Lost my dad to Alzheimer’s at 69. Awful way to go. I’m 54. I lift weights and go on hikes. I cut out most sugar and carbs and eat mostly fatty red meat and butter. I’m not going out that way. Miss you dad.

My mother died of Alzheimer's at age 84, spending the last 15 years of her life in a nursing home. At age 67 I went keto, lost 40 pounds, & my health is much improved. So I'm doing as much as I can do to avoid dementia.

Alzheimers may be challenging, but igrotum is making it more manageable. Noticing encouraging changes in memory recall and overall mental well-being.

I went on low carb diet 2021 and so did sister and brother in law.(he had no choice) We have all done well, but really the most remarkable results have been with the brother in law. He has reversed type 2 diabetes and we were over the moon. Previously diagnosed with Alzheimer's 6 years ago; well we weren't expecting much as long as he is eating well, exercising every day. His recent tests show that it hasn't progressed, in fact it is back to when he had his first tests. Last week the eye doctor called my sister into his office to inform her, that brother in law no longer had near sightedness. Keep on, keep on.

I think its speculative. My bf's mom did everything right, and is still dying from Alzheimer's disease. A lot of diseases do not discriminate.

Another possible reason for the increase in Alzheimer's disease over the time period the video discusses is that people are living longer now; back in the day, they probably died from other causes before they got old enough to develop Alzheimer's.

I was eating a bowl of ice cream when I started watching this video. Alzheimer's disease runs in my family. My grandfather had it. My father has it now. It started gradually in his mid 70s. He's 88 now, and it's pretty severe. Now, I have to work on lowering my sugar intake.

Another very important risk factor is indeed chronic stress. Basically, chronic stress leads to a chronic production of glucocorticoids (cortisol for example) which leads to a chronic raise of sugar levels in the blood stream (cortisol turns glycogen stores in the liver to become glucose, therefore increasing sugar levels in the blood), all the while suppressing your immune system. Further down the line it can lead to impairments in the HPA (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal) axis, difficulting even more the body's own stress regulation. Chronic stress is linked with type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairments, Alzheimer's and much more. I believe that mental health should be given the same "weight" in the topic as diet and exercise is. Regarding cognition: Great ways to prevent dementia in general is to live a stimulating life (cognitively speaking). Challenging your own intellect and pursuing higher cognitive ability are great examples of protective factors. This could be done in multiple ways and should be individualize, but a general idea would be practicing cross words, puzzles, highly intellectual games, reading, pursuing higher education or simply trying to do new things that are challenging to you (like learning an instrument, writing a poem, painting or playing a sport). There are tons of studies on cognitive reserve (ability of the brain to maintain proper functioning despite trauma, age or injury) which explain that the more you "exercise" you brain, the more cognitive reserve you'll build. Either way, great video, high quality information and very well explained, always taking in consideration the target audience.

My mum died of Alzheimer's just after Christmas. She was diagnosed about 2 years ago, just after COVID killed my dad, and rapidly deteriorated after that. It was, to be frank, bloody terrifying. I am 57 and diabetic and I'm now pretty scared Alzheimer's is going to do me in as well.

Why don't we hear from the national alzheimer research groups that sugar is a primary cause of alzheimer's?

I really appreciate that you gave the answer within seconds. That alone is worth a subscription. The info is spot on.

My great grandmother had Alzheimer's disease and it was devastating she was my best friend, I was 12 years old when she stopped recognizing me🥲I've always wondered what we could do to prevent this terrible illness. Thank you, for providing a better understanding and updated information...

My Mom was intelligent (Ph.d), continued working at a university as a Ph.d candidate advisor into her late 70's, never drank, sang in vocal group, went on walks every day, played soduko and solitaire and still got Alzheimers. There is nothing one can do to avoid it. *Edit to answer questions of diet. She was very health conscious all her life. To the point we never allowed sugary cereals as kids (plain Cheerio's was it) and no Hostess type snacks in our lunches either. After going through the entire Alzheimer's process, they say there are fate's worse than death. Alzheimer's qualifies. I know we wish we knew or could identify that reason why it occurs, but we can't. If one is marked for it, there is simply nothing you can do. God Bless any and their families that do go through this.

I think this is an incredibly important video that many more people should see -preferably early on before the bad habits can start to take their deadly toll. I've also seen the 'Dementia' video on how to prevent -are there any current studies on ways to repair the brains 'toxic load' if you come late to all this good advice?

Wealth of information here doc.. I will certainly share this with my neighbors. Which will put their minds at ease. At least they'll better understand, dynamics of the disease. Thanks

THANK YOU Dr Mike Hansen.

Love your focus on metabolic health

My mom is diagnosed w Alzheimer’s at age 84, has had it for over a year now.She takes a blood pressure pill and a statin for high cholesterol for years. She’s from the Deep South and LOVES sugar almost like an addiction. During my childhood she would skip dinner and eat half a pound cake. Always baking a cake, cookies etc.

Thank you for such an interesting video. And for presenting this information in a less-frightening way. I lost both my grandads to Dementia and Alzhiemers, I've been terrified of it and blindness (which also runs in my family) all my life. This gives me something I can do to limit my risks, and maybe break this chain. Thank you. ❤

Wow, it's such a dead end for many elderly people. I asked my grandpa why he liked sweets so much, and he said that everything else tastes bland. Tastebuds deteriorate with age.

thank you for this. I follow other docs , but noone explained to me that chain so clear. Am not a native english speaker and it helps a lot when i watch a guy with a clear vision. Again: thank you.

Lost my Mom 2 years ago to Alzheimer's? She loved sugar and salt and ate a ton of processed food. I always wondered if her diet had something to do with her getting alzheimers at 66. Thanks for the video.

Okay I thought I've been watching brilliant videos on this topic but this guy's the most brilliant of all videos

Great video! Thank you so much! Subscribed 😊

My sister has no risk factors at all. She has always taking excellent care of herself and at 56 has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She has been gluten free for the 20 plus years as well.

My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease a few years ago. She’s 56 now. One day she thought she was in her home town 5 hours away. She LOVES sugar and food that she shouldn’t be eating. We cut out her sugar during COVID and she had no issues with memory and her neurologist told her that whatever she was doing she needed to keep doing it and that Sugar “rots the brain”. We started to slack and started giving into her requests for sweets and processed foods and brought them back into the house. And she has started having these attacks where she will become unresponsive and will almost start humming. Almost like how Mitch McConnell has been doing on TV. I’ve even sometimes seen her hand start to make weird movements. She never remembers these attacks and usually gets nauseous and has to go to the bathroom once she comes out of them. She has history of “mini strokes” so maybe this is what it is? But she for some reason can’t seem to break her cravings of the foods. I’ve seen her eat loads of sweets and one day and then the next day be completely out of it, in a daze, and her equilibrium be off. It’s serious and it’s hard to convince her to stop. But from what we have gathered, the research is true. Edit: recently we have realized that those attacks become more frequent during times of high stress and anxiety. So maybe it’s a combination of both the diet and stress levels.

Thank you Mike. you teaching was with me through every covid intubation and lines. Enjoy your teaching across all topics.

Thank you. I’m listening to this important video again.

Wow! That was so clearly explained. Thank you.

Thank you for this very helpful information! 👍

Great video!!! Thank you

Great information to know all around.

Thanks for this information on Alzheimer’s disease. No sugar! 👍

Age is one of the biggest factors in what we call Alzheimer’s dementia. Vascular dementia is another animal we can think about with diet but again, most often age is a big factor. My dad was a doctor. He said that too often we blame the victim in this country for something that most often couldn’t have been prevented.

Always informative, thank you.

Thank you for the information

Thanks for explaining this to us! It's a lot more complicated than people think and OVER EATING is definitely a negative aspect! Fasting could save your brain. 🙏🙏🙏

My husband was diagnosed with MCI in 2017 at the age of 65. He progressed to dementia and subsequently diagnosed specifically with Alzheimer’s. This is all a guessing game until the puzzle is solved. My husband was a runner and watched all he ate. He was at the time of diagnosis 6’1” and 178 pounds. No diabetes, no high blood pressure, no heart disease. He had two careers in high leading positions. He does have a family history though. On the other side in my family everyone is overweight, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease of which many died of but no one had dementia. Go figure. Don’t fall into guess science.

Great video Dr Mike, I really appreciate the awesome graphics coordinated with your explanations!👍🏻

Great video. Thanks

Thanks Mike

This information and channel is amazing. Thank you for taking the time to help educate people and help us all make healthier decisions.

Gold star for this one Dr. Hansen!

Great! Thank you so much!

Brillant 💥 simple summary. No processed sugar. Eat an apple 🍎 a day Blueberry 🫐 Cherries 🍒 Thank you Dr Mike.

The only doc on KZfaq that I trust. Thanks, Dr. Mike!

Excellent report

Excellent video presentation! Thank you so much. I wish I would have known this information when my mom was suffering with onset of Dementia and her Vascular doctor told us, "She can eat all the ice cream she wants." He knew better and really should be behind bars for not informing of the impact of sugar on the brain and the advancement of Alzheimer's. Wonder how many others that young doctor killed off prematurely.

My dad has dementia (not Alzheimer’s) and for years he ate a lot of processed sugar. Had we known how toxic sugar was to the brain, we would have stopped him from that. He also had emergency quadruple bypass surgery which left him with dementia. He was never the same after that surgery.

My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age 55…47 yrs ago! She lived to be 81 but was like a vegetable herself after the first 10 yrs of diagnosis. Eventually died from kidney failure ! She ate salads like crazy .. was raised on parents farm and ate farm fresh foods with no chemicals and poisons! And that was over 100 yrs ago now! So why was she diagnosed with Alzheimer’s that is contributed to being caused by sugar products? She was not a sugar user and did not have sweet foods in our home either…her sister was diagnosed with dementia but no one else in family has had these issues! They had better review real reason for getting dementia and Alzheimer’s!

Fascinating! Thank you.

Excellent, thanks Doc!

You know what really grinds my gears? All this could be prevented if the food industry, the gov and health industry was truthful about our body. If we actually started eating REAL food and not all this processed junk it would make a difference. Add on the people refusing to drop their habits and make themselves worse even after hearing the truth. We're so deeply rooted into this, is there a way to stop this monster?

You are ALWAYS taking good physical care of patients in the hospital, and of us through this blog with all your effort with these information. And for this reason I want you Dr. Mike to remember this Bible Verse ALWAYS (1 Peter 5:8)🚨, so you can take good care of yourself in a spiritual meaning. Because spiritual + physical are connected. I am a Christian, and I BELIEVE in the Word of God more than 💯percent. 🙏🏼☺️

Excellent video! My dad had dementia and it is the worst of the worst and I'm sure sugar played a part in getting it.

I didn't know any of this info! Two years ago I went keto to lose weight, and then introduced intermittent fasting and increased exercise greatly. Good to know I'm on the right track!

Both of my grand parents had dementia and my dad was just diagnosed. I’ll do all I can to prevent it!

my mother lived to 91 and her mind was as sharp as a razor. she remembered everything. All her friends were developing dementia. dont know exactly why.....but i speculate 2 things. 1) she took fish oil every day for decades. 2) she would pray and read the rosary many times everyday day. something that no one i know with dementia (and i work with them on a daily basis) does with the same energy as my mother.

Great info and presentation 🙏🏽

This is a powerful video. Thank you!

Aluminum ions in the food/water we drink. Try rubbing a cheap aluminum pan with tissue with reasonable pressure - you will see a dark grey substance. That's very small amounts of aluminum. My advice... use Stainless steel pans instead. Also aluminum ions are present in fluoridated water.

If I understand this correctly, changing lifestyle habits when you’re early in the Type 2 Diabetes struggle, can actually help combat the progress of Alzheimer’s? I’ve been too sedentary following 4x CABG. Fear and depression are both contributing factors. But my docs are working to restore my mood and I’m learning to resist junk food. Hey, it’s a start!

Nice summary.

This seems like a well researched episode.

Alzheimer may not have gotten its name until a few decades ago, but this disease has been around as long as humans. Poor memory and forgetfulness is part of aging, and always has been. a healthy Life is about moderation and avoiding toxic unnatural substances and people.

Nice video. One thing I would add is that from the pathological perspective, the most common type of dementia is actually "mixed dementia" (alzheimer's pathology an vascular pathology on autopsy). Given that diabetes is associated with vascular disease, I would expect it to increase the risk of dementia regardless of any effect on amyloid plaques or neurofibrillary tangles.

Thanks you for excellent explanation 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Subscribed!! It's great that you show proper studies (and not just "common beliefs" without evidence. Would be even better if you put links to those papers (I had to pause, and copy down the titles!). It is also very good that you keep it relatively short and to-the-point. A suggestion, while still keeping everything evidence-based, might be to distinguish between "overview" (like this one), and maybe on each sub-topic, do a deep dive. Maybe you already have and I haven't browsed enough. But good research explained clearly, that's what we need more of!! Thanks.

I believe depression, anxiety, thyroid, and many other things contribute to Alzheimer's as well, or as I say old timers.

A very good information and educational video. People nowadays tend to eat junk food mostly for the convenience to get a meal fast and easy, specially in the American society. And when they cook at home, most ingredients they use to make a meal are from cans, campbell's soup, hotdogs, frozen packages....and juices from the markets that they believe to be nutritious and healthy. It's sad that the population is not educated for a healthy living, plus the laziness to seek comfort on a couch watching TV every night after a long day sitting at work. More people getting sick and blame on weather, or anything else without recognize the main causes.

Thank you for this video😮

This video is fantastic.

Great video information 100%

I'm only 29, have bad posture and sometimes can't remember the conversations I had just last week. On top of that I drink alcohol frequently and eat too much sugar, not to mention I have very small social circle. So it seems that I'm in the risk group for developing dementia.

that was a good one, doc

I suspect that simply living longer is a not-insignificant factor.

This may sound little unscientific, but most of the Alzheimer's patients I have seen have had a history of over thinking and intolerance ( to people, or environment), and a lot of unresolved emotions.

Thanks! We've been watching my mom sink into dementia since last year, and this past month it's gotten worse so fast. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2015 and jumped on the Golo plan in Jan 2021 and have kicked all my diabetic meds to the curb in May 2021. I've lost about 25lbs and I exercise and still healthy as I don't want to end up like my mom. You talked about a lot of things I've watched my mom do wrong over the years and I tried telling her, but always said she'll eat what she likes. We've gotten her off the sweet stuff, but the damage is already done.

Thank you, Dr. Mike!

My friend's mom was always very physically fit. She played tennis all summer, and worked out in her home gym year round. She had a huge social life. She ate a lot of vegetables, but was not Vegan. She drank very little alcohol. She ended up getting breast cancer, which she got treatment for and has been in remission from for over a decade. Unfortunately though, she has had Alzheimer's now for the last 5 years and is in the final stages of it now. The fact that she got this disease, having done all the right things to supposedly prevent it, really surprised me. I sometimes wonder if it was because she was so obsessed with a low fat diet that may have somehow triggered it.

So what about (non-sugar) carbs? Are they just as bad because of the eventual glucose on breakdown? Or are they better because there is less fructose? Is the damage from glucose purely linear from zero or is it a threshold effect at high blood sugar levels?

Well explained, now I know what to do !

Thank You Doctor !

The two people I know that have dementia are slim and not diabetic also, both have had very active lifestyles. There has to be more.

At 4:43 Dr. Hansen says Alzheimer's is projected to hit 14 million, but the graph shown says 40 million.

Thank you so much, Doctor!

Appreciate information, little history…. Yes I had family member that experienced Dementia very sad 😞

I am bipolar disorder type 2 and use antidepressants and atipic antipsycotics. As you know atipic antipsycotics lower metaboilism,increase insulin resistance and increase apetite,also increase alzheirmer risk but not having medicated in bipolar disorder also highly increase demetia risk. I also have adhd which makes my brain have a goldfish memeory I still do not know how the hell I even graduated from medical school and have quite a good knowledge about diseases and treatments.

Thanks, I needed to hear this again, and again, and again. I might alter my self-destructive lifestyle at some point. After all, I’m only 69 yo and have lots of time left to change. Again, and again, and again. I won’t delude myself into believing I can change (like many of my friends) and take it off and put it all, plus more fat back on; only to compound the problem. Sick of trying.

Thank Doc! ❤

This helps motivate me to stay away from processed sugar a lot more.

Also, you should look into getting subtitles for other languages so this video can reach more people, I think this information is crucial for world health and I would love be able to send this video for my mom and other family members who don’t speak English

I have watched some videos that refer to alzheimers as type 3 diabetes.

Thank you.

You’re the best!

Dr Mike, I think you have said often that metabolic syndrome has the same cause, I guess if researchers look at archeological data on Egyptian population that have indicated a similar high rate of metabolic syndrome, brain injury from sugar metabolized from a high grain diet.

It is also worth mentioning processed flour such as is found in bread products and pasta, which is also contributing to diabetes. It's about the impact of the starches and the speed with which they are converted to basic sugars; glucose, primarily. This overwhelms the ability of the pancreas to make enough insulin to force the sugar into the tissues. It's also worth mentioning that fructose cannot be used for energy (except a tiny amount in the gut) and is turned into fat in the liver. When the liver is full, then you get huge amounts of glycation. If you want to get fat; eat fructose.

Great advice +1

I totally believe this to be true. My mother developed Alzheimer's and about the same time developed diabetes.

Now in my seventies, I wish this sort of video was available back when heeding its advice might have prevented, or least lessened, my odd, too-frequent instances of forgetfulness. I weened myself off many sugary "foods" quite some years ago, and have gone further down that path more recently. But unless brain cells grow back, whatever damage was done prior to adopting a more healthy (or at least less unhealthy) diet will be with me until my alloted time expires.