Type 3 diabetes? This term has been proposed by Suzanne de la Monte – a neuropathologist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island who carried out a study on rats where she disrupted the pathway of insulin to the rats’ neurons (brain cells). In short, the rats developed all the changes associated with Alzheimer’s disease. We normally associate insulin with diabetes, typically a lack of sensitivity to insulin which causes the most common form (associated with obesity) – type 2 diabetes. De la Monte believes that in a similar way, brain tissue also becomes resistant to insulin and this causes Alzheimer’s disease. So knowing that rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes are at an all time high, from the same report it seems very plausible that Ewan McNay from the University of Albany was right in saying that “the epidemic of type 2 diabetes, if it continues on its current trajectory, is likely to be followed by an epidemic of dementia.”
Getting a little more into the guts of it (mind the pun, you’ll see…), the following is by Mak A. Daulatzai, published in CNS & Neurological Disorders – “Pathogenic gut microbiota is known to up-regulate gut – and systemic inflammation (due to lipopolysaccharide from pathogenic bacteria and synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines); they enhance energy harvest, cause obesity, insulin resistance, and dysfunctional vago-vagal gut-brain axis”…
Now what on earth does that mean? Basically it is saying that when the bugs that live in your guts aren’t goodies (they’re baddies), they cause extra inflammation in the lining of the gut and the rest of the body. They stimulate your immune system to look after you which produces a bunch of inflammatory cytokines… It helps to think of inflammation like a pimple – its hot, red, painful, swollen and pretty useless! Some inflammation is necessary in the body, it is what helps to clean up potentially nasty infections before they get a hold of you. It is your body making a little bit of a fuss, to prevent an even bigger (possibly life-threatening) fuss later. But when your microflora (bugs in your intestines) aren’t right and the baddies are outweighing the goodies, then your intestines and then the rest of your body are constantly making a fuss. Think heat, pain, swelling (and bloating), redness and uselessness in your guts (poor digestion) and this gets into your bloodstream and causes similar inflammation in other areas of your body, like your brain.
There are a number of things that may cause inflammation and poor microflora (baddies) in your guts – celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, lactose intolerance, food allergies, antibiotic usage, excess alcohol consumption… the list goes on. So without delving into the science any further, what can you do about it? >>>
- Drastically reduce sugar intake. Follow this link to have a look at how much sugar may be in your diet: https://iquitsugar.com/how-much-sugar-are-you-really-eating/
- Eat less carbs in general. We just don’t need to eat as many carbs as we think we do! Most of the nutrition assessments I do start with a food diary like this: carbs for breakfast, carbs for lunch and carbs for dinner, and a few carb-based snacks in between… with very little veg, fat or protein intake overall, and hungry, overweight clients asking me why?!! Even the Australian food pyramid – that has been updated just once in the last 15 years – is starting to acknowledge the fact that we don’t need all these carbohydrates we’ve been lead to believe should be the basis of our diet. Focus more on sources of proteins, good fats, plenty of veg and a little fruit.
- Start paying attention. Start to notice how you feel after eating different foods and begin to piece together any reactions or discomfort. I don’t want to go into the whole gluten debate right now but it is worth considering that gluten may be a contributing factor to poor digestion and abdominal discomfort in the short term, and as suggested gut and brain inflammation in the long term…
- Consider the use of probiotics to get more ‘goodies’ in your guts.
- Consume omega-3-fatty acids – when given to the rats in the Alzheimer’s insulin study in the form of flaxseed oil, the rats seemed to not develop the cognitive problems the other group had (Journal of Physiology, vol 590, p 2485). Omega-3 acids are found in oily fish, other seafood, eggs, chicken, beef, nuts and seeds including chia.
- Antioxidant power – plant foods are the richest source – eat plenty of vegetables!
- Flavonoids from tea, red wine and dark chocolate can help reduce the risk of dementia. The Mediterranean diet is well known to be ‘heart-healthy’ but is also associated with lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease. The diet includes fish, olive oil, lots of vegetables, less added sugar and the consumption of wine (Current Alzheimer Research, vol 8, p 520).
- Exercise! Exercise fights insulin resistance – regular physical activity can lower risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 40 per cent (Annals of Internal Medicine, vol 144, p 73). Also, in one year-long study, people who exercised were actually growing and expanding the brain’s memory center one to two percent each year, where typically that area shrinks as we get older.
- Stimulate your vagus nerve – the vagus nerve helps fight inflammation. Do this through stress relief and anxiety management, physical exercise, yoga and diaphragmatic breathing.
Kelly Moriarty