Why are more women affected by Alzheimer’s than men?

It's not a coincidence that all of my stories involve women that have Alzheimer's. Almost two thirds of Americans with Alzheimer’s disease are women.¹ Recent research presented at the 2015 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference revealed that women with Alzheimer’s decline more dramatically than men in measures of cognition, function and brain size. One possible reason for this is that an Alzheimer’s-related gene has a bigger impact on women than men, but more research has to be done.

Some scary statistics

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease and is the most common form of dementia, which is a general term for memory loss and other intellectual inabilities that are severe enough to impact daily life. As of 2015, an estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease.¹ By 2025 the number of people age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to increase by 40 percent!¹

Damaged fats may be contributing to the risk of Alzheimer’s

Did you know that the brain is made up of about 60 percent fat? Knowing that most of your brain is fat, does it make sense to be limiting your fat intake? Also, does it make sense that the fats you choose make a difference?

Not only do many Americans eat low fat diets, but the small amount of fat they do consume is mostly damaged fat. Damaged fats include corn oil, vegetable oil, soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil and trans fats. These damaged fats are found in many food products such as crackers or pastries, but they can even be in roasted nuts. The FDA recently banned trans fats, but food manufacturers have until 2018 to remove trans fats from the U.S. food supply.

A study published in the journal Neurology in 2012 showed that people who have higher levels of trans fats in their blood stream have smaller brains, which is a hallmark symptom of Alzheimer’s. These people also scored lower on thinking and memory tests.²

Take steps today to protect your brain (eat good fats!)

Unfortunately, at this time there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s and few, if any, effective treatments. Dr. Richard Lipton of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine said, “Lifestyle changes look more promising than drug studies so far.”

Although there isn’t a cure for this devastating disease, and we can’t control our genetics, we can control our diet and lifestyle choices. You can start protecting your brain by avoiding damaged fats and oils and choosing healthy fats at your next meal. 

Nourish your brain with healthy fat

Remember, your brain is made mostly of fat. Eat healthy fats such as avocado, butter, extra virgin olive oil, olives, nuts and seeds, and consume 1-2 tablespoons of healthy fat at each meal and snack.

Consume coconut oil on a daily basis

Although there currently isn’t any clinical data showing the benefit of coconut oil and Alzheimer’s, many experts believe that coconut oil does help prevent and treat Alzheimer’s. Dr. Mary Newport wrote the book, Alzheimer's Disease: What If There Was a Cure?, about her theory of using coconut oil for the treatment of Alzheimer’s. Dr. Newport’s husband had been battling Alzheimer’s for years, and she started giving him coconut oil every day. Prior to taking coconut oil her husband couldn’t tie his shoes, but after, “He was able to start reading again, his conversation improved dramatically and then over several months we saw improvements in his memory.” Newport reported on her husband’s condition.