to be terrified of dementia

[calmseeker]

I am in my mid fifties and my short term memory has deteriorated. Sometimes, possibly like people of my age I go to get something in another room and think 'what was it I wanted?' or I open the fridge instead or a cupboard then realise what I've done. I look it up and the internet (reliable sites) say its a normal part of aging. But every other day there seems to be 'new' things that predispose one to dementia - antihistamines (older versions), concussion, lack of sleep, solitariness and so the list goes on, Is anybody else terrified........ The worse thing is there is no cure and the disease is very scary.....

I think there is much work being done world-wide on what contributes to dementia - remember when the concern about aluminium was in every news story? 'Deodorants give you dementia' type stuff?

There is no doubt that there is more that we DON'T know than what we do know.
Yes, interesting stuff coming out about diet - not just wrt dementia, but also diabetes and cardio-vascular disease.

IMO the bottom line is that we all live longer than nature intended.
And I agree with remarks made upthread that lots and lots of preventative medicine in the rich Western world will inevitably lead to an 'epidemic' of dementia.

Because the drug companies have such high input into the NHS?

The drug companies would prefer we got dementia rather than switching to a gluten free diet.

Perhaps I'm not cynical enough but I can't believe the NHS hasn't at least considers dietary evidence in respect of the looming epidemic of type 3 diabetes.

But when I saw my FIL's diet sheet for his type 2 diabetes it made no sense. It was high carb and low fat... He has heart issues too..,.

What if we could prevent much of these diseases in the first place through diet?

Dowser - would love to know the supplements you are taking if you are happy to share.

Dignitas was £10,000 when I discussed it with someone who had enquired about it

There was a really interesting article in the New Scientist a few months ago about dementia being type 3 diabetes.
Most food in old peoples homes is high carb because everyone is terrified of the dreaded fat BUT, a friend of mine whose father had dementia reckoned he was far more "with it" when he had less carbs.

Honestly you're not cynical enough.

Of course it has been considered. So why is the diet advice still so bad?

"Altogether, the data provide strong evidence that AD is intrinsically a neuroendocrine disease caused by selective impairments in insulin and IGF signaling mechanisms, including deficiencies in local insulin and IGF production."

From here - scholarly article from 2008.

"Some of the most relevant data supporting this concept have emerged from clinical studies demonstrating cognitive improvement and/or stabilization of cognitive impairment in subjects with early AD following treatment with intranasal insulin or a PPAR agonist."

I have no idea what all this means in practice.

Yabu, it is our lifestyles that are to blame for the rise and getting it earlier and earlier. There are lots of things a yoiu can do to reduce your risk

PacificDogwood - it means they think it's diet related.

It does not say anything about diet - insulin, yes.

I am as cynical as the next cynic about Big Pharma (to use that lazy short-cut) and how original research can be manipulated in the interest of money and influence, but I understand that there are huge leaps from tightly controlled research to widespread rolling out of new treatments.

In the meantime, I think it does not harm at all to look at carbs and weight (less of you, more insulin and more sensitive receptors) and exercise etc etc blah blah - still no guarantee, sadly.

I fear dementia too, especially having watched 'Still Alice' this week! And yes OP, you're right, once you've got it there's nothing you can take to stop it or slow down its progress and that is frightening. There are things you can do to make dementia less likely, however, unless your family has the genetic kind. And it might be better to focus on what you can do, than what you can't. TBH what you've described sounds perfectly normal and I also forget what I've gone upstairs for, or opened the fridge to get out - I think everyone does - particularly if they're tired (I have small DC so have often not had as much sleep as I'd like).

Here are the NHS guidelines: www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia-guide/pages/dementia-prevention.aspx

Keeping your brain active is thought to be helpful too so read things that challenge you, do crosswords, sudoku puzzles - and keep socially active too.

juneau, there are some treatments for some types of dementia now. They only slow the decline, but more than we had a few years ago, I suppose.

Perhaps I'm not cynical enough but I can't believe the NHS hasn't at least considers dietary evidence in respect of the looming epidemic of type 3 diabetes.

The NHS seems to ignore diet in all aspects of healthcare. Look at food in hospitals. The NHS seems to see diet as not being 'medical' and therefore not its business.

We are watching this happen now with DMiL. DFiL died suddenly a few days ago. In the space of a week. DH has essentially lost both parents. DFiL died and with him went the memory of DMiL. DFiL had kept alive the memory of who DMiL was.

DMiL has had to go into a home. She cant look after herself. It is frightening how quickly this has happened.

This thread has reminded me that we need to get lasting powers of attorney in place. The problem is that if you leave it until when you need to have the capacity to make decisions on behalf of someone else it is too late

Pacific - insulin is diet related - and so is iGF.

Sorry - just realised much of that had been said already and I know that you can do everything seemingly 'right' and STILL get sodding dementia, much as you can be super-fit and still get heart disease. It IS frightening, but so are lots of things. I actually fear getting old, full stop. I fear losing my physical strength. I fear loneliness. I fear being seen as old and past it and irrelevant. Old people aren't valued in our society and there are no guarantees that any of us will live to a healthy and ripe old age with our minds intact and die peacefully in our sleep one night. From where I'm standing old age looks utterly shit, tbh.

Yes, of course, but it still does not explain why one person lives to 100 with all their marbles intact and others develop some vicious form of early-onset dementia in their 50s

It won't be as simple as 'diet' - as I said, won't do any harm to do everything you can to avoid insulin resistance in the meantime.

Look at smoking and lung Ca and COPD - we all know somebody who smoked, I dunno, 60 roll-ups a day and lived to 95, doing some hill walking every day of the week. There's a genetic component to how sensitive we are to certain life style/environmental factors that we know bugger all about.

And yes, sorry, I know there is Aricept and a couple of other things, but I don't think they don't slow or stop it - they just improve the symptoms maybe?

vicious form of early-onset dementia in their 50s

This is generally the genetic kind, I believe. You can test for it if you have a lot of dementia in your immediate family.

I dont think you can say that it is all down to lifestyle and is starting earlier and earlier.

What we develop health-wise is also a function of what we have survived.

It seems astonishing that the recommend the puzzles, iguiding the White elephant of diet. It seems blindingly obvious that health is hugely about diet.

Why is it ignored? I did notice the sponsors of some recent NHS healthy eating programme were food companies whose products were the "healthy" low fat and high sugar type.

I'm considered very "quirky" by my peers for seeing juice as a treat for my kids and giving them full fat dairy. I certainly don't go low carb for them but I restrict wheat as much as I can which apparently is akin to child neglect according to my obese MIL.

Sorry for typos. On crappy iPhone.

There are no genetic tests for diagnosis

Rooner, just stick to you guns - the whole 'dieting' for children drives me nuts. Sounds like a good thing you've got going there.
It is one of bugbears that it can actually be quite difficult to find full-fat yoghurts - everything is sugar-laden, "0% fat" shit

I certainly don't think dementia is all down to diet and lifestyle.

I do think it's very possible though that some forms of dementia are all down to diet and lifestyle.

So like your smoking example. Smoking doesn't guarantee getting lung cancer. Not smoking doesn't guarantee not getting g it. But we're still advised not to smoke.

So why aren't there more health warnings about gluten and blood sugar?

The tobacco companies knew for years how dangerous smoking was. And actively suppressed the information.

Are the food companies doing the same?

Are the food companies doing the same?

Yes.

Big pharma is too influential in all of this. They heavily push medication for everything.
Years ago they discovered too much sugar was bad for you, but the sugar companies lobbied the U.S. government and only the info on fat was released. All the sugar info was suppressed.