Alzheimer’s a multi-factorial approach

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia and it is estimated that 160 million people globally by 2050 will have this disease.

So far the search for a single ‘silver bullet’ pharmaceutical approach to treating AD has not delivered anything other than a temporary slight improvement in symptoms with no long term impact on disease progression. Recent biochemical research however would suggest that AD is both triggered and perpetuated by a complex interaction of different factors and that a multi-factorial approach to treating this devastating condition may provide better outcomes.

Pioneering work is being undertaken in this area by Dr Bredesen, who describes dementia as being primarily a ‘metabolic problem’. In a small but ground breaking study published in Aging in 2014, a 90% success rate in both arresting and reversing early stage AD was reported. Dr Bredesen uses a combination of personalised dietary and lifestyle interactions (includes supporting digestive function, identifying imbalances in the gut, correcting identified nutrient deficiencies, optimising vitamin D levels, eating food over a particular window of time in the day, assessing metal toxicity, optimising sleep, increasing exercise and movement, reducing inflammation, identifying food sensitivities, supporting mitochondrial function and stimulating the brain) with the client to achieve substantial results over a 3 to 12 month period. Larger clinical trials are currently underway in the UK and USA.

These results on the face of it look to good to be true, but in reality simply reflect the obvious which is that chronic disease is rooted in the mismatch between our genetics and the modern world that we have created for us to live in. Your environment (diet, toxic load, stress/trauma, and infections) is fundamental to your long-term health and well-being and should be one of the first areas to seriously evaluate when confronted with any chronic condition. What makes you, you is unique to you and this is the premise behind the ‘functional model’ of health. Working with a functionally trained health practitioner on any chronic condition, along with the required work and commitment that these types of interventions require, can provide significant health benefits.

Non Coeliac Gluten Sensitivity – ‘No Man’s Land’

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Gluten is the main structural protein complex barley, rye and wheat and wheat is the most widely consumed grain in the world. Gluten related disorders (where there is an inappropriate reaction to gluten) is an umbrella terms that includes coeliac disease (CD), wheat allergy (WA) and non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS).

CD is an autoimmune condition (please see here and here for previous articles) that develops over time and is officially diagnosed using a combination of blood, genetic and small intestine biopsy test results. Most people are unaware that they have CD. Wheat allergy on the other hand is overt, with symptoms developing in minutes to hours and involves a measurable IgE (allergic) response. Both CD and WA are thought to affect approximately 1% of the population.

NCGS (characterised by feeling better on a gluten free diet) on the other hand is neither allergic nor autoimmune in nature, often involving a mixture of both CD and WA symptoms and is currently diagnosed by exclusion, as there are no current agreed laboratory tests. NCGS frequency is still unclear but might be as high as 6% of the population. Typical symptoms of NCGS include: diarrhoea, abdominal pain, weight loss, gas, bone/joint pain, leg numbness, muscle cramps, foggy head, headaches, dermatitis and anaemia. NCGS is not associated with the existence of other autoimmune conditions and the gut lining typically does not express markers of permeability (as with CD). Our precise understanding of how NCGS evolves as a condition is currently lacking.

A clear connection between IBS and NCGS has been detected. It is therefore likely that a subset of those presenting with IBS who have not got WA or CD may in fact have NCGS and would still benefit from a gluten free diet. This group of individuals are at risk of falling into a ‘no man’s land’ between allergists and gastroenterologists with the explanation of their condition sometimes being connected to psychosomatic triggers, rather than gluten itself. So whether it is IBS or any of the other symptoms listed above, surely it is worth eliminating gluten for a while? You might be surprised at how you feel!