Waukeshahealthinsurance.com-
Editor's Note: Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon and Best-selling author on mental health. “The Last Alzheimer's Patient” premieres Sunday, May 19, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on and “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” on June 18.
–
Preventive neurologist Dr. Richard Isaacson stared in amazement at the numbers on the fax. Simon Nicholls, a 55-year-old entrepreneur whose blood biomarkers showed signs of early Alzheimer's disease in the patient's brain disappeared within 14 months.
“I had to catch my breath. Isaacson, director of research at the Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases in Boca Raton, Florida, was completely shocked by the blood tests on his brain.
Was this amazing result the work of some new miracle drug designed to combat mental illness? is not. This is a story of old-fashioned grit and determination.
“Simon was on a mission with the Grim Reaper looking over his shoulder. He was going to kick ass and take a name,” Isaacson said.
Nichols reduced his risk of Alzheimer's disease with the lifestyle changes recommended by Isaacson, including diet, exercise, reducing stress and improving sleep, as well as a few carefully selected supplements and medications prescribed by his cardiologist.
“I was very worried,” Nichols told Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, “The Last Alzheimer's Patient,” in a press release for the new documentary “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.”
“I have a 3-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter son. “It's very important for me to try to be with them in the future as I get older,” he said. “There are many [changes] Lifestyle changes can help push back the disease and give yourself more time, just until we find a cure.
When it comes to genetics and dementia, Nichols draws the short straw. He had two copies APOE4 gene, One from each parent, which increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease at least tenfold.
“Sadly, my mom passed away in her 70s from what we thought was Alzheimer's,” Nichols said. For the past 10 years of her life, she has been sitting in a chair and shaking, taking about 14 medications. I'd rather have a longer period of health and then go faster.
Not everyone has one or two copies of APOE4 It develops Alzheimer's disease, however, it creates an exciting possibility. Can one reduce one's genetic risk for Alzheimer's through lifestyle and various medical interventions, especially if started early, before more damage is done?
Isaacson, who also has a family history of Alzheimer's, believes the answer is yes. He started saying The first American clinic to prevent Alzheimer's disease New York City in 2013 before moving the program to Florida in 2021 Research It has been shown that following twelve or more lifestyle measures, when implemented by 60% or more, can improve cognitive function. Especially in women.
So are scientists around the world today Investigate Influence on such understanding Lifestyle changes as a A healthy plant-based diet, Stress reduction, Strength training, Aerobic exercise And Quality sleep habits – Features that Isaacson and his team listed in a recent review Published in nature.
“I don't use the word 'reverse'. “I don't know what reversal means when it comes to the Alzheimer's field,” Isaacson said. But the results we saw in our study with Simon and other patients are very interesting.
How the heart and brain are connected
Declining memory and an inability to think, plan, and communicate with loved ones aren't the only signs of Alzheimer's.
Blood clots, The second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease can be caused by atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and more, all of which can cause further damage to the body and brain.
Poor hearts and their consequences run through generations in families, Nichols knew well.
“My whole family had chronic heart disease, and as a result my grandfather on my mother's side died at the age of 50. “My mother had three heart attacks, the first at age 50, then three before she had dementia.
Carrying the APOE4 gene increases it even more Risk of heart disease And dementia, experts say.
“My sister had three heart attacks, and when I was 40, I was diagnosed with atherosclerosis, a ridiculous arterial calcium score of 1,500 and 96 percent of the arteries blocked. A normal coronary artery calcium score is zero.
For a man in the prime of his life, the news was shocking. Doctors tried to reverse the plaque build-up using lifestyle changes and statins, but eventually resorted to surgery to open three of Nichols' arteries with stents. He also began using evolocumab, an injectable drug designed to boost the liver's ability to get rid of the “bad.” Low-density lipoproteinor LDL, from the body.
Slowly, Nichols' heart disease began to improve, but the bad news didn't end there. A brain scan found signs of vascular damage in Nichols' brain, which occurs when small blood vessels are starved of oxygen.
“The doctors said I had too many whiteheads. I told myself now that I had my heart more or less under control, it was time to turn to my mind,” Nichols said.
In January 2023, Nichols became participant number 34 in the novel clinical trial at the Isaacson Center in Florida. The test is designed to identify cognitive risk factors and deal with them with a personalized attack plan. (Full disclosure: I am participant number 20 in the same experiment; you can Read my experience here.)
“The overall goal of the study is to eventually democratize access to preventive neurotherapy by using at-home blood tests to reach more people,” Isaacson said.
As part of the trial, Nichols underwent a battery of tests, including a special blood test that allowed for follow-up Amyloid levels, tau And so on. Hallmark biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative conditions. Amyloid deposits can begin to accumulate in the brain decades before symptoms begin. Even a man in his 30s and 40s.
“Simon's first test came back with a score of 70. Anything over 58 is positive for amyloid in the brain,” says Isaacson. “The results supported the amyloid PET scan that Simon had in 2019, where I could see the plaque in the brain.”
Nichols needed to lose weight, so he started taking tirzepatide (the medication's active ingredient). Munjaro And A zipperIt is one of the newer injectable drugs that suppress appetite by stimulating hormones that control blood sugar levels.
At the same time, Nichols was encouraged to increase his physical activity by incorporating strength training 3 times a week and rapidly increase his Zone 2 exercise to 45 to 60 minutes a day. walking, riot, Run or cycle at 60% to 70% of your heart rate.
“Every morning at sunrise I like to walk for an hour and a half with a podcast. I get 10,000 steps or more every day. I'm very consistent,” Nichols said. “I also do a very slow full-body workout with weights three times a week for about an hour.”
It is important to avoid sugar, artificial sweeteners, alcohol and too many products. A plant-based meal plan as a Mediterranean diet.
“When I first saw Simon, he had a little middle like most people in the '50s,” Isaacson said. “When I saw him at nine weeks, I did a double take. He was totally brilliant, even ripped.
“In those nine weeks, he lost 21 pounds, 80% of which was fat, and he put on muscle, which was great,” Isakson added. “I almost didn't know him.”
Weight loss and increased muscle mass lowered Nichols' fasting blood sugar levels and ended his diabetes journey, while some adjustments to his cholesterol medications improved his good and bad cholesterol numbers.
In August 2023 it was time to repeat the blood test for amyloid. At that time, the company that runs the tests added a measure of tau, a marker for Alzheimer's, frontal lobe dementia and Lewy body disease.
“On the new APS2 test, Simon's amyloid probability score went down to 53, which was amazing,” Isaacs said. But anything between 48 and 100 was still positive, as it was considered to reflect high levels of amyloid brain plaques on a brain scan.
Now that the big concerns of cholesterol, insulin, diet, exercise and fat storage have been addressed, “it's time to turn on the lights,” Isaacson says, offering personalized recommendations based on Nichols' biology.
“We've optimized Simon's omega-3 fatty acid levels, which are especially important for people with APOE. ε4, that they need more omega-3. We also added B complex vitamins to control elevated homocysteine in the blood,” Isaacson said. But we don't give complex vitamins to someone who doesn't have high homocysteine levels.
Elevated homocysteine, an amino acid used in the body to make protein. The cause of the accident For brain atrophy, cognitive impairment and dementia. September 2010 A randomized controlled trial It found that supplementation reduced brain atrophy in people with mild cognitive impairment.
Meanwhile, Nichols, a passionate researcher who likes to read medical journals, adds some of his own interventions.
“I have steam rooms and saunas in my house, I do a lot. I love it,” he said.
“There is one thing I do that Dr. Isaacson disagrees with: I get stem cell injections twice a year,” Nichols added. “Unfortunately, I have arthritis in my hands, and this definitely makes me feel better when I'm using stem cells, and I like to think they're helping my brain.”
There was one more big issue to tackle: Nichols' sleep. or lack thereof, which one Studies They have shown that it can be accelerated. A failure of knowledge And Alzheimer's.
as if…