ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, FOODS FOR LIFELONG THOUGHT

We used to call it senility, and we took it for granted, as if it were natural for people to mentally drift away as they got older. Today, doctors know that "senility" is really Alzheimer's disease, and no one takes it for granted any more.

Doctors aren't sure what causes Alzheimer's disease. What is known is that in people who have this condition, there are declines in the production of certain brain chemicals that allow nerves to send messages back and forth. Further, protein deposits from on their brains, possibly causing the death of brain cells.

Since medications haven't proven very effective, some researchers are turning their attention to nutrition. "I think it's worthwhile to consider diet as a potential factor in Alzheimer's," says James G. Penland, Ph.D., research psychologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

A ROLL FOR ANTIOXIDANTS

The research is very preliminary, but there's some evidence that free radicals, which are harmful oxygen molecules that damage tissues throughout the body, including in the brain, may play a role in causing Alzheimer's disease.

Even though the body produces protective substances called antioxidants that help control free radicals, there aren't always enough of them to stop the onslaught. But you can get more antioxidants into your body simply by eating foods that contain antioxidant substances, such as vitamin E.

Laboratory studies have shown that vitamin E, which is found mainly in wheat germ, cooking oils, and nuts and seeds, can help prevent sticky protein deposits from forming on the brain. In fact, researchers at Columbia University in New York City found that large doses of vitamin E-2,000 international units a day—were as effective as selegiline (Eldepryl), a prescription drug that isused to delay the progression of the disease.

BS FOR THE BRAIN

Researchers are also investigating B vitamins as a way of treating Alzheimer's disease. The body uses B vitamins to help maintain the protective covering on nerves and to manufacture chemicals that nerves use to communicate. When levels of B vitamins decline, mental performance may suffer, says Dr. Penland.

A study at the University of Toronto has shown, in fact, that in people with Alzheimer's disease, levels of vitamin in the spinal fluid arc lower than in B12 people without the disease. In addition, the researchers found that giving people with Alzheimer's disease large amounts of thiamin, another B vitamin, can slightly improve mental performance.

Good sources of thiamin include pork, wheat germ, and fresh pasta. For meats such as turkey, chicken, and liver and seafood such as vitamin B12, steamed clams, cooked mussels, and mackerel arc all good sources.

ONE TO WATCH

Among some Alzheimer's researchers, interest is brewing in a natural substance called aceryl-L-carnitine, which resembles amino acids found in dairy foods, kidney beans, eggs, and red meats. Research suggests that carnitine, which helps carry fats into brain cells, may help slow the progression of the disease.

In a study at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine, researchers found that when people with Alzheimer's were given carnitine for 12 months, damage to the brain appeared to slow down. So far, scientists haven't tried using foods containing carnitine to control Alzheimer's disease, but getting more carnitine in your diet could play at least a small role in slowing it down.

HEAVY METAL

Ever since researchers found small deposits of aluminum in the brains of some people with Alzheimer's, there has been speculation that coo much exposure to this metal may play a role in causing the disease.

So far, there's no conclusive evidence that aluminum plays any role in Alzheimer's disease. Researchers admit, however, that they really don't know if it does or not. To be on the safe side, you might want to reduce the amount of aluminum you're exposed to. It's not always easy to do, since aluminum is a very common metal in the environment.

Drinking soda from a can, for example, can deliver 4 milligrams of aluminum, which is more than the maximum safe limit of 3 milligrams a day. In addition, foods cooked or stored in aluminum foil or aluminum pots and pans can pick up small amounts of the metal and pass it on to you.

Researchers still don't know how much, if any, of the aluminum we take into our bodies actually makes it to our brains. Being aware of the issue, however, will make it easier for you to at least limit your exposure—by buying sodas in bottles, for example, or using aluminum foil only when it's essential.

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