Alzheimer Camel Test
Alzheimer Camel TestCan a complex cognitive disorder like Alzheimer’s be based on finding a little pixelated camel in a picture filled with animals? Social media users, particularly on WhatsApp, indeed think so.
A viral WhatsApp message says that if a person can’t look for a camel within an optically generated illusion, anyone faces the danger of suffering from Alzheimer’s in the long term.
The Alzheimer’s Camel Test:
The Alzheimer’s camel check is definitely the common name for a doctored picture showing a face made from various animals.
The first image didn’t actually add the camel, but it was later photoshopped in.
The picture was discussed with the claim that people who might notice the camel were at a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s and those who could not have an even greater opportunity to cultivate the illness.
Try as well as notice the camel yourself.
In case you can’t, do not worry. You’ve no reason at all to panic. There’s simply no proof to support claims.
Your inability to notice a camel in the picture has no link to the odds of you developing Alzheimer’s.
When claims about the picture had been brought before neurologists, it was confirmed that the image was a hoax.
Images this way are generally spread with the sole goal of spreading fear and must be dismissed.
You will find legitimate self-administered methods to determine the chance of acquiring cognitive diseases, but none are as easy as the Alzheimer’s camel check.
Alternative Self Administered Exams:
In case you’re in a group that is at a greater risk for Alzheimer’s and therefore are attracted to some other tests you can take at home, there are choices.
Unfortunately, not one of them is as easy as evaluating a fixed image and discovering a camel.
The most popular exam you can take in your home is the self-administered neurocognitive examination, generally known as SAGE.
SAGE is a downloadable examination that scientists at Ohio State Faculty created. The test itself takes roughly 15 minutes to complete and must be brought to a physician for further analysis after completion.
Unfortunately for those hoping for an at-home test that might provide them with a diagnosis, absolutely no such test has yet been created.
Nevertheless, SAGE is a great way for doctors to fairly quickly identify patients that have mild memory or cognition problems and really should be subject to more testing. You can read much more about SAGE here.
Alzheimer’s Causes: and risk Factors
Beyond at-home tests, if you’re worried about Alzheimer’s, it’s for sure a wise decision to inform yourself on the causes and risk factors that could result in its development.
Scientists don’t think there’s one main purpose behind Alzheimer’s but that it might develop from a blend of various factors.
Several risk factors, like age plus family history, can’t be controlled. Nevertheless, others could be mitigated by a change in lifestyle.
Did you know that every 66 seconds, someone in the United States will develop Alzheimer’s disease? Alzheimer’s is the sixth-leading cause of death in the country.
While there is no cure yet for the disease, we know food matters and that certain foods raise Alzheimer’s risk.
On the flip side, Diet is also one of the natural treatments for Alzheimer’s.
And it’s ever-more important: a new study shows that a Western-style diet heavy on meat, sweets, and high-fat foods is linked to higher levels of Alzheimer’s.
The study found that amongst nine other countries, including Brazil, Chile, Cuba, and Mongolia, individuals in the U.S. have a 4 percent increased chance of developing Alzheimer’s.
When Japan’s traditional Diet shifted more towards its Western counterpart, Alzheimer’s rates soared (along with waistlines) from 1 percent in 1985 to 7 percent in 2008.
Certain foods raise Alzheimer’s risk. But this latest study is the latest in a string of evidence showing that Diet is a significant form of natural Alzheimer’s treatment options. What you eat (and don’t eat) matters. Let’s take a closer look.
Science Says These Foods Raise Alzheimer’s Risk
Red Meat
While I’m a fan of red meat, too much of a good thing might increase your chances of Alzheimer’s.
(And, of course, eating low-quality red meat is a big no-no.)
Red meat is an iron-rich food.
And though your body needs enough iron to avoid anemia, chronic fatigue, and muscle weakness,
too much iron can speed up damage created from too many free radicals unleashed in our bodies.
As the iron builds up in the brain, it does so in an area known as “gray matter,” a part of the brain that shows one of the first signs of degeneration as we age.
Too much iron in that area seems to speed up the process even more.
That doesn’t mean saying goodbye to hamburgers and steaks,
Rather, being mindful of how much you’re eating a week and choosing the best quality, grass-fed beef available is key.
Refined Carbohydrates & Sugars
If you needed another reason to stay away from starchy pasta and bread, here’s one. Diets high in carbohydrates and sugar can raise your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
A 2012 study found that people 70 years or older who ate a diet heavy in carbohydrates were almost four times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than their healthier eating counterparts.
That spike in Alzheimer’s is far beyond common age-related issues you’d expect to see in regards to memory and thinking.
This makes the sugar industry scandal even more devastating.
Industry-funded Harvard research in the 1960s blamed downplayed sugar’s role in coronary heart disease.
Today, we know sugar’s role goes far beyond heart disease and dramatically impacts the brain, too.
The theory behind why carbohydrates, which are often loaded with sugar (check out a white bread label sometime!),
affect the brain so firmly is that carbs raise glucose and insulin levels rapidly, causing a blood sugar spike.
Eventually, that can lead to insulin resistance over time.
(In fact, reversing diabetes naturally could be one of the best things you can do for your brain since Alzheimer’s is now being pegged “type 3 diabetes.)
The more our bodies ignore insulin, the more our pancreas produces.
These high insulin levels now coursing through the body might damage blood vessels in the brain, leading to memory issues.
In fact, in Alzheimer’s patients, parts of the brain become resistant to insulin — and while researchers aren’t sure why there seems to be a link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
High-AGE Foods
No, not old foods! “AGEs” stands for advanced glycation end products.
These are chemicals that are found both naturally in our bodies and some foods.
Scientists previously linked diets high in AGEs to diabetes and poor cardiovascular health. Now it seems it might play a role in a declining brain.
When foods raise Alzheimer’s risk, AGEs are top of the list.
A 2014 study first examined the role of AGE in mice. After feeding the creatures three different diets, one low in AGEs, one high in AGEs, and a “normal” food — those mice who were eating the least amount of AGEs enjoyed the improved cognitive function.
Next, the researchers put their theory to the test with humans. They studied the diets of 90 healthy people 60 years old or older.
Those with high-AGE diets fared the worst, showing a decline throughout the 9-month study.
The National Institute on Aging (NIA) also published a study in 2017 that linked high glucose levels with severe Alzheimer’s disease.
Specifically, there’s growing evidence that Alzheimer’s resembles a new form of diabetes, known as type 3 because abnormal glucose metabolism causes high glucose concentration in brain tissue.
Similarities between diabetes and Alzheimer’s have been suspected. However, it has been challenging to evaluate because glucose does not need insulin to enter the brain or enter neurons.
NIA researchers measured glucose levels in different brain regions from tissue samples at autopsy from participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.
The research findings could help develop new treatments to help the brain overwhelm glycolysis defects in Alzheimer’s.
However, studies in abnormalities in other metabolic pathways linked to glycolysis are needed to determine how it relates to Alzheimer’s pathology in the brain.
Cook Smarter Even When Foods Raise Alzheimer’s Risk
It’s important to note that all foods contain some level of AGEs. Meats, cheeses, and animal fats tend to have the most by far, though.
And because AGE production increases with heat, the way you cook your meat matters when it comes to avoiding AGEs and how foods raise your Alzheimer’s risk.
Grilling and frying meats speeds up AGE production much more than other methods of cooking. For example, a serving of raw chicken has an AGE level of 800; fried chicken has a level of 8,000.
Skip the deep fryer and high-heat grill and opt instead for stewing, poaching, braising, or using a grill pan on the stove.
On the supplement side of things, researchers are even starting to find that olive leaf benefits include inhibiting the formation of AGEs.
The #1 Alzheimer’s-Fueling Food
If I had to warn you about the top food to stay away from when it comes to foods that raise Alzheimer’s risk, it would be this:
A conventional steak coated with the store-bought marinade and charred on the grill.
This one accessible menu features all of the components of foods that raise Alzheimer’s risk: Factory-farmed red meat with skyrocketing levels of AGEs due to grilling on high heat.
Beyond that, more store-bought marinades are loaded with added sugars and sweeteners, another class of foods that raise Alzheimer’s risk.
When you grill an occasional steak, be sure to choose grass-fed and organic, marinade in a vinegar and herb base, and cook slow and low to reduce AGE levels.
As a side note, marinading smarter helps you lower grilling carcinogens by 99 percent.
Reducing Your Alzheimer’s Risk: What to Eat
While there are some foods you should avoid to lower your Alzheimer’s risk, there is a ton that you should be enjoying that can help reduce your risk.
Following the Mediterranean diet is one of the best things you can do for your brain.
Emphasizing fresh fruits and veggies, wild-caught seafood, poultry, nuts, olive oil, and dairy in moderation
with red meat enjoyed on special occasions or just once a week — the Mediterranean has been touted as one of the best ways to decrease your chances of developing Alzheimer’s through nutrition.
Because the Mediterranean diet is heavy on brain foods like avocados, leafy greens, and olive oil, it makes sense that following the Diet would keep the brain in tip-top shape.
All of my five best healthy fats for your body are part of the Mediterranean diet, including omega-3 fatty acids.
These are found in fish like wild-caught salmon and play a huge role in brain health, slowing down the aging process.
Final Thoughts on Foods that Raise Alzheimer’s Risk
Researchers link a diet rich in red meat, added sugars, and refined carbohydrates to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
So while there might not be a quick fix to preventing Alzheimer’s disease, you can raise or reduce your risk of developing the disease at each meal.
Now that you know certain foods increase your Alzheimer’s risk, which will you choose?
