Looking to avoid Alzheimer’s disease? Step away from the hot dog and for that matter the bacon cheeseburger, the sugary donuts, and yes, even the pizza. At least that’s one suggestion by a neuropathologist at Brown University. Dr. Suzanne de La Monte said there’s growing evidence that eating foods with high nitrate levels or excess sugar can lead to insulin resistance in lab rats that developed an Alzheimer’s-like disease pattern. Dr. De la Monte’s wrote in “Alzheimer’s: Diabetes of the Brain?” an article for DrOz.com that, “In many respects, Alzheimer’s is a brain form of diabetes. Even in the earliest stages of disease, the brain’s ability to metabolize sugar is reduced. Normally, insulin plays a big role in helping the brain take up sugar from the blood. But, in Alzheimer’s, insulin is not very effective in the brain. Consequently, the brain cells practically starve to death.” Dr. De la Monte’s team coined the term type 3 diabetes in reference to Alzheimer’s disease. Just like in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, exercise, proper diet and weight control are the keys to success. Research shows a link between Alzheimer’s and eating foods high in nitrosamines, such as processed cheese and meats and smoked meats like bacon. Read the full article on Type 3 diabetes and an article by Mark Bittman, the food writer for the New York Times.
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