So Pfizer Won't Be Funding Alzheimer's Drug Research Anymore? So What!

A column by Michael Hiltzik of the LA Times says that Pfizer Pharmaceuticals is using money they're getting from the Trump-Republican Tax Cut to pay off their shareholders and end their involvement in Alzheimer's drug research. About 300 researchers will lose their jobs as the money is shunted to other projects. Hiltzik was criticizing them for this decision and I normally would agree with him!

But I used to work for the Alzheimer's Association and for a caregiver resource center supporting family members taking care of people with this disease and other dementia-causing illnesses. And, while I know all those wonderful people I used to support who are desperately praying for a drug-cure for this disease might be feeling horrifically devastated by this news right now, I think the end of this relationship might be worth celebrating!

Maybe now the REAL causes and cures for Alzheimer's Disease can be the focus of the Alzheimer's Association instead of looking for a drug cure. Yes, I said it, the REAL causes. My opinion, backed by a LOT of recent research, is that -- except for the genetic version of Alzheimer's which represents a very small % of those who get the disease -- the cause of Alzheimer's Disease and a lot of other types of dementia is almost definitely way too much sugar consumption (eventually crowding out any real nutrition), loneliness and depression. You can add in lack of exercise for those who actually have vascular dementia (you can't get a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease without an autopsy). And we have known about some of these factors for at least a decade!

We need a societal cure, not a drug cure. And I believe that is one of the reasons Pfizer is withdrawing their research dollars. If the research continues to support the idea that diet and depression are the biggest factors, there's no point in Pfizer continuing their drug-cure based investment. They already make symptom-covering drugs! All the literature, videos and slide shows that Pfizer used to give to the Alzheimer's Association came with "info" about Aricept or whatever other drug they were promoting at the time. In return, the Alzheimer's Association put almost all their efforts into raising money for drug cure research. 

As far as I'm concerned, it's just fine for this symbiotic relationship to end. Have them put the money where it counts.

Eliminate Sugar to Greatly Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Giving up sugar will not eliminate ALL Alzheimer's Disease but according to a recent study cited in this article in Psychology Today, 80% of all Alzheimer's patients have insulin resistance or type 2 Diabetes. In fact, Alzheimer's Disease is now being called Type 3 Diabetes or insulin resistance of the brain. The Psychology Today article says "preventing Alzheimer's Disease is easier than you think" -- just give up sugar! Well, that's not so easy, especially if you have developed a dependency. Sugar is highly addictive and if you or someone you love is lonely or depressed, giving up that legal sweet comfort can be highly problematic! But well worth doing. Substitute fruit for sugary desserts, whole foods for all refined carbohydrates, go out for a walk, do something with the grandkids or volunteer. And some of my last suggestions are the most important. Science shows that happier people are far less likely to succumb to addiction and have a far easier time letting go of an addiction that has already been installed.

The Science Behind How Sugar Consumption Affects Your Risk Of Alzheimer's Disease

Watching a family member slowly kill his brain function with sugar has brought the sugar - Alzheimer's issue into sharp relief for me! Nearly EVERY Alzheimer's patient wants to eat nothing but sugar and other carbs that easily convert to glucose at some point in the progression of this disease. And the Alzheimer's / diabetes connection is very clear: one frequently leads to the other but it's not clear which comes first—diabetes or early stage Alzheimer's. I think it is excessive sugar consumption either way. This article gets into the latest research.

More on Alzheimer's and Type 3 Diabetes

I'm not in the field of dementia care anymore but two close family members with these symptoms keep me needing to pay attention. My dad is in a nursing home right now, and my mother reports that all the patients seem to want to eat is sugar. The family caregivers I used to work with would report the same thing. Long before the scientific evidence started to pile up, those of us working in the field knew there had to be some correlation between memory loss and confusion and these bizarre sugar cravings. Patients lose their appetites for anything else. It is now thought that a lot of what we call Alzheimer's Disease is most likely insulin resistance in the brain caused by excessive sugar consumption, lack of exercise and — this is something scientists do not say — whatever it is that causes people to substitute sweets for what the rest of us consider to be the "sweetness" in life.

I feel I must go out on a limb with this a bit. Too many Alzheimer's patients have spent many years being isolated and lonely, have suffered the trauma of losing their spouse or significant other, have few if any hobbies, or otherwise feel like they have little to live for except watching endless amounts of TV with a bowl of ice cream or plate of cookies close at hand.

There is also sufficient evidence to suggest that early stage Type 3 Diabetes (and therefore most Alzheimer's Disease) can be easily reversed if caught soon enough with exercise, insulin and more moderate sugar consumption. Going for a walk three times a week is enough to make a big difference in someone who is excessively sedentary. Making it a rule never to eat sugar on an empty stomach or substituting more protein and fat and fewer carbohydrates can make a big difference right away regardless of the amount of exercise. And try arranging it so your loved one takes that walk and eats that meal with someone who loves them! That could make the biggest difference in quality of life for both the patient and all concerned.

Scientific articles:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769828/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22810099

Layman's articles:
http://dealingwithdiabetes.org/type-3-diabetes-attacks-your-brain/
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/25/bittman-is-alzheimers-type-3-diabetes/