Vitamin D-3, Omega-3 and Alzheimer’s disease

Vitamin D-3, Omega-3 and Alzheimer’s disease

 Vitamin D-3, Omega-3 and Alzheimer’s disease

Assistant Professor-Luay H. Ali Al-Dulaimi 

hatemloay81@uoanbar.edu.iq

The author's official website

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around six in every 10 people with dementia in the UK. Some people can have more than one type of dementia, for example, they might have Alzheimer’s as well as vascular dementia or dementia with Lewy bodies. This is often called ‘mixed dementia’. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurological illness that impairs thinking and independence of millions of people worldwide.1 Today, more than 5 million Americans and more than 40 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and these numbers are growing rapidly. Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of ageing, but the chances of developing the disease do increase the older we get. The majority of people who develop the disease are over the age of 65. Sometimes, Alzheimer’s can affect younger people. It is thought that around 5% of people with Alzheimer’s are under 65, about 42,000 people. These rare cases of the disease are called early-onset Alzheimer’s. If you would like more information about early-onset Alzheimer’s, please contact us. As we age our brains naturally shrink a little and our thought processes slow down. However in Alzheimer’s disease, changes that occur in the brain are different to the changes seen in normal ageing. These changes include the build-up of two proteins, called amyloid and tau. Although researchers don’t yet have a complete understanding of what triggers this, both proteins are involved in the development of Alzheimer’s. As the disease progresses, the protein build-up damages more and more brain cells. This damage affects how our brains work and leads to the symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

 

What Are the Stages of Alzheimer’s?

Alzheimer’s disease slowly gets worse over time. People with this disease progress at different rates and in several stages. Symptoms may get worse and then improve, but until an effective treatment for the disease itself is found, the person’s ability will continue to decline over the course of the disease. 

Early-stage Alzheimer’s :is when a person begins to experience memory loss and other cognitive difficulties, though the symptoms appear gradual to the person and their family. Alzheimer’s disease is often diagnosed at this stage. 

During middle-stage Alzheimer’s: damage occurs in areas of the brain that control language, reasoning, sensory processing, and conscious thought. People at this stage may have more confusion and trouble recognizing family and friends.

In late-stage Alzheimer’s: a person cannot communicate, is completely dependent on others for care, and may be in bed most or all the time as the body shuts down.

How Does Vitamin D Help?

 This research suggests that vitamin D-3 may work by activating certain genes and cell signaling networks to ramp up the immune system, which then clears away a key component of amyloid plaques called amyloid-beta protein. 

The same scientists conducted past research on the role of vitamin D-3 in the fight against Alzheimer’s, also published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.  In that study, they found that vitamin D-3, together with the spice curcumin, work together to encourage the immune system to have its effects against amyloid-beta protein in the brain. Consuming foods that are rich in vitamin D3 and omege-3, such as oily fish, eggs, nuts and wholegrains,  

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