Can You Prevent Alzheimer's?

My beloved grandmother and my husband's grandmother both died from Alzheimer's Disease. My father-in-law is in early stages of Alzheimer's. It's such a scary and sad disease that robs the mind of memories that you thought you'd never forget. When my grandmother was sick, she didn't know who those closest to her were anymore. She didn't remember teaching me how to make an authentic New York cheesecake. She didn't remember letting me dress up in her fancy clothes and high heeled shoes. She didn't remember how we watched Johnny Carson together while I fell asleep cuddled next to her.

More and more research dollars are being spent on finding a cure, especially since several high-profile people have or had the disease. I found the following doctor, Dr. Neal Barnard, who appeared on Dr. Oz fascinating with his claim that he knows how to PREVENT Alzheimer's. It's a four-part series that I recommend you watch when you have time. 

Basically, Dr. Barnard said that when the plaques that are found in the brains of Alzheimer's victims are analyzed, they are filled with metals. He believes these metals, namely iron, copper and zinc, wreak havoc on the brain cells and destroy the connections that give us our memory. By reducing the amount of metals in our diets, he claims we can PREVENT Alzheimer's. But there's more. These metals bind with saturated fats in meats and dairy to cause the most harm. Dr. Barnard recommends the following diet from whole foods (not from supplements):

• lots of vitamin E - sweet potatoes, mangoes, walnuts and broccoli
• B6 - corn (organic), beans, brown rice and other whole grains like amaranth
• B12 - fortified cereals and fortified nut milks
• Folate - leafy greens like kale, asparagus and beans
• Antioxidants - blueberries and grapes

And he says you should drastically reduce or eliminate:

• Meat (especially red meat because of the high saturated fats)
• Dairy (the highest levels of saturated fats of any food group)
• Fish (he says most fish is contaminated because the ocean is so high in toxic minerals)
• Fried foods (again, high in saturated fats)

He recommends if you take a multi-vitamin, be sure to find one without minerals and not to take iron supplements unless your blood work shows you have anemia or significant iron deficiency.

To watch the Dr. Oz video, click HERE.

To go to Dr. Neal Barnard's website to read more about him and his research, click HERE.