Diabetes
The following two statements ought to be a red alert to anyone who is diabetic. They are from a multitude of articles referring to the correlation between diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
Diabetes doubles a person’s chances of developing Alzheimer’s dementia.
Diabetes accelerates progression from MCI to stage 3 Alzheimer’s dementia by three years.
With type 2 diabetes, resistance builds up to the insulin produced in the pancreas. Initially, the pancreas produces excess insulin, but eventually it can’t keep up with the need to control the glucose in the blood. This excess insulin leads to an inflammatory response in the cells in the brain. Inflammation is one of the contributing causes of Alzheimer’s.
Even more significant is the negative effect diabetes has on the arteries. Diabetes is listed as one of the vascular risk factors that results in decreased blood flow to the nerve components of the brain.
As diabetes develops, a person’s blood sugar level goes from normal to slightly elevated. That person is placed into a category called pre-diabetes. When the blood sugar level gets higher, the diagnosis of diabetes is made. When pre-diabetics are studied, we see how diabetes is linked to three lifestyle habits over which we have control: a poor diet, a sedentary lifestyle, and obesity. Studies have shown that pre-diabetic individuals can prevent full-blown diabetes by eating the proper diet, exercising, and losing weight. These are also the three lifestyle choices for defeating dementia.
Smoking
I am adding smoking as an additional risk factor. The reason is because it is in a class by itself as far as causing injury to your body. I can’t think of any process that harms the body more than smoking. It is one of the biggest risks there is for your arteries, not to mention the cancer risk. Most everyone realizes that smoking is one of the worst things you can do to your body. We will not go into the details of smoking as related to Alzheimer’s except to acknowledge that people who smoke have a greater risk of Alzheimer’s. I have cut out lung cancer from many patients and have found there are two types of people who smoke. When told they have cancer of their lung, there are those who will completely commit and quit smoking, and there are those who will continue smoking no matter what their doctor or spouse tells them. I expect the same response from many who smoke when they are informed that smoking increases your chances of developing Alzheimer’s.
So, my advice to anyone who smokes is to quit—plain and simple. I have given the same advice to smokers I have operated on. If the lung tumor was not malignant, I informed them that if they didn’t quit their pack-a-day habit, they were going to develop lung cancer. It is beyond my reasoning why someone who is headed to cancer of their lung won’t quit smoking, but I realize it is up to them to make the decision to change their lifestyle. The same pertains to Alzheimer’s. You are soon going to learn the ten-minute factor that will teach you how to break addictions. Whether giving up cigarettes or eliminating the food you shouldn’t be eating, you can learn steps to abstain from the bad habits that increase your chances of Alzheimer’s.