Low Carb and Alzheimer's

[Paleowoman]

Anyone else see this? Thoughts? I'm curious if saturated fat is being unfairly demonized ie the researchers equate high calorie with high saturated fat.

United Press International - Consumer Health - A low-carb diet may help stave Alzheimer's (http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060614-112805-2195r)

[Gaelen]

It's a promising theory...but again, the two things (1) low carb and (2) low saturated fat likely would need to be tested independently, then combined, compared against standardized controls and in large enough groups to provide meaningful results. Also, while mice all get a standardized diet and can't deviate from what they're fed, getting compliance in alzheimers' patients could be a LOT harder. You'd have to not only convince the patients, but also their caregivers as well. I've been working on THAT project in my own family for nearly six years...with very limited success. Even though my mother agrees that my father will NEVER go shopping for himself, or out of his way to cook anything, it took years to get her to accept that SHE'S the one responsible for stocking the cupboards and filling the 'fridge, and that those foods she didn't approve of were only in the house because she'd bought or made them. She's a long way from accepting the responsibility that SHE will have to change how she eats in order to keep the house free of foods that trigger my father's appetite overindulgences.

Basically, my father in early to mid-stage alzheimers will eat nearly anything that appeals to him in the moment, and he has tendencies to gorge on foods he considers treats. The gorging is worse if he's decided he's hungry or if what he considers 'treats' have been withheld for a long time. He has no discretionary self-control in the food-choices department beyond knowing what he DOESN'T want to eat. Alzheimer's patients often can't/don't properly evaluate their own hunger and the mechanism of the disease then inhibits their ability to make better food choices. So the caregivers would have to be 'in on it' and completely buy into the program, as well as being willing to accept supervisory responsibility for the alzheimer's patient's intake when evaluating the diet change in a human population.

It was hell convincing my mother that she had/has to get and keep the stuff upon which my father gorges out of the house, no matter HOW nutritious she feels some of those choices are. So she buys Shredded Wheat for herself, and Honey Nut Cheerios for him (because he won't eat shredded wheat), because she considers them both nutritious choices. Then she grouses about him 'gorging' on the Honey Nut Cheerios, which he chooses because they're the only sweet choice in the house besides fresh fruit, which he's never in 79 years chosen to eat. So now he eats HNC for a late night snack because she virtuously finally agreed to keep candy, cookies and ice cream out of the house--and she doesn't recognize that overeating Honey Nut Cheerios is doing the same damage.

I couldn't get to the actual study via a search, but I haven't given up yet. I'd like to see the actual data report too.

[Missy]

Oh GAELEN I can SOOOO RELATE to your story about PARENTS and NUTRITION!!!!!!:eek: Don't EVEN get me started! :rolleyes:

My parents don't have alzheimers...YET anyways...but they both DO have diabetes a billion OTHER health related problems...and I SWEAR they don't WANT to accept the message...and therefore constantly GORGE on all of the wrong stuff. My mother asked me the other day..."what are carbohydrates, exactly?"...:rolleyes: :jawDrop: I gently told her in hopes to encourage a change for them......but I could tell it wasn't something she's interested in complying with. Doesn't KNOW what a carb is.....:lol:

[Turtle]

Here's the report

http://www.jbc.org/cgi/reprint/M602909200v1

[Gaelen]

yea, Turtle...thanks for the article! (more to read while I'm on the road...)