Where Am I; Who Am I? | Journal-News Martinsburg Journal
Where Am I; Who Am I? | Journal-News – Martinsburg Journal https://clarkcountynewsnow.com/where-am-i-who-am-i-journal-news-martinsburg-journal/
Have you ever been the new kid at school? Do you remember what it was like those first days when you knew no one’s name or even how to find the bathroom? Now picture yourself around 70 years of age, having had a full and vital life. Maybe you raised a family, had a rewarding career, traveled the world. You volunteered with your local library, community food bank, or the fire department. And yet, one day, you find yourself the new kid on the block again, meeting a room full of people who, like you, may be confused, who wonder what’s happening, who want to know where the bathroom is. This is what many people with dementia experience when they enter a new environment.
Dementia is an umbrella term for a number of brain disorders that affect a person’s ability to think, act appropriately, or remember. According to agespace.org, “[T]here are over 400 types of dementia. However, most people diagnosed with dementia have one of 4 common types: Alzheimer’s Disease, Vascular Dementia, Frontotemporal Dementia and Dementia with Lewy Bodies.” Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Current estimates are that about 5.8 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including 5.6 million aged 65 and older and about 200,000 under age 65 with younger-onset Alzheimer’s. (alz.org)
For many people living with Alzheimer’s, the decline is slow. Hardly noticed at first, and often referred to as “senior moments,” we forget where we put our glasses or our keys. We have trouble remembering names, even those of our family members. But then, we can’t remember how to use the microwave or, yes, even how to find the bathroom. Eventually, we may not remember who we are. Family and friends chalk up our oddities to getting older and often laugh at our behavior. Alzheimer’s is anything but a laughing matter.
Sadly for many people suffering from dementia and the toll it takes on them, their caregivers, and the health care system, some of their lifestyle choices could be the culprit. According to a study published in the medical journal American Academy of Neurology, eating large amounts of highly processed food may lead to a higher risk for certain types of dementia. Ultra-processed foods are notoriously high in added sugar, fat, and salt while low in protein and fiber. Ultra-processed foods include soft drinks, chips, chocolate, candy, ice cream, cereals, chicken nuggets, hotdogs, fries, sausage, lunch meat, and more. Alzheimers.net lists foods that are linked to increased rates of Alzheimer’s disease. That list includes processed cheese and processed meats, along with white foods, including pasta, cakes, white sugar, white rice, and white bread.
“Food determines the fate of our bodies—how we grow, how we age, and how we die. What we eat every day creates and re-creates both our cells and their supporting structures. What we fail to eat causes deficiencies that stress and traumatize the body. Though the brain comprises only 2 percent of the body by weight, it uses up to 25 percent of the body’s energy, and because food is energy, our brains are especially vulnerable to each nutritional choice we make.” (The Alzheimer’s Solution)
Therefore, since we are what we eat, let’s eat healthfully. Then maybe, just maybe, we’ll remember where our keys are, how to use the microwave, and, yes, where the bathroom is. We may also remember where and who we are. And, according to the authors of The Alzheimer’s Solution, there is definitely a different path for many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s (and those not yet experiencing aspects of dementia) to follow than progressive decline. Their focus is on “lifestyle intervention as the cure for cognitive decline.” The authors state that there are “[direct] links…between poor nutrition, lack of exercise, chronic stress, poor sleep, the extent which we challenge and engage our brains and neurodegenerative disease.” In addition, they state, “…the choices we make every day determine our cognitive fate.”
We have seen how lifestyle changes have improved the lives of people at risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Now it’s time to focus on lifestyle changes for our brains. Further research into longevity unearthed five communities worldwide—referred to as Blue Zones—(Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California) where people consistently lived into healthy old age with residents reaching 100+. The common denominator in these communities was healthy eating, mostly plant based; regular exercise (no couch potatoes here); and a meaningful social life and purpose; among other attributes.
By creating a food plan focusing on plant-based foods, by increasing our time off our butts, and by engaging in socially acceptable connections with others (including companion animals), we may not only be saving our heart but also our brain. And who doesn’t want their brain to last as long as their heart?
— Ginnie R. Maurer lives in Falling Waters and can be reached at ginnie.maurer@gmail.com.
