. Getting adequate amounts of poly-unsaturated omega 3 fatty acids found in fish is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is present in larger amounts in the brain, appears to be particularly important. 

Low levels of DHA in the blood have been associated with worsening mental function. If you don't eat fish, take a fish oil capsule daily or eat 1tbsp of flaxseed or walnuts, almonds.

Move more. Moderate to heavy exercise can decrease your risk of Alzheimer's by up to 45%. Moderate exercise includes house work, climbing stairs, and sports like bowling and golf. And start early -- exercising in your teens can protect you later in life. 

Being fit has been show to decrease brain shrinkage, a common finding in dementia, and may help fight depression, which also commonly occurs in Alzheimer's disease patients. Aim for an hour per day, but every little bit adds up.

Spice things up.  All of us would be happy to know India has a much lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease, and many researchers believe it may be due in part to their extensive use of turmeric (a component of curry) in their cooking. 

Turmeric contains a powerful phytonutrient called curcumin which may help protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease in several ways. Research is currently underway to determine the optimal intake (very little taken by mouth actually gets to the brain) but consuming curry regularly along with a little healthy fat may help and certainly can't hurt.

 Make changes to your lifestyle today, and be consistent, to decrease your risk of Alzheimer's disease. All of the things mentioned above work much better for prevention than for slowing of progression or treatment.

DHA in pregnancy and lactation

DHA in pregnancy and lactation

Most rapid brain growth occurs during the last 3 months of fetal life-with the infant’s brain tripling in size by the first birthday. The researchers believe that supplementing pregnant mothers with DHA may benefit brain and retinal development in their offspring particularly if born prematurely. Docosahexaenoic acid (commonly known as DHA) is an omega-3 essential fatty acid.

They point out that supplementing from mid-pregnancy to the 34th week is perfectly safe.
After birth, from 1 to 8 months of age, DHA continues to accumulate at a slower rate in the baby’s body. After about 2 years of age brain DHA practically reaches adult levels.

Since breastfeeding is the only source of nourishment for the newborn for the first 6 months of life, it is important to ensure that the breastfeeding mother has adequate stores of DHA as well. In another study, supplementation of infant formula with DHA during the first weeks of infancy was found to improve the mental function.

Major food sources of DHA
Fishes such as salmon, tuna, sardines and mackerel; fish oil supplements, nuts, seeds, oils like soyabean oil, rapeseed oil, linseed oil, flaxseed oil, eggs and marine algae are rich in DHA.However, excessive cooking of these foods may destroy DHA.
DHA is available as a supplement in two common forms:
• Fish oil capsules, which contain both DHA and EPA
• DHA from algae, which contains no EPA

World Alzheimer's Day 2012

World Alzheimer's Day 2012

Every year on the 21st of September, Alzheimer associations across the globe unite to recognize World Alzheimer's Day. Together, we are making small but important strides toward increasing awareness and combating the stigma. Alzheimer Disease International, the 'global voice on dementia', has given the theme of "Dementia - Living Together" to this year's World Alzheimer Day

The Alzheimer's disease is a progressive and irreversible disease which has millions of victim in every part of the world with at least two people getting the disease every three minutes. Almost ten percent of adults above the age of 65 are affected by Alzheimer's and it is believed that the incidence and the rate of disease will increase with age and time. 

 What is Alzheimer's Disease?

Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease of the nervous system where the patient starts to lose their memory and in later cases even show behavioral disorders and forgets their own identity. Dementia is the major symptom of Alzheimer's disease where the person loses the activity of the brain and the memory.Till now only symptomatic treatment are available for it and neither the reason behind the disease or its progression is clearly understood.

Nutrition and Alzheimer’s disease

Age and family history/genetics are major risk factors, but emerging research is suggesting that lifestyle factors including diet and exercise can also plan an important role in prevention. 

Here are a few other things you should consider.

Up your Vitamin E. Vitamin E is a very potent anti-oxidant and appears to play a role in staving off Alzheimer's. Research shows that those with the highest amounts in their diet  have a significantly lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. 

Top food sources include sunflower and safflower oil, nuts and seeds (almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts) and green vegetables including broccoli and spinach. Make sure to consume green vegetables with a little healthy fat to maximize the absorption of vitamin E.

Go for fish. Getting adequate amounts of poly-unsaturated omega 3 fatty acids found in fish is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is present in larger amounts in the brain, appears to be particularly important. 

Low levels of DHA in the blood have been associated with worsening mental function. If you don't eat fish, take a fish oil capsule daily or eat 1tbsp of flaxseed or walnuts, almonds.

Move more. Moderate to heavy exercise can decrease your risk of Alzheimer's by up to 45%. Moderate exercise includes house work, climbing stairs, and sports like bowling and golf. And start early -- exercising in your teens can protect you later in life. 

Being fit has been show to decrease brain shrinkage, a common finding in dementia, and may help fight depression, which also commonly occurs in Alzheimer's disease patients. Aim for an hour per day, but every little bit adds up.

Spice things up.  All of us would be happy to know India has a much lower incidence of Alzheimer's disease, and many researchers believe it may be due in part to their extensive use of turmeric (a component of curry) in their cooking. 

Turmeric contains a powerful phytonutrient called curcumin which may help protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease in several ways. Research is currently underway to determine the optimal intake (very little taken by mouth actually gets to the brain) but consuming curry regularly along with a little healthy fat may help and certainly can't hurt.

 Make changes to your lifestyle today, and be consistent, to decrease your risk of Alzheimer's disease. All of the things mentioned above work much better for prevention than for slowing of progression or treatment.

OMEGA 3 FATTY ACID ……..WHAT IS IT ACTUALLY?

OMEGA 3 FATTY ACID ……..WHAT IS IT ACTUALLY?

Why should we consume Omega 3?


Consuming Omega-3 fatty acids promotes heart health
It lowers cholesterol levels and high blood pressure
It reduces blood clotting in the arteries and protect from hardening of the arteries,
It reduces inflammation and stiff joints in those with arthritis
It improves symptoms of depression
It improves blood sugar levels in those with diabetes
Gives added shine n luster to hair and skin

What is this omega 3 fatty acid but…………….

To begin with we must distinguish between the two polyunsaturated fatty acids which are termed essential because they cannot be made in the body and therefore must be present in the diet. They are linoleic acid (LA), an omega 6 fat, which is widely available in a vegetarian diet, being present in large quantities in most oils and other vegetable based fatty foods, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega 3 fat, which is not so widely available in a vegetarian diet, and is generally considered to be the more beneficial of the two EFAs. Alpha-linolenic acid is what is known as an omega 3 fat.

Taking an overview of the various fatty acids intake recommendations worldwide, and the confounding factors surrounding the common vegetarian diet, leads to a conclusion that an ALA intake of 1.5% of total energy is optimum for vegetarians – or roughly 4g a day. However it is also important for vegetarians to ensure that their intake of LA is not too high compared with ALA since a higher intake of LA interferes with the process in which the human body converts ALA into the even more beneficial EPA and DHA, so a LA to ALA ratio of around 4 to 1 or slightly lower is considered to be the optimum, but any steps to bring down an excessively high amount of omega 6 fats in the diet would be beneficial.

SOURCES

Did  you know that mother’s milk produces Omega 3 ALA? – food for thought.

Seafood

The best source of omega fatty acids is seafood, since fish oil has high concentrations of the important fatty acids, DHA and EPA.Fatty fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines and tuna are significant sources and two3 ounce servings per week are recommended

Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in:

• walnuts, Brazil nuts, Soy nuts
•  Flax seeds,  Pumpkin seeds
• Soybeans, navy beans, kidney beans, Green beans
• Vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, Avocado
• Fruits;  raspberries, strawberries, kiwifruit, papaya   

References

Goyens PL, Spilker ME, Zock PL, et al. Compartmental modeling to quantify alpha-linolenic acid conversion after longer term intake of multiple tracer boluses. J Lipid Res, 2005. 46:1474-83.

The Mayo Clinic

"FOOD PROCESSOR | Nutrition and Fitness" from ESHA Research.

The American Heart Association