Can changes in diet impact Alzheimer’s symptoms? With the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease over the past couple of decades, it is a major focus for many medical researchers. By the year 2050, Alzheimer’s alone is expected to cost Medicare and Medicaid over $750 billion. This makes efforts to pursue a cure, or at least delay its onset and abate its symptoms, crucial in this day of ever-spiraling medical costs. Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California have been exploring a connection between diet and some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, and their work is starting to show some promising results.
Home To Stay Health Care Diet Shows Promise for Reversing Symptoms of Alzheimer’s
The Importance of Two Nutrients in Dealing With Alzheimer’s
The researchers at USC used mice to test changes in diet impact Alzheimer’s symptoms. These mice had been observed to display symptoms common to Alzheimer’s sufferers in humans. They were separated into four separate groups. They were looking at the effect of the specific nutrients EGCG, or epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a common ingredient in green tea and ferulic acid, which is found in wheat, oats, rice, tomatoes and carrots. One of the groups was given both of these nutrients, one was given a placebo and each of the remaining two groups were given only one or the other of these nutrients.
They used a maze in the shape of the letter Y to test any improvement in the spatial working memory of the mice, which is the same type of memory people use to navigate through a building or house and to find their way to the door. The mice that received the combination of nutrients were found to become as good at navigating the maze as mice that were already healthy.
What This Means for Your Family Today
Combination therapies are already commonplace in the alleviation and treatment of diseases such as cancer and HIV infection, so it’s not surprising that a combination of nutrients was more effective at alleviating the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. The good news here is that this combination is of nutrients and diet impact Alzheimer’s symptoms and possibly negate further advancement of the disease. This is something they can start doing today without having to wait for a supposed miracle cure that may take decades if it ever arrives.
If you are the caregiver for a parent or grandparent who is starting to show signs of dementia, you can start substituting a cup of green tea for that cup of coffee that they may currently be drinking. It is worth incorporating anything you can from the latest Alzheimer’s research into the daily life of your loved ones because this will be appreciated by them as well as make your life easier.
Alzheimer’s Care in Southern New Jersey
Our Cherry Hill NJ Alzheimer’s & dementia memory care services at Home To Stay Health Care is happy to bring you the above story about breakthroughs in diet and medicine that make the lives of Alzheimer’s sufferers and their families easier. If you live in Southern New Jersey, you should know there’s another way we can make your life easier. As a premier provider of at-home, non-medical home care services, we can help your elderly loved one stay in their familiar home environment by providing for those needs that they can no longer do for themselves.
The services we offer include helping them with bathing, grooming, meal preparation, transportation, errands, chores and light housekeeping just to name a few. Our signature service, however, is our unmatched Alzheimer’s care. We are one of the only certified providers of the AlzBetter method of care in our area, which puts us head and shoulders above any competitors for providing the type of specialized care that your parent or grandparent needs when they are contending with this illness. We offer in-home senior care services in Mt Laurel NJ, as well as many other southern NJ towns. Please contact us today. We’re here for you when you need a break or to provide full-time care, so let us know what you need, and we’ll let you know how we can help.
