Sugar and Alzheimers \ stacker news ~health

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405 sats \ 9 comments \ @Signal312 26 Dec 2023 health

I've only recently (past 2 months) begun to eat a significantly more carnivore diet. I feel more alert, more athletic, and overall more energetic, and will continue this diet.

Now at Christmas, the family is spending extended chunks of time with older family members. One in particular has, in the past 6 months, developed the beginning of what seems like some kind of Alzheimer's/dementia. It seems to be progressing quickly, he absolutely can no longer deal with anything complex (a laptop screen full of icons, a remote control). And he asks people the same thing, all the time. It's really quite scary to watch, it's the first time I've seen someone with what is probably Alzheimer's.

Anyway, in my recent reading on nutrition, I went through the book The Case Against Sugar. In it, sugar is discussed extensively as a potentially cause for age related cognitive decline of all kinds. I also did some searching online. And WOW, the recent research on sugar causing Alzheimer's and other dementias is really piling up in the scientific publications. I can't say that I've seen much on this topic in mainstream media. Probably the sugar lobby is trying to bury the topic. (For more info on the history of the sugar lobby, the books The Case Against Sugar, and also Pure, White and Deadly are great).

As a sad aside, my elderly family member has a real sweet tooth.

Anyway, consider this a public service announcement. Feel free to do some searching yourself, just check out "sugar and Alzheimer's". The evidence really seems to be piling up. I will be avoiding sugar.

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30 sats \ 3 replies \ @elvismercury 26 Dec 2023

Sugar is probably uniquely bad for a few reasons; but if you want to get in front of AD and general cognitive decline, I think fixating on just sugar is probably not good. There's a ton of reason to think that these are metabolic diseases that just takes a long time to play out, and so lifestyle behaviors useful for general cardio-metabolic health will be useful here, too.

Carnivore would be a big improvement over standard american lifestyle, but then, that's a low bar. You can certainly do a lot to keep yourself cognitively intact without being carnivore, or even keto, even though I think keto gives you superpowers in a limited domain. Peter Attia's book is probably the best single reference I'd point someone to. Gary Taubes used to be good, but is way too audience-captured at this point, for my tastes.

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @Signal312 OP 27 Dec 2023

I scrolled through Peter Attia's book. He seems very mainstream to me. I don't find it motivating, to get me to change habits. What I found very useful was Nina Teicholtz's book The Big Fat Surprise - this is great for getting you to be skeptical of the accepted nutritional advice, which is huge first step.

I haven't read Gary Taubes recently except for The Case Against Sugar, which I have to say was absolutely excellent and very convincing, to the point that I'm really not attracted to sweets at all.

357 sats \ 1 reply \ @elvismercury 27 Dec 2023

I didn't recommend Attia for his motivating power, but I find him a measured and credible judge on these matters. He knows all the biochem around these issues deeply, he knows how to interpret research, he knows the "traditional" medical story, and he sees actual patients, which is a powerful blend.

I'm not sure what "mainstream" means exactly, but PA was pushing the Overton window in this field long before normal people had even heard the term "ketosis." If it sounds mainstream it's maybe because the mainstream has absorbed a lot of wisdom, and he was part of that larger evolution.

Anyway, I'm glad you found things that have been helpful. Eating a bunch less sugar is something literally every orthodoxy agrees on.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 27 Dec 2023

Maybe I should take another look at Peter Attia. What I didn't see (again, I didn't review his book thoroughly, just browsed till I got turned off) was any sense of ... I guess I'm looking for some outrage, really, about our current nutritional guidelines.

I mean, for god's sake, they're so bad, they're so ... the word criminal comes to mind. You can't even offer kids in public schools regular, whole milk. You have to give them skim milk, or chocolate skim milk. And guess what they choose? Chocolate skim milk, of course.

30 sats \ 1 reply \ @GlobalThreat 26 Dec 2023

if sugar is bad, then fructose corn syrup must be toxic af

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 26 Dec 2023

From what it looks like, these are very, very slow-acting toxins. The first thing that appears is tooth decay - that's very fast, within a few years. Then, decades down the line, it appears that heart disease and cancer is strongly associated with increased sugar consumption.

Alzheimer's is one of the last things to come up.

30 sats \ 1 reply \ @RoundaboutStacker 29 Dec 2023

The concept of sugar being poison has unfortunately not gotten through the propaganda in the western world. Sugar is incredibly addictive. It also makes your blood sticky and affects all parts of your body, including your brain. Just as drugs rewire your brain to demand more, so does sugar. Retraining your taste buds to not demand sugar takes a lot of work and patience, but is well worth it. Not surprised your sweat toothed relative is having cognitive issues, I've seen the same in people dear to me, very sad to see.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 30 Dec 2023

Thanks for your note. I'm beginning to think that sugar is one of those things for which moderation just doesn't work well.

Do you do any sugar or fruit at all, how do you make things work? My boundaries in this area are still in flux, I'm trying to figure out what makes sense. This recent contact with my relative with the cognitive issues has definitely made me take it more seriously.

I'm really looking forward to getting back to my own kitchen, and making my own food. In the past week there has been a constant spread of fresh treats, leftover treats, all kinds of gifts of sugary foods. Once I give say to myself that it's all a hard NO, it's easier.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @kytt 1 Jan

Alzheimer's AKA Type 3 Diabetes, as some are calling it.