Red meat is a reliable source of dietary iron
Iron is an essential metal for your health, but too much can lead to the production of free radicals that can damage neurons in your brain, along with other tissues and organs.
Excess iron accumulation in the brain is a consistent observation in Alzheimer’s disease; a new animal study revealed that reducing iron levels in the blood triggered levels of beta-amyloid, which are associated with Alzheimer’s, to return to normal.
Separate research also showed that reducing excess iron in the brain can alleviate Alzheimer’s-like symptoms in mice.
A serum ferritin blood test is a simple way to determine if your iron levels are too high; if they are, donating blood or getting a prescription for therapeutic phlebotomy is a simple solution.
Dr. Wilson comments:
Concerning prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, I would add several more recommendations. Some people don’t convert folic acid to l-methyfolate very effectively. L-methylfolate is the only form of folic acid to cross the blood brain barrier. You need folic acid in your brain to make neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin. Folinic acid is a more effective form of folic acid and it can be taken as a supplement. If you really want to be sure that you are getting enough folic acid in your brain, take l-methylfolate 1,000 mcg daily.
I also recommend taking N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) 600 mg daily. NAC is a potent methyl donor and anti-oxidant that also chelates heavy metals like mercury. It is inexpensive and very safe to take.
I strongly agree that limiting fructose is critical for brain health. The combination of excessive fructose mainly from sugar and HFCS and high glycemic carbohydrates mainly from grains is a highly neurotoxic combination and of course this describes the typical American diet. Over time these dietary elements can trigger a form of food induced brain dysfunction called sugar-brain where you start to crave sweet and starchy foods. This of course pushes you to consume more of the very food that is frying your brain.
Over time sugar-brain can transition to a serious disease called CARB syndrome where you develop a long list of disabling brain dysfunction symptoms that interfere with your ability to function. Because it takes a healthy brain to auto-regulate fat stores, people with sugar-brain and CARB syndrome keep storing extra fat even when they lose weight by dieting. They become a flabby thin person with a brain that doesn’t work.
Eating a healthy diet and regular exercise are the keys to health. In general FDA approved mediations do very little to assist in this important process.
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