There’s an interesting article on Quartz.com from a couple of weeks ago (first published on Aeon.com) about a study done at UCLA where they “treated” ten people with Alzheimer’s Disease or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with “different lifestyle modifications to optimize metabolic parameters—such as inflammation and insulin resistance—that are associated” with AD. These modifications, called the MEND protocol (metabolic enhancement for neurodegeneration), included diet change, exercise, stress management, and sleep improvement. The most common “side effect” was weight loss.
According to the author: “What they found was striking. Although the size of the study was small, every participant demonstrated such marked improvement that almost all were found to be in the normal range on testing for memory and cognition by the study’s end. Functionally, this amounts to a cure.”
Here’s a link to the research paper titled “Reversal of cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s disease,” from the journal “Aging,” published June 12, 2016:
www.aging-us.com/article/10098
According to the research paper: “It is noteworthy that these patients met criteria for Alzheimer’s disease or MCI prior to treatment, but failed to meet criteria for either Alzheimer’s disease or MCI following treatment. …[Discontinuation] of the protocol was associated with cognitive decline (here, in patient 1).”
Here’s a link to the Aeon/Quartz article:
qz.com/977133/a-ucla-study-sho
AWAKENINGS
What happened when Alzheimer’s patients were treated for the diseases we actually have cures for
Written by Clayton M. Dalton, Medical resident, Massachusetts General Hospital
May 05, 2017
originally published at Aeon
Happy reading!
Robin