As a caregiver of the elderly, it didn’t take me long to fill with wonder about the infamous and life-changing disease we know as Alzheimer’s. While we are still in the stone age of the disease and are unsure what causes the disease or how to stop it, it doesn’t hurt to do a little research. I feel that ignorance of the disease further aids its spread. So I became eager and started looking around for the latest research about Alzheimer's. I wanted to know what progress had been made thus far. Have we figured anything else out besides knowing that the disease is characterized by a buildup of plaque in the brain? Or that it ruins the lives of millions?
It turned out that we have learned a few things. First, was the shocking statistic casually stated by the Alzheimer’s Association: by 2050 individuals with the disease may triple from 5.2 million to a projected 13.8 million. That little estimation shocked me. I sat and thought for a second. One of those 13.8 million could be me. It hit home (as though seeing these individuals suffering from it daily already hadn’t struck me close). I would be around 63, the age where many first start to see their first symptoms.
There were many more facts, but nothing stood out as much as the next and recent piece of information. According to a recent university’s research, metabolic diseases correlated to the cause of Alzheimer’s. While many of us know that diabetes and other diseases take their toll, we might be a little angry to find that they may also be handing out our golden years to Alzheimer’s. We know this research may not be accurate, but keeping our health under control may be the best chance we have against the crippling disease. I was a bit excited, if you will, to learn about this possible correlation.
Around the same time that I was researching Alzheimer's, I was also studying the effects of sugar and the damage our processed food diets can do. I considered that diet could be a major reason we are seeing this disease so often. Maybe sugar could start as the acting base, like setting the stage for the incubation of Alzheimer’s. I recently watched a documentary titled, "Sugar Coated" that aimed to explain the detrimental effects sugar had on the American diet. This was the part that had me jumping with excitement; it was another possible piece to this complicated puzzle known as Alzheimer’s.
In the documentary they pointed out that our massive intake of sugar caused most cases of the metabolic disease diabetes. Like the university study, this documentary also explained that diabetes could be a factor in the causes of Alzheimer’s. This film could support the university’s claim about metabolic disorders and their role in bringing about Alzheimer’s. By this point, my research was getting interesting. I associated the amount of clients I worked with who had both a form of dementia and diabetes. I was hooked on learning more about the effects of sugar and of Alzheimer’s.
It may be years before we find the smoking gun of Alzheimer’s, but that doesn’t mean we can take for granted what we already know. One thing I know is caring for someone with Alzheimer’s is a very difficult job and I praise those who do it daily. It can really drain a caregiver mentally. But I like to think that cutting back on processed foods with all the added sugars may help a great deal.
Trying organic foods can do wonders for the body. And who knows, maybe that sweet substance in processed foods really is a poison. Just because the stuff makes us happy doesn’t essentially mean it is good for us. Research is key in these departments. Perhaps diabetes and sugar aren’t the main culprits, but they may help to kindle the fire that is soon to sweep over our mental storage. But in the light, I do hope our strong curiosities soon lead us to protect the lives of so many. Imagine what it would be like to only need to change one habit in order to live out our 60s, still able to drive our hot rod.
