Program presents ways to prevent Alzheimer's

Silvergate Fallbrook hosted Healthy Woman’s Ladies Night Out on July 26 in its new memory care facility which just finished construction and is awaiting furniture. The setting was appropriate for the topics discussed, “Brain Healthy Cooking” and “Cognitive Health.”

Laura Printy, education/outreach manager for the Alzheimer’s Association, San Diego/Imperial Chapter, gave a talk on brain healthy foods, detailing why some foods are more beneficial to the brain. She started out with the fact that there are 60,000 diagnosed Alzheimer patients in San Diego and Imperial counties. Far more people have the disease but don’t realize it yet, she added.

Printy said that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases as people age. One in eight people over the age of 65 have it while almost one in two (48 percent) of people over age 85 have it. Furthermore, because women tend to live longer than men, there more women than men with have Alzheimer’s.

She said the big four components in maintaining a healthy brain are mental exercise, social connections, good nutrition and physical exercise, and it is never too late to start any of them.

Certain foods are better for the brain than others. The folate in whole grains helps keep blood flowing to the brain. It can be found in breads, oatmeal, quinoa and couscous.

Seafood, especially oysters, is “incredibly beneficial to the brain” according to Printy. They are a good source of zinc and iron which contribute to a healthy brain.

Omega 3’s and omega 6’s are also beneficial as they coat the neurons in the brain, helping them to function better, (whereas high cholesterol makes brain cells stiff and less efficient). The omegas can be found in fish including salmon, sardines and tuna as well as flax seed, pecans and walnuts. One serving of fish a week can loosen up stiff brain cells Printy said.

Green and black teas are also very good for the brain. A compound found in those teas, catechins, lightens mental fatigue. Another good brain food is eggs. They are high in both vitamin B12 and choline which naturally reduce brain atrophy.

“The brain shrinks as we get older,” Printy said, explaining why eating eggs two to three times a week is a good idea. It doesn’t matter how the eggs are cooked, but she pointed out that those good benefits come from the yolk, not the egg whites.

Foods high in antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, include curry, berries, oranges, grapes, peppers, nuts, and seeds. The darker they are, the more anti-oxidants they have. Dark green leafy vegetables are high in iron which increases cognitive function; they also decrease high homo-cystine levels, caused by stress, which kill brain cells.

Because chocolate, especially the dark kind, not only contains a high amount of anti-oxidants but also a high amount of flavonols which increase blood flow to the brain, Printy recommended one to two ounces a day.

Dr. Brandon Miller then started out his talk with the statistic that dementia has over 100 causes; the most common is Alzheimer’s disease in 80 to 90 percent of dementia patients. Symptoms include memory loss, difficulty communicating, an inability to remember new information, difficulty with planning and organizing, and difficulty with coordination. Alzheimer’s patients may also exhibit a personality change, inability to reason, inappropriate behavior and hallucinations.

He said 5.4 million Americans are living with the disease. Alzheimer’s is the sixth leading cause of death which results from aspiration due to the inability to swallow.

Myths about Alzheimer’s are that memory loss is not part of aging; Alzheimer’s is not fatal; only older people get it; aluminum cans, artificial sweeteners, flu shots and silver metal fillings can cause or increase the risk of getting it; and treatment is available to stop its progression.

The signs that someone is developing the disease are memory loss disrupting his or her life, difficulty completing familiar tasks, confusion with time and place, trouble understanding visual images, misplacing things, restlessness and anxiety.

Dr. Miller said that diagnosis is based on a patient’s history, information from family, a physical exam including a blood test and possibly a CT scan or MRI to rule out other causes. If it is Alzheimer’s, families have more time to plan for the future including home safety and legal issues. Various treatments are available to slow the disease’s progress but cannot stop it.

He then discussed ways to prevent the development of this disease which include keeping blood vessels healthy by not smoking, controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar; and maintaining a healthy weight. He said that head trauma can cause dementia and lead to Alzheimer’s so care should be taken to protect the head.

Prevention also includes physical exercise which increases oxygen and blood flow to the brain, a healthy diet. Also important are remaining socially and mentally active through traveling, playing games, going to lectures and classes, reading and writing. Pursuing higher education, learning something new, eating with one’s non-dominant hand, getting together with friends, doing Sudoku and word puzzles as well as surfing the internet are all ways to stretch the brain.

Besides learning important health information, more than 200 ladies enjoyed dinner supplied by Silvergate’s cooks, visiting with friends and a raffle of more than a dozen prizes from local businesses at this Healthy Woman Ladies Night Out.