Good nutrition is critical in care giving for Alzheimer's patients
Your Hungry Brain
As anyone who’s cared for an Alzheimer’s patient knows, erratic eating behavior can be a challenge. But beyond the frustrations that go along with this misbehavior, AD caregivers need to be aware that poor nutrition often plays a role in the decline of Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.
Vulnerable population
To investigate exactly which nutrients AD patients need most, researchers at the University of Montreal recruited 36 patients in the early stages of AD, along with their caregivers. For comparison, nearly 60 healthy subjects were also recruited. These control subjects were in good cognitive health and matched to age with the AD subjects.
Over 18 months, researchers interviewed all of the subjects and their caregivers at least four times to assess dietary and supplement intake. Results showed significant differences between the two groups, with the healthy subjects getting considerably more calories and nutrients from their diets and supplement regimens.
AD subjects had lower intake of dietary fiber and protein, and were found to be generally deficient in these important nutrients:
- Calcium
- Iron
- Zinc
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin K
- Omega-3 fatty acids
The Montreal team noted that insufficient diet was clearly evident in the early onset of AD. And they added: “This vulnerable population would benefit from systematic dietary assessment and intervention to prevent further deterioration in food consumption and increased nutritional risk.”
Something fishy
The Montreal study isn’t the first evidence we’ve seen that connects poor nutrition to Alzheimer’s.
In a 2005 study from Tufts University, researchers analyzed ten years of data taken from more than 1,100 elderly men and women who participated in the Framingham Heart Study. Results showed that those who had high levels of DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid) and who also ate about three fish meals each week, had nearly 50 percent reduced risk of developing AD.
And in the e-Alert “Mercury Rising” (4/25/02) I told you about a Canadian study from the University of Guelph that found Alzheimer’s patients and elderly patients with various types of dementia all had lower levels of DHA than subjects with normal cognitive functioning.
Of course, this is one of those instances where we can’t be certain whether DHA deficiency contributes to dementia, or if some mechanism of dementia depletes DHA levels. What we do know is that most everyone will enjoy better health by increasing intake of omega-3 fatty acids.
Sources:
“Scientists Want to Find Alzheimer’s Before a Mind Fails” Denise Grady, The New York Times, 12/26/07, nytimes.com
“Poor Nutrient Intakes During 1-Year Follow-Up with Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Early-Stage Alzheimer Dementia Compared to Cognitively Intact Matched Controls” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol. 107, No. 12, December 2007, sciencedirect.com
