Many people believe there is nothing worse than to look at your own family and not recognize who they are. This is an effect of Alzheimer's disease, a chronic form of dementia, which results in severe memory loss and eventually death.
During the course of this disease, there is an overproduction of the protein beta-amyloid, which accumulates in the brain. This protein produces free radicals, known as oxidants, which can cause cumulative damage to brain cells.
There is no cure for this disease and no one is sure of its causes; however, researchers may have discovered a way to ward it off: Eating fish. According to a number of scientific studies, those who frequently eat fish may be able to prevent Alzheimer's from attacking, or at least hold it off for a number of years.
The brain-saving protection of fish can be accredited to certain fats called omega-3 fatty acids. Moreover, unless one is eating fish every day, they are not getting enough of these fatty acids. The fish that contain high amounts of beneficial fats include:
These findings have altered the way Americans shop and eat. Seafood consumption levels have increased from 15.6 pounds consumed per person in 2002, to 16.3 pounds in 2003.
Experts blame the high-fat American diet for the widespread occurrence of Alzheimer's. In Japan, where people traditionally eat low-fat foods and fish on a regular basis, the Alzheimer rates are significantly lower. Consequently, researchers found that those who eat fish at least once a week are at a 60 percent reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's.
Researchers warn that there are certain species of fish that are not good to eat, as they are likely contaminated with mercury. These species include:
USA Today November 17, 2004
EurekAlert November 16, 2004
The USA Today article promotes store-bought fish as a good way of getting omega 3 fatty acids, however they failed to hit on one key point -- most store-bought fish is contaminated with mercury. This is a result of the excessive levels of mercury that currently exist in our environment. It's a shame that pollution has contaminated one of the best food sources we have.
Therefore, I highly recommend consuming high quality fish or cod liver oil so you can meet the optimal amount of omega-3 fats needed to achieve good health. This will also eliminate your worry of mercury contamination.
Guidelines To Selecting High Quality Fish Oil
It is important, when choosing high quality fish oil, that you remember that not all brands are the same. You will want to do a little homework so you can determine the quality of the omega-3 fish or cod liver oils you consume.
Make sure that your brand is free of mercury and PCBs. This will not be on the label so you will need to:
Confirm that there are very low oxidation products in the fish or cod liver oil. Fish and cod liver oil has long chain unsaturated fats (primarily EPA and DHA) and they are very susceptible to oxidation or damage. If the oil is not processed properly damage will occur. Many years ago nearly all the fish oils were oxidized. That is why when you mention cod liver oil to most anyone they turn up their nose in disgust. Typically, they only taste bad when they are oxidized.
Make certain your fish oil or cod liver oil has therapeutic levels of vitamin E in it. Because fish and cod liver oils are very susceptible to oxidation and rancidity, nearly all manufacturers insert a small amount of one unit of vitamin E per teaspoon. This is sufficient to prevent oxidation of the fish oil in the bottle. However, after you consume it this is woefully inadequate. Your body will tend to oxidize the fish oil and much larger doses of vitamin E are needed to prevent the fish oil from going rancid in your body.
But you don't have to do all that research. In my clinical experience with my patients, I have found that the Carlson's brand of fish oil or cod liver oil is of an exceptional quality and purity and I recommend it highly.
As for fish itself, patients consuming nearly every type of fish these days are showing high levels of mercury in their systems. I now advise against consuming any fish from any source, including fresh water, farm-raised or ocean, because most are contaminated with mercury. If you do consume fish, you should be certain the provider can demonstrate that the fish are free of detectable levels of mercury and other toxins, such as the delicious Vital Choice Salmon, which is the only brand I've found that lab-tested to be pure of mercury, PCBs and other toxins
Finally, you can fight Alzheimer's by eating apples. Yes, APPLES. You see, quercetin, a potent antioxidant abundant in apples and some other fruits and vegetables, is an excellent shield for brain cells against oxidative stress, a tissue-damaging process associated with Alzheimer's.
In fact, fresh apples have some of the highest levels of quercetin compared to other fruits and vegetables, and may be among the best food choices for fighting Alzheimer's. Although quercetin is relatively stable during cooking, fresh apples are better sources of quercetin than cooked or processed products. This is because the compound is mainly concentrated in the skin of apples rather than the flesh.
Just be careful to use apples in moderation as they are clearly a source of carbs and if you are overweight, have high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes or struggle with yeast infections, then you will need to seriously limit your intake of apples and most other fruits until you resolve those problems.
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