Alzheimer’s Deaths Exceed Half a
Million a Year in the US
Story at-a-glance
Between 1999 and 2014, the death rate from Alzheimer’s
increased by 55 percent, killing more than 93,500 Americans
in 2014, according to a review of death certificates
Research published in 2014 found Alzheimer’s deaths were
severely underreported on death certificates. Researchers
estimate the annual death toll from Alzheimer’s actually
exceeds half a million
Many lifestyle and environmental factors contribute to the
rise in Alzheimer’s, including inappropriate diet,
inactivity, insulin resistance, prion infection, lack of sun
exposure and overexposure to toxic chemicals and non-native
electromagnetic fields
By Dr. Mercola
Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most serious form of dementia,
eventually leads to the inability to carry out even the most basic of
bodily functions, such as swallowing or walking. It is ultimately fatal,
as conventional treatment options are few and universally ineffective.
Like autism among children, Alzheimer’s among seniors has reached
epidemic proportions, with no slowdown in sight. On the contrary,
evidence suggests the trend is worsening. At present, Alzheimer’s
affects an estimated 5.4 million Americans.1
Projections suggest the disease will affect 1 in 4 Americans within
the next two decades, and by 2050, Alzheimer’s diagnoses are projected
to triple.2,3
Shocking statistics published in the journal Neurology in 2014 revealed
Alzheimer’s killed more than 503,000 American seniors in 2010, making it
the third leading cause of death, right behind heart disease and cancer.4
Now, data published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reveals that
between 1999 and 2014, the death rate from Alzheimer’s increased by 55
percent,5,6,7,8
— a rather radical increase in a mere 15 years.
The CDC report also noted the number of people dying from the disease
at home, opposed to in a care facility, has increased from 14 to 25
percent. This means many Alzheimer’s caretakers are unpaid family
members and friends — a task known to be taxing from both an emotional
and financial perspective. While these statistics sound dire enough, the
reality may be even worse than that.
Alzheimer’s Deaths Are Likely Severely Underreported
The CDC report used data collected from U.S. death certificates.
However, the 2014 Neurology study revealed Alzheimer’s deaths are
grossly underreported on death certificates. In 2010, death certificates
showed there were less than 84,000 deaths from Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile,
by ascertaining the cause of death based on evaluation of donated organs
from the diseased, the actual death toll attributable to dementia came
out to 503,400.
If such a trend of underreporting
Alzheimer’s disease as a cause of death holds true, the increase in
Alzheimer’s deaths over the past 15 years may in fact be far greater
than 55 percent.
Indeed, the CDC claims Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of
death, while the results from the 2014 study ranked it third. According
to the CDC, Alzheimer’s killed 93,541 Americans in 2014 — a far cry from
the estimated annual death toll of 503,400, reported in the Neurology
study. Whatever the case may be, what’s clear is that severe, lethal
dementia is rapidly rising, and the medical establishment is no
closer to solving the riddle of causation than they were 30 years ago.
What’s Causing Alzheimer’s Disease?
It’s often said that the underlying causes of Alzheimer’s disease are
unknown, but there’s no shortage of theories. Based on the available
science, here are several of the most prominent or likely culprits that
can raise your risk of Alzheimer’s disease:
Insulin resistance
Mounting research suggests Alzheimer’s disease is intricately
connected to
insulin resistance; even mild elevation of blood sugar is
associated with an elevated risk for dementia.9Diabetes and
heart disease10
are also known to elevate your risk, and both are rooted in
insulin resistance. Neurologist David Perlmutter warns anything
that promotes insulin resistance, like a
processed food diet, will also raise your risk of
Alzheimer’s.
Recent research has strengthened the link between insulin
resistance and dementia even further, particularly among those
with existing heart disease.11,12,13
Studies have also confirmed that the greater an individual’s
insulin resistance, the less sugar they have in key parts of
their brain, and these areas typically correspond to the areas
affected by Alzheimer’s.14,15
Vitamin D deficiency
The Scotland Dementia Research Centre also noted there’s a
very clear link between
vitamin D deficiency and dementia.16
Indeed, studies have shown vitamin D plays a critical role in
brain health, immune function, gene expression and inflammation
— all of which influence Alzheimer’s. A wide variety of brain
tissue contains vitamin D receptors, and when they’re activated
by vitamin D, it facilitates nerve growth in your brain.
Researchers also believe optimal vitamin D levels boost
levels of important brain chemicals, and protect brain cells by
increasing the effectiveness of glial cells in nursing damaged
neurons back to health. Considering an estimated 95 percent of
seniors are at risk of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency,
vitamin D may be a very important factor for successful
prevention among the general population.
Research also shows people living in northern latitudes have
higher rates of death from Alzheimer’s than those living in
sunnier areas,17
suggesting a link between sun exposure, vitamin D and brain
health. In a 2014 study,18
considered to be the most robust study of its kind at the time,
those who were severely deficient in vitamin D had a 125 percent
higher risk of developing some form of dementia compared to
those with normal levels.
The findings also suggest there’s a threshold level of
circulating vitamin D, below which your risk for dementia
increases. This threshold was found to be right around 20
nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) or 50 nanomoles per liter
(nmol/L) for Europeans.
Higher levels are associated with better brain health in
general, and based on a broader view of the available science,
20 ng/ml is still far too low. The bulk of the research suggests
a healthy range is between 40 to 60 ng/ml.
Lack of sun exposure
While vitamin D deficiency is directly attributable to lack
of sensible sun exposure, vitamin D production is not the only
way sun exposure can influence your dementia risk. Evidence
suggests sunlight is a beneficial
electromagnetic frequency (EMF) that is in fact essential
and vital for your health in its own right.
About 40 percent of the rays in sunlight is infrared. The red
and near-infrared frequencies interact with cytochrome c oxidase
(CCO) — one of the proteins in the inner mitochondrial membrane
and a member of the electron transport chain.
CCO is a chromophore, a molecule that attracts and absorbs
light. In short, sunlight improves the generation of energy
(ATP). The optimal wavelength for stimulating CCO lies in two
regions, red at 630 to 660 nanometers (nm) and near-infrared at
810 to 850 nm.
I’ve recently interviewed two different experts on
photobiomodulation, a term describing the use of
near-infrared light as a treatment for Alzheimer’s. To learn
more about this fascinating field, please see my interviews with
Michael Hamblin, Ph.D., and Dr. Lew Lim. Both have published
papers on using
photobiomodulation to improve Alzheimer’s disease.
Photobiomodulation also improves oxygenation to your cells by
releasing nitric oxide, and is a vasodilator that helps relax
your blood vessels, lower your blood pressure and improve
vascular health. Additionally, delivering red (660 nm) and near
infrared light (830 nm) to the mitochondria promotes
synthesizing of gene transcription factors that trigger cellular
repair, and this is as true in the brain as anywhere else in
your body.
Prion infection
In addition to viruses, bacteria and fungi, an infectious
protein called
TDP-43, which behaves like infectious proteins known as
prions — responsible for the brain destruction that occurs in
Mad Cow and Chronic Wasting Diseases — has been linked to
Alzheimer’s.
Research presented at the 2014 Alzheimer's Association
International Conference revealed Alzheimer's patients with
TDP-43 were 10 times more likely to have been cognitively
impaired at death than those without.19
Due to its similarities with mad cow disease, investigators have
raised the possibility that Alzheimer’s disease may be linked to
eating meat from animals raised in
concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
Environmental Toxins
Experts at the Edinburgh University's Alzheimer Scotland
Dementia Research Centre have compiled a list of top
environmental risk factors thought to be contributing to the
epidemic, based on a systematic review of the scientific
literature.20,21,22,23
As much as one-third of your dementia risk is thought to be
linked to environmental factors such as air pollution, pesticide
exposure and living close to power lines.
The risk factor with the most robust body of research behind
it is air pollution. In fact, they couldn’t find a single study
that didn’t show a link between exposure to air pollution and
dementia. Particulate matter, nitric oxides, ozone and carbon
monoxide have all been linked to an increased risk. Living close
to power lines also has “limited yet robust” evidence suggesting
it may influence your susceptibility to dementia.
Non-native or artificial
electromagnetic fields (EMF)
Non-native EMFs contribute to Alzheimer’s by poisoning your
mitochondria, and this is not limited to living in close
proximity to power lines. It also includes electromagnetic
interference from the electric grid and microwave radiation from
your cellphone, cellphone towers and Wi-Fi.
This is a very deep and important topic that I plan to
greatly expand on later this year. Based on what I’ve found so
far, I’m convinced enough now to never put my cellphone on my
body unless it is in airplane mode, and will not hold my
cellphone unless it is on a selfie stick.
Inactivity / lack of exercise
Exercise has been shown to protect your brain from Alzheimer's
and other dementias, and also improves quality of life if you’ve
already been diagnosed.24
In one study,25
patients diagnosed with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s who
participated in a four-month-long supervised exercise program
had significantly fewer neuropsychiatric symptoms associated
with the disease (especially mental speed and attention) than
the inactive control group.
Other studies26
have shown aerobic exercise helps reduce tau levels in the
brain. (Brain lesions known as tau tangles form when the protein
tau collapses into twisted strands that end up killing your
brain cells.) Cognitive function and memory27
can also be improved through regular exercise, and this effect
is in part related to the effect exercise has on neurogenesis
and the regrowth of brain cells.
By targeting a gene pathway called brain-derived neurotrophic
factor (BDNF), exercise actually promotes brain cell growth and
connectivity. In one yearlong study, seniors who exercised grew
and expanded their brain’s memory center by as much as 2 percent
per year, where typically that center shrinks with age.
Evidence also suggests exercise can trigger a change in the
way the amyloid precursor protein is metabolized,28
thus slowing the onset and progression of Alzheimer's. By
increasing levels of the protein PGC-1alpha (which Alzheimer’s
patients have less of), brain cells produce less of the toxic
amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's.29
Hypertension and heart disease
Arterial stiffness (atherosclerosis) is associated with a
hallmark process of Alzheimer’s, namely the buildup of
beta-amyloid plaque in your brain. The American Heart
Association (AHA) warns there’s a strong association between
hypertension and brain diseases such as vascular cognitive
impairment (loss of brain function caused by impaired blood flow
to your brain) and dementia.30
Moreover, in one clinical trial,31
test subjects who consumed high fructose corn syrup developed
higher risk factors for cardiovascular disease in two weeks,
demonstrating just how influential your diet can be on your
heart and brain health in the long term.
Genetic predisposition
Several genes that predispose you to Alzheimer’s have also
been identified.32
The most common gene associated with late onset Alzheimer’s is
the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. The APOE e2 form is thought to
reduce your risk while the APOE e4 form increases it.
That said, some people never develop the disease even though
they’ve inherited the APOE e4 gene from both their mother and
father (giving them a double set), so while genetics can affect
your risk, it is NOT a direct or inevitable cause.
Your risk for early onset familial Alzheimer’s can also be
ascertained through genetic testing.33
In this case, by looking for mutation in the genes for
presenilin 1 and presenilin 2. People with one or more genetic
predispositions are at particularly high risk of developing
Alzheimer’s at a very young age. At just 31 years of age,
Rebecca Doig is thought to be one of the youngest Alzheimer’s
cases presently known.
Early Alzheimer’s Prevention Is Required to Stem the Tide of
Dementia
There is no known cure and no effective conventional treatments for
Alzheimer’s, making prevention an overarching priority. Regardless of
your age, now is the time to really start looking at which of these
possible causes might be influencing your risk. If you’re finding this
information now and are in your 20s or 30s, consider yourself blessed
with foresight.
You still have time to address most if not all of these possible
factors. But don’t dawdle too long. Early-onset of Alzheimer’s is also
on the rise. Already, nearly 5 percent of Americans with the disease are
younger than 65. The video above features the story of Amy Norton, who
was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of 43. As noted by the
American Alzheimer’s Association:34
“Many people with early onset are in their 40s and 50s. They
have families, careers or are even caregivers themselves when
Alzheimer's disease strikes. In the United States, it is estimated
that approximately 200,000 people have early onset.”
The good news is that lifestyle choices such as diet, exercise and
sleep can have a significant impact on your risk. As previously noted by
Dr. Richard Lipton of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine — where
they study healthy aging — lifestyle changes “look more promising than
the drug studies so far” when it comes to addressing Alzheimer’s.35
Cyclical Ketogenic Diet Can Help Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s
In recent years, I’ve become deeply interested in and familiar with
the medical literature detailing the influence of mitochondrial function
on health. It’s become quite clear to me — and to many other experts in
the field — that mitochondrial dysfunction is at the heart of virtually
all chronic disease, including heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Mitochondria are tiny organelles found in most of your cells,
responsible for production of energy in the form of adenosine
triphosphate (ATP). Your mitochondria have a series of proteins in the
electron transport chain, in which they pass electrons from the
metabolic products of the food you eat to combine it with oxygen from
the air you breathe and ultimately form water. This is called aerobic
respiration.
The more mitochondria you have and the healthier they are, the more
energy your body can generate and the lower your risk of chronic
disease. Disturbingly, research suggests 50 percent of people under the
age of 40 have early onset mitochondrial dysfunction. It’s no wonder
then that diseases historically known to affect the very old are now
affecting people in middle age or even younger. Dementia is certainly
one of those.
The good news is there are many ways to optimize your mitochondrial
function, and this is the focus of my new book, “Fat
for Fuel,” which details my metabolic mitochondrial therapy (MMT)
program in full — starting with what you eat every day. Mounting
evidence suggests the ability to burn fat for fuel is a crucial
component of good metabolic health and mitochondrial function, and to do
that, you simply cannot subsist on a standard American diet of processed
food.
You need a diet that powers your brain and body with healthy fats.
When your body burns fat as its primary fuel, ketones are created, which
burn efficiently, are a superior fuel for your brain, and generate fewer
reactive oxygen species and less free radical damage. A ketone called
beta hydroxybutyrate is also a major epigenetic player, stimulating
beneficial changes in DNA expression, thereby reducing inflammation and
increasing detoxification and antioxidant production.
MMT Is Part of the Answer
As a general guideline, until you are able to burn fat as your
primary fuel, it is best to restrict your intake of net carbs (total
carbs minus fiber) to about 20 to 50 grams per day while also keeping
protein low enough to allow you to make the shift to nutritional ketosis
— the metabolic state associated with an increased production of ketones
in your liver. This is the biological reflection of being able to burn
fat for fuel.
Nutritional ketosis is defined as blood ketones that stay in the
range of 0.5 to 8.0 millimoles per liter (mmol/L). I explain the ins and
outs of implementing this kind of diet, and its many health benefits, in
the book. In it, I also explain why cycling through stages of feast and
famine, opposed to continuously remaining in nutritional ketosis, is so
important.
By periodically pulsing higher carb intakes, your ketone levels will
dramatically increase and your blood sugar will drop. The pulsing will
also prevent the loss of muscle that can occur when you remain in
nutritional ketosis for extended periods of time.
A fascinating paper that demonstrates the power of lifestyle
modifications for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s is that of
Dr. Dale Bredesen, a UCLA researcher who, by leveraging 36 different
healthy lifestyle parameters — several of which are included in my MMT
program — was able to reverse Alzheimer’s in 9 out of 10 patients. This
included the use of:
His work was published in the journal Aging in 2014. You can
download the full-text
case paper online, which details the full program.36
According to Bredesen, “The results … suggest that, at least early in
the course, cognitive decline may be driven in large part by metabolic
processes.”
Lifestyle Strategies That Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
While genetics can raise your risk of Alzheimer’s, even genetic
predisposition does not mean dementia is your inevitable fate. On the
other hand, you may have no genetic predisposition for dementia and
still lose your mind. It’s important to remember that your genetic
expression is predicated on epigenetic factors such as your diet,
exercise, sleep and environmental exposures. You can, to a great degree,
influence your genetic fate, no matter what you start out with.
When it comes to preventing Alzheimer’s, enhancing your mitochondrial
function, which I detail in my book, “Fat for Fuel,” is paramount. MMT,
I believe, helps you build a solid base for health and general disease
prevention. In addition to that, the following strategies (some of which
are part of MMT) are particularly important for the prevention of
Alzheimer’s:
Address your diet: Eat real
food, ideally organic, and avoid processed foods, especially
refined carbohydrates and vegetable oils
Contrary to popular belief, the ideal fuel for your brain is
not glucose but ketones. Ketones are what your body produces
when it converts fatinto energy. Healthy fats to add
to your diet include avocados, butter, organic pastured egg
yolks, coconuts and coconut oil, grass fed meats, raw nuts and
animal-based omega-3.
High intake of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA help by
preventing cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, thereby
slowing down its progression and lowering your risk of
developing the disorder. Avoid all trans fats or hydrogenated
fats. This includes margarine, vegetable oils and various
butter-like spreads.
Keep your added sugar levels to a minimum and your total
fructose below 25 grams per day, or as low as 15 grams per day
if you already have insulin/leptin resistance or any related
disorders.
Most will also benefit from a gluten-free diet, as gluten
makes your gut more permeable, which allows proteins to get into
your bloodstream where they sensitize your immune system and
promote inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which play a role
in the development of Alzheimer’s.
Optimize your gut flora
To do this, avoid processed foods, antibiotics and
antibacterial products, fluoridated and chlorinated water, and
be sure to eat traditionally fermented and cultured foods, along
with a high-quality probiotic if needed. Dr. Steven Gundry does
an excellent job of expanding on this in his new book “The
Plant Paradox.” I will be interviewing him later this year,
but his innovative approach has great potential to help your
health.
Intermittently fast
Intermittent fasting is a powerful tool to jump-start your
body into remembering how to burn fat and repair the
insulin/leptin resistance that is a primary contributing factor
for Alzheimer’s.
If you enjoy black coffee, keep
the habit
While I would not encourage you to drink coffee if you’re not
already a coffee drinker, if you enjoy it, there’s good news.
Caffeine triggers the release of BDNF that activates brain stem
cells to convert into new neurons, thereby improving your brain
health. High-quality coffee also has many beneficial polyphenols
that can improve brain function.
In one study, people with mild cognitive impairment whose
blood levels of caffeine were higher (due to coffee consumption)
were less likely to progress to full-blown dementia compared to
those who did not drink coffee.37
In another study, older women whose coffee consumption was above
average had a lower risk of dementia.38
Just make sure your coffee is organic, as coffee tends to be
heavily sprayed with pesticides. For more details on making your
coffee habit as healthy as possible, please see my previous
article, “Black
Coffee in the Morning May Provide Valuable Health Benefits.”
Move regularly and consistently
throughout the day
The following lecture by physical therapist Teresa
Liu-Ambrose, Ph.D., details the impact of exercise on dementia
prevention and treatment.
Optimize your magnesium levels
Preliminary research strongly suggests a decrease in
Alzheimer symptoms with increased levels of
magnesium in the brain. Magnesium threonate appears
particularly useful as it has the ability to cross your blood
brain barrier.
Get sensible sun exposure to
optimize your vitamin D and reap other photobiomodulation
benefits
Sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of
your immune system to combat inflammation associated with
Alzheimer's. If you are unable to get sufficient amounts of sun
exposure, make sure to take daily supplemental vitamin D3 to
make your blood level at least 40 to 60 ng/ml. This is typically
about 8,000 units of vitamin D for most adults.
That said, please do remember that sun exposure is also
important for reasons unrelated to vitamin D. The near-infrared
light in sunlight actually helps boost cognition and reduces
symptoms of Alzheimer’s via a process known as
photobiomodulation.
Avoid and eliminate mercury from
your body
Dental amalgam fillings are one of the major sources of heavy
metal toxicity; however, you should be healthy prior to having
them removed. Once you have adjusted to following the diet
described in my optimized nutrition plan, you can follow the
mercury detox protocol and then find a biological dentist to
have your amalgams removed.
There is some suggestion that certain mineral waters high in
silicic acid may help your body eliminate aluminum. Later this
year I will be interviewing Wendy Meyers, an expert on
detoxification and minerals, about some simple strategies you
can use to address this.
Avoid flu vaccinations
Most flu vaccines contain both mercury and aluminum.
Avoid statins and
anticholinergic drugs
Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system
neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of
dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers,
antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications
to control incontinence and certain narcotic pain relievers.
Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they
suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of
coenzyme Q10, vitamin K2 and neurotransmitter precursors, and
prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and
fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the
production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as
low-density lipoprotein.
Limit your exposure to
non-native electromagnetic fields (cellphones, Wi-Fi routers and
modems)
The primary pathology behind cellphone damage is not related
specifically to brain tumors, or even to cancer. The real danger
lies in damage from the reactive nitrogen species
peroxynitrites.39
Increased peroxynitrites from cellphone exposure will damage
your mitochondria, and your brain is the most
mitochondrial-dense organ in your body.
Increased peroxynitrite generation has also been associated
with increased levels of systemic inflammation by triggering
cytokine storms, autonomic hormonal dysfunction and
mitochondrial dysfunction.
Peroxynitrite is an unstable structural ion produced in your
body after nitric oxide is exposed to superoxide, and this
complex chemical process begins with exposure to low-frequency
microwave radiation from your cellphone, Wi-Fi and cellphone
towers.40,41
Get plenty of restorative sleep
Sleep is necessary for maintaining metabolic homeostasis in
your brain. Wakefulness is associated with mitochondrial stress;
without sufficient sleep, neuron degeneration sets in. While
sleep problems are common in Alzheimer’s patients, poor sleep
may also be contributing to the disease by driving the buildup
of amyloid plaques in your brain.
While you sleep, your brain flushes out waste materials, and
if you don’t sleep well, this natural detoxification and
clean-out process will be severely hampered.
Challenge your mind daily
Mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such
as learning to play an instrument or a new language, is
associated with a decreased risk of dementia and Alzheimer's.
Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your
brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with
Alzheimer's disease.