Report Claims Success Treating Alzheimer's Memory Loss
But experts won't embrace this 36-point program of lifestyle changes and supplements without more research
"There's not enough here to understand why these things were chosen, or how the doses were chosen," Galvin said.
The supplements included curcumin, vitamins B12 and D3, fish oil, coconut oil, resveratrol, coenzyme Q10 and ashwagandha -- an herb used in traditional Indian medicine.
Some of those therapies have been shown individually to have no benefit against mental decline, Galvin noted.
But Bredesen said it's the combined effects of the therapies that's key.
The program, Bredesen said, is based on years of lab research into what goes wrong in the brain as people progress from mild memory problems to full-blown dementia.
Bredesen said he theorizes that Alzheimer's stems from an "imbalance" in the brain's signaling system.
In a healthy brain, the theory goes, certain signals support nerve connections and the formation of memories, while other signals help shed irrelevant information. But when people are in cognitive decline, that balance goes awry
From that basis, Bredesen and his lab developed the 36-point program.
It's not one-size-fits-all, Bredesen stressed. "Each person has a different chemistry," he said. "And we measure dozens of parameters in each patient."
The 10 patients in this report have been followed for anywhere from 3 months to 2.5 years. The woman followed the longest -- diagnosed with mild impairment and now 70 -- is "still going strong," Bredesen said.
Some components of her program included: Eliminating gluten and processed foods, and eating more fruits, vegetables and non-farmed fish to address inflammation and insulin levels; yoga and meditation to reduce stress; melatonin to help stretch her sleep time to 7 or 8 hours each night; fish oil; vitamins D3 and B12; and hormone replacement therapy.
Bredesen acknowledged there are obstacles to moving this approach into larger studies.
In traditional clinical trials, researchers test only one treatment at a time -- not 36. And they often compare that single therapy to a placebo.
"Many people feel better just because you're doing something for them," Galvin said.
It won't be possible to put this program to that type of test. But Galvin said future studies could rigorously assess patients before and after they go through the program, to confirm that the benefits are real and lasting.
Report: Success Treating Alzheimer's Memory Loss
But experts won't embrace this 36-point program of lifestyle changes and supplements without more research
"There's not enough here to understand why these things were chosen, or how the doses were chosen," Galvin said.
The supplements included curcumin, vitamins B12 and D3, fish oil, coconut oil, resveratrol, coenzyme Q10 and ashwagandha -- an herb used in traditional Indian medicine.
Some of those therapies have been shown individually to have no benefit against mental decline, Galvin noted.
But Bredesen said it's the combined effects of the therapies that's key.
The program, Bredesen said, is based on years of lab research into what goes wrong in the brain as people progress from mild memory problems to full-blown dementia.
Bredesen said he theorizes that Alzheimer's stems from an "imbalance" in the brain's signaling system.
In a healthy brain, the theory goes, certain signals support nerve connections and the formation of memories, while other signals help shed irrelevant information. But when people are in cognitive decline, that balance goes awry
From that basis, Bredesen and his lab developed the 36-point program.
It's not one-size-fits-all, Bredesen stressed. "Each person has a different chemistry," he said. "And we measure dozens of parameters in each patient."
The 10 patients in this report have been followed for anywhere from 3 months to 2.5 years. The woman followed the longest -- diagnosed with mild impairment and now 70 -- is "still going strong," Bredesen said.
Some components of her program included: Eliminating gluten and processed foods, and eating more fruits, vegetables and non-farmed fish to address inflammation and insulin levels; yoga and meditation to reduce stress; melatonin to help stretch her sleep time to 7 or 8 hours each night; fish oil; vitamins D3 and B12; and hormone replacement therapy.
Bredesen acknowledged there are obstacles to moving this approach into larger studies.
In traditional clinical trials, researchers test only one treatment at a time -- not 36. And they often compare that single therapy to a placebo.
"Many people feel better just because you're doing something for them," Galvin said.
It won't be possible to put this program to that type of test. But Galvin said future studies could rigorously assess patients before and after they go through the program, to confirm that the benefits are real and lasting.
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