Alleluia Jane Brody! If I see/hear one more ridiculous Prevagen commercial featuring make-believe-consultants, yoga teachers, pseudo-artists, and other archetypes some brandoid at a pharma company dreamed up, I will indeed lose my mind! The marketing drivel went from fear-mongering to pandering at those of us who are in fact still working, sometimes losing sleep over a deadline, or not getting to something on an endless to-do list, without worrying about fake cognitive impairment remedies that have no scientific basis. Best to do all the things that are proven effective, even if sometimes harder: eat the right things, exercise as many days as possible to boost circulation, control weight, and relieve stress, and diversify your experiences so you have some opportunity to partake in at least 3-6 of the 9 types of intelligence, especially spatial, music, artistic, and linguistic. Need something pill-like but healthful to soothe you? Try grapes, blueberries, cherries, almonds. Not some idiotic “vitamin.”
2
I find it ironic that the NYT recipes for today include pound cake, ribs, and bacon. Stop, already.
1
The best thing of all for the ageing brain is the opposite of a supplement, it's a decrement. Quite simply, stop drinking alcohol.
PRL-8-53
Those idiotic commercials with people claiming that they’ve been taking P… for years and years, and “I can tell it’s still helping me,” make me want to throw something at the TV. I usually yell at the screen that the supplement isn’t helping with their reasoning or logic. What these potions do is separate the desperate from their hard-earned cash.
One thing I didn't see this article address is learning a language. I'm working on one through Duolingo, which is free.
I'm also diabetic already and the advice to eat whole grains and beans isn't a license to eat many of them. I can only eat one or two slices of whole grain bread a day. My diet pretty much needs to be low carb now.
4
It’s not just supplements: nothing has been proven to reduce dementia, because it’s hard to measure (and define). Only measurable things, like computer games, are provable, but they’re often not meaningful.
So why recommend diet and claim that sugar is toxic to the brain? Certainly there are connections between cardiovascular health and stroke but there’s nothing toxic to the brain about ordinary sugar. A good diet might be good advice, but not for these reasons.
The proven prophylactics are exercise and treating sleep apnea.
5
It's remarkable how many people believe a Mediterranean diet is "healthy." Oil, while offering some benefits, is absolutely terrible for the arteries. Dairy causes cancer. Try a whole foods plant based diet a la Dr. McDougal. Give up the meat, dairy, and oil for one month and you will feel like a new person.
3
Sigh.
What TYPE of oil matters. A lot.
I'm happy to see an article addressing the onslaught of ads for magic pills. Expensive magic pills.
And your diet is your biggest friend - or enemy. And whether you move that body.
A skeptic, but even I take a couple of supplements ( Vit B12, magnesium and D3) and at one time took an iron supplement, for very specific reasons.
And I don't "believe" that whole fat dairy products are an absolute evil. And suspect that eating good fish oils - from the fish you eat for protein as well - is great.
We do need more comprehensive testing and factual labeling.
One of the reasons that 1994 law got passed is that consumers feared that a government which had NOT done extensive dietary research - - the same one that still backs sugar subsidies - - was going to eliminate all customer choice.
Now with supplements a billion dollar industry ( brain supplements alone), the industry wields monetary power.
Even the Alzheimer’s Association sacrificed its reputation by pushing for approval of the BIOGEN drug aducanumab - approved by the FDA against recommendations of its review board.
1
supplement manufacturers do not have to test their products for effectiveness or safety. Lacking sound scientific backing, most are promoted by testimonials that appeal to people worried about developing dementia.
There is a word for a perceived healing from useless products or therapies .....the placebo effect
4
Tell that to the parade of women at the nearby naturopath (naturopathic dr) clinic who drop by for their B12 injections.
I was there just for a first time consult, with an expected out of pocket expense of $1,000 for the baseline protocol. As I stood in the tiny waiting room, I witnessed middle aged women coming in and out, some seemingly just off the yoga mat or hiking trail. They were toned and healthy looking. "Here for my B12 shot," they each said, as I looked on, curious.
"Can I move my appointment?" asked a mom, her teen daughter in tow, "We'll be in Italy next week."
I felt like I had stumbled upon the secret to their cognitive fountain of youth. Does it work? No idea. But this naturopathic clinic is not cheap and these ladies from a tony Silicon Valley town, can afford to take that chance.
3
@SV Mom Just being able to throw money away like that makes you feel better.
While I, in general fully agree with these conclusions, the article seems to ignore the role that genetics plays in these disorders. Discounting anecdotal testimonials is crucial to understanding treatment efficacy and safety. This does not mean that some of these supplements wont work only that they are untested.
2
Lion’s Mane. there is some very promising research about this fungi.
7
Has anyone looked into Rhodiola Rosea supplements as an effective maintainer of cognitive function. In my early 50s I began to experience the common difficulty of finding a word that felt as if it was on the tip of my tongue. I happened to read an article about Rhodiola Rosea at that time. It is an herb that has been used by Russian athletes and military for generations to restore both mental and physical function. The information I found online reported no known negative side effects. I began taking the supplement at that time. After about 2 weeks I noticed less difficulty finding words. I have taken Rhodiola Rosea for about 15 years now, and continue to have little difficulty finding words.
7
Common sense rules the day. My doctor told me to stop taking vitamins because they are not proven to be useful if one eats a good diet, which I mostly do. I take only supplements that my doctor recommends based on lab tests. My brain is just fine in my 70s.
3
I swear by PS 100 and Magnesuim Theronate and I can attest that these 2 supplements have dramatically improved my recall and memory. I am a real skeptic and I've done a lot of research. I know these 2 nutrients have worked for me. The problem is they are a bit expensive but I've given up other indulgences so I can take them every day.
I also follow a Mediterranean diet and I exercise religiously but when I found my recall starting to slow I knew I had to do something more. These 2 help! I am 63 and teach full time at a high school AND teach yoga 3 times a week.
1
@randy sue
I am so glad you feel better, and I don't know of any harm from your supplements (except that since supplements aren't FDA regulated, or carefully regulated by anyone, really, you can't know content of what you are taking--one nice study found wildly inaccurate dosing, contamination, and substitution with hamster food in a astonishingly high percentage of supplements sold through large legitimate outlets). However, testimonials such as yours, however heartfelt, mean zero as scientific evidence. I can cite glowing health testimonials for all kinds of nonsense, including animal sacrifice. I hope you proselytize for your exemplary diet and exercise habits , which have a large body of scientific consensus behind them, instead. Your lifestyle is inspiring.
11
You are of course welcome to believe in whatever you wish, but there’s no actual evidence that any of those pills do jack—other than introduce you to a whole long list of possible bad effects from the pills.
There’s a reason Dave Perlmitter figures prominently on Quackwatch.
I think people are paying attention to the wrong supplements. There is evidence that one component of the Mediterranean diet - EVOO - provides most of the benefit:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170621103123.htm
Caprylic acid (MCT oil) is converted into ketones in the liver. Ketones can provide an alternate source of fuel for the aging brain:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4937039/
A new supplement, nicotinamide riboside shows promise in slowing brain aging:
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/compound-repairs-neurological-damage-shows-cognitive-benefits-mouse-model-alzheimers-disease
Blueberries show some promise:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160314084821.htm
And everybody's favorite cocoa:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cocoa-sweet-treat-brain-201502057676
The research is out there. You just have to search for it.
3
@Craig Willison
thanks for the information.
It is amazing how important Flavinoids we can consume.
2
Cognitive decline as we age is maybe something a bit different than full-blown dementia or Alzheimer’s. Living a healthy lifestyle just makes you feel better anyway, but, as many commenters point out (and I have this personal experience too), thinking it can stave off serious diseases is deluded. But I did once have a doctor who did gerontological research tell me the one thing he recommends is a B-12 supplement. Digestion and stomach acid change as we age and some people (not everyone of course) do not absorb nutrients as well as they did in their youth. In some people, poor B-12 absorption is a contributor to dementia. You can get tested to see what your levels are, or you can just take a sublingual supplement (which is getting absorbed before it hits the stomach). Maybe that’s really not necessary for most people, but it just seems like a simple precaution that’s not too far-fetched.
8
Thinking a healthy lifestyle will help you prevent diseases is a delusion? I think you’re far behind the times.
Research shows there absolutely are very strong and measurable connections between lifestyle and disease prevention.
See nutritionfacts.org for those good studies.
4
@Kally That's a great comment. There is zip evidence that multivitamins improve health for anyone with a basically ok diet ( actually, ingestion of multivitamins in a large population based study increased death rate slightly, even when controlling for other health issues, but the difference probably wasn't significant.) But B12 is mighty harmless, and lots of people are at a small but significant risk for deficiency--vegans, people taking metformin for diabetes, people on long term acid suppressors for reflux,persons with Crohn's, the aging. Just don't spend money you don't have on expensive high dose "special" B12, and don't stress if you forget to take it for a few days/week--it's very efficiently recycled.
1
Agreed that most "brain health" supplements are snake oil, but Brody's description of the "Mediterranean diet" is a fiction invented by American nutritionists, circa 1990.
In cuisines of the real Mediterranean, they eat plenty of lamb, pork, ham, cheeses, yogurts, and full-fat dairy.
16
@The Pooch
Very true.
I think it's disingenuous to think that every component of the diet has equal weight in providing benefits. I'm betting that it's the olive oil that contributes most of the health benefits. Many of the components are unhealthy and most of the others are commonly eaten outside the Mediterranean.
3
@The Pooch
In the U.S. we seem to have a fixation with searching for the magic pill, the silver bullet, the next greatest super food. It's easy to translate this type of reasoning into a quest for the one true diet that trumps all other diets. Currently the Mediterranean diet(s) is the chosen one. The path leads both ways, so now we can easily go from the perfect diet back to the perfect ingredient, olive oil - about the only thing that sets these diets apart from other traditional diets. We also love to rationalize and take the easy way out: dress the standard American diet in olive oil and you're good to go. The same applies to omega-3, multivitamins, or whatever else the flavor of the day might be.
There are many healthful ways to eat, from Greece to Japan to Nigeria. They were almost all rather low in meat and dairy, at least by American standards. It is easy to see why this is true; abundant animal-based foods require intensive use of resources, not least of which are mechanization and chemical fertilizers.
Much has been written about the nutrition transition,
which is a well-documented phenomenon involving a decreased consumption of cereals and legumes and increased consumption of meat and sugar.
4
@childofsol
Whoops, you've switched from health to environmental sustainability for your low fat, grain-based diet justification. Move the goal posts, much?
It's laughable for you to claim that "there are many healthful ways to eat", when you have always recommended that everyone, everywhere should eat a low fat, grain-based diet.
Sounds like your finally admitting that sugar is a specific dietary problem, rather than "just calories" as you have claimed in previous posts.
2
From what I've observed of most TV commercials these days, and the tsunami of junk that flows in via my digital access, it's clear the rise of the 'Net has given a giant megaphone to the huckster community. They are everyone, hustling their game based on hitting you where you are fearful and concerned. Your health and your concerns about it being their principle target.
Would that you could turn them all off, but you can't so the next best thing is to ignore them as best as you can. Like all junk just show their hustle to the door and move along to the next thing.
John~
American Net'Zen
3
Go vegan. Remember that!
4
@Jane Velez-Mitchell As a 20 plus year vegan I'd say watch your B-12 intake.
3
Seems pretty clear that searches and guesses about the cause and prevention of Alzheimer's and the fear of anyone getting it are in parallel to the panic that ensued when people first started dying of AIDS. In the meantime, I am staying the course. This is like a search for the holy grail. But at the same time, in another article in today's Science Times is mention of Klotho which may or may not help people avoid Alzheimers. Now everyone can rush to try to get that (hint: not yet available).
1
Drop the fish oil. Not only is there little or no benefit, but scooping up million of tons of small fish will invariably disrupt a productive fishery.
12
@Maurie Beck We were told to eat more fish, not the fish oil. Good point.
2
@Maurie Beck
Interesting.
My understanding of the research suggest fish oil/omega 3 has multiple benefits for brain health and much more. Especially the Omega 3/6 ratio of our diets.
Wow these comments are just fantastic..
‘My mother was a sound sleeper and she lived to 81!’
‘My dad exercised 5 days a week and he got alzheimer’s at 68!’
7
@alex So sorry about your father. My mother was/is a very healthy person. Well read, traveled, studied, found great fulfillment, a ridiculously healthy diet. Dementia at 90, she's now 96. Her memory is only of the distant past, but she appreciates her present. As for your father, my take away is that no one can be completely safe.
4
@Jack M B Selway It's been more than two years, but I think Alex was being sarcastic.
Most research is spent studying disease and potential treatments.
Perhaps doing research on the normal organism’s maintenance processes that presumably keep out brains intact over decades would inform us of what might be useful to take and to avoid.
Of course, since people vary in their genetics, we would need to understand aspects that vary widely between different individuals.
1
I am so tired of these articles that promote "brain health"... like that will make sure you never develop dementia. Well, my husband did (at age 66 and in otherwise perfect health), despite exercise, a Mediterranean diet, lots of NYT crossword puzzles and computer games, avid reading, great sleep, a strong social circle, and no family history. No diet or exercise program -- or supplements -- can guarantee us "perfect" health. People are simply afraid of dementia, cancer, heart disease.... something, eventually, will kill us all. Live your life to the fullest now.
46
@Jane D I'm sorry to hear that your husband did everything right and still developed dementia. My father was diagnosed with probable Alzheimer's age 61.
On the other hand, it sounds like your husband has lived a wonderful life. I'm afraid of dementia so I appreciate your advice to live well now. Fortunately there is a lot of overlap between a healthy and enjoyable life.
14
Exercise regularly with a plan for it. Brain’s like regular exercise. Bingo!
5
Healthy smart people get dementia. What does "less likely to get dementia mean" anyway -- six months away from those already with the disease?
7
@Purple Spain It means over a population. So out of a 1000 people who follow a healthy lifestyle vs. another 1000 people who don't, which group has a higher incidence of the disease?
4
Dear Jane,
Despite what you have written many will find that again you strike at high fat foods. Grass fed beef and butter, eggs providing choline,
Mct oil all are good and great for the brain. Sugar, and grains are culprits. Leave these other healthy foods alone.
When you combine sugar/carbs with high fat foods they make a deadly combo, but when healthy fatty foods are eaten they do a body good. Just look at the thousands of people on the Whole30 diet, paleo and keto diets.
I realize you have to write something for the paper but let’s get updated on modern dietary trends. Avoiding fat is very old school.
27
@Mary. Right on. It’s time to stop with the “fat is bad” message. As you mention, it’s the source that is important.
6
@Mary
Nonsense. There’s nothing wrong with grains (whole). Or sugar—although in great moderation. Of course, add in a lot of green leafy vegetables and a modicum of meat, fish and cheeses. In short, a balanced diet your grandma would have approved of.
3
@Mary
In other words, junk foods are bad because carbs, but whole foods are good because fats. An all-too common argument in certain circles.
The illustration is puzzling: why is the person with the lump on her/his head shoving a stick up her/his nose?
5
I find it amusing that while Ms. Brody and Dr. Hellmuth are denigrating the concept of pills to decrease cognitive decline on page C5, the NYTimes is simultaneously celebrating the possibility on page C1 in “One Day There May Be a Drug to Turbocharge the Brain. Who Should Get It?”:
“Based on her 15 years of research, Dr. [Carmela] Abraham reasoned that raising [the hormone] Klotho levels in the brain might shield people from degenerative disorders of the brain. … “Our dream solution is that you take a pill a day, the way you take statins right now,” said Dr. Abraham. … What would happen if Dr. Abraham found her dream solution and invented a pill to raise Klotho levels in the brain? Perhaps people would respond like mice, gaining protection against disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.”
You can’t have it both ways… I guess if it comes from Big Pharma and you can get a rigged system to pay thousands of dollars for it, then it’s OK..?
13
Yes, the vast majority of supplements are junk, a waste. But be careful not to throw away the baby with the bathwater.
(I was reticent to comment on this, with the possibility of raising prices, but, heck, if anyone is smart enough to look up and read my cites, then they deserve the cognitive/dementia and CVD benefits…)
There IS, in fact, a supplement that has been scientifically PROVEN to slow or prevent cognitive decline in older people: cocoa flavanols (such as in Mars’ CocoaVia capsules).
What is the “gold standard” of medical drug evidence? Multiple randomized controlled trials with benefit demonstrated in a dose-dependent fashion.
So—emphatically—google “PMID 22892813” & “PMID 25733639”. (Plus PMID 27163823)
How does it work?
Just as cocoa flavanols provide better arterial dilation and endothelial health in the body (e.g. https://vimeo.com/138675927, PMID 26076934, 22301923, etc.), they also provide better blood flow and oxygenation in the brain.
See in particular PMID 25344629, 16794461 and 25344629, but also 18728792, 26047963, 27088635 & 30413065.
Also PMID 30513729, 30060538, & 29502273.
How much more evidence do you require, Ms. Brody & Dr. Hellmuth?
Note that other flavanoid supplements likely perform similarly. (PMID 29892788, 21982844, and a whole lot more cites…)
Wouldn’t it be great if in five years there would be a whole shelf-full of cheap, quality, competing flavanoid supplements for consumers to choose from for extended lives of full cognition?
5
@SRP, I’d much rather eat two squares of 72% dark chocolate for dessert after an avocado salmon salad every day than take a cocoa pill and a fish oil pill every day. I get my caffeine from a cup of coffee in the morning and enjoy a glass of wine in the evening. I am a happy camper, and that counts for something too, I imagine.
23
@Ann -
Congrats, you are on your way!
Just be sure that quantitatively there are enough mg of flavanols in your dark chocolate. While the epidemiological data is indeed in dark chocolate consumption, those cognitive RCTs used the cocoa flavanol supplement.
P.S. You can drop the commercial fish oil capsules. Multiple long term, hard-outcome Randomized Controlled Trials have proven them to be totally worthless for CVD or cognitive protection.
4
@Ann
You will live a long and happy life with that diet—and that attitude! Keep it up.
3
I am now living in Guanajuato, México after
decades in Manhattan. Just saw a chorus
of 25 90 year olds singing gloriously and
looking fantastic. I asked a few their secrets.
We are happy and we don't worry about the
future. Who has time to worry.
16
Unfortunately, I think that brain health, like so many other things, is more a question of genetics than lifestyle. My mother lived to be 89 with a brain as sharp as a tack, but a body impaired by severe COPD, the result of a lifetime of smoking. She ate fried foods, was overwieght and rarely exercised. My in-laws lived to ages 78 and 80, with my FIL dying of Lewy Body Disease, a Parkinsonism hallmarked by dementia. He also had lymphoma and extremely high blood pressure. The in-laws didn’t smoke and were always slim and trim due to diet and exercise. According to 23 and Me, neither my husband nor I have the indicators for dementia, but my guess is that if anyone lives long enough, they too will become demented. They may be 101 when it happens, but it will happen.
10
Surprised Ms Brody did not include Prevagen in the list of expensive and useless supplements being touted by the maker as producing a "healthier brain, better life" with a saturation ad campaign that is hard to miss on broadcast and cable shows. The main ingredient, apoaequorin, is a protein "first found in jellyfish" which was "clinically proven" to improved performance on memory testing in normal individuals. In reality, their study actually failed to show a statistically significant improvement in the treatment group over the placebo group on any of the nine computerized cognitive tasks. The FDA is forbidden from regulating supplements and only the Federal Trade Commission stands in the way of such scams since it regulates false advertising. The Prevagen company is being sued for making false claims about their product which will hopefully result not only in substantial fines but also require refunds to people who have spent $33 to $60 a month on yet another scam.
15
Yes, I agree that a good diet, exercise and sleep are the best ways to stay healthy for a lifetime. However, I cannot share your dismissive attitude on supplements. Here is why:
Thirty (30) years ago, I, out of sheer desperation, and after 25 years of having migraine headaches every 3 weeks, picked up a multiple vitamin. I had never taken supplements before and I just picked up what I thought was a generic kind of formula. IT COMPLETELY CHANGED MY LIFE. No headaches! After that, I was a believer. I would never let myself run out and took it for years until I could no longer get it at the store. A vitamin shop owner helped me isolate the ingredient that cured me. It was fatty acids derived from black currant oil. I took that for several years until I realized that fatty acids in fish oil, good for other aches and pains, could substitute for the currant oil. End result, my very first encounter with a supplement was absolutely MAGIC. That allowed me to seek out a few more things that also worked. CoQ10 completely stopped the heart palpitations I had had for years. Bottom line, at 70, I take no medicine and just 4 supplements and I encourage everyone to try it for some problem you may have, but do your research and be cautious and no mega doses!
So, to those who say, supplements are expensive urine, I say HUMBUG.
39
@Blanche White Agreed, similar results here. Readers can check out natural scientific studies at GreenMedInfo dot com while we all wait for this paper to cover more than drugs/shots/western diet & exercise & sleep. There are thousands of scientific studies to back up supplementation, just look for the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) on the bottle. Why isn't it covered? Always, the same answer, money.
6
@Blanche White
There is not a single serious scientific study by any real medical organization that supports any supplements.
The most recent one last Fall debunked Vitamin D and Fish Oil with over 26,000 study participants followed over 10 years.
There is a placebo effect - especially where it comes to pain - up to about 40% of individuals taking sugar pills see significant reduction in pain.
If it works for you - have fun with it - everyone should be aware that supplements can have deleterious effects on actual medicine or on health generally and are largely unregulated.
9
@SteveRR
Thank you for your comment. I am a down- to- earth, regular, no frills kind of person and can say without equivocation or reservation that my life would have been totally different if I could have found that supplement at age 16.
The supplement industry should be tested for quality assurance and, of course, prevented from making outrageous claims. But I am very glad they exist and to any medical organization that wants to tell me that supplements are bogus and positive results are only placebo effects, I would say that I am glad I can think for myself.
I only take a few supplements but I would not want to be without them and I encourage everyone to do the same if they have a need.
P.S. The CoQ10 research has been extensive and the results have been very positive ! I have taken it since 1994 when I accidentally discovered it when I was desperate for a cure for Meniere's disease. It didn't help the Meniere's but it stopped my palpitations. I'll keep it !
7
This article correctly states that no supplement "prevents cognitive decline or dementia," but this assumes (not explicitly stated) that the pathologic substrate of cognitive decline/dementia is degenerative, e.g., Alzheimer's disease.
But there's now clear evidence that some supplements, e.g., omega 3s (from flax, fish, borage), which also are abundant in the "Mediterranean diet," ameliorate some cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., lower 'bad cholesterol,' raise 'good cholesterol') and therefore mitigate one CAUSE of cognitive decline/dementia (there are many causes). There's also lots of evidence that a high carbohydrate diet (grains, beans, rice) worsens some risk factors, e.g., 'bad cholesterol' and promotes obesity.
While some of Ms. Brody's advice certainly is cogent and worthwhile, and no surprise (exercise, sleep; sugar? Duh. A well-established systemic poison, including sugars abundant in ALL fruit juices.) noteworthy is that her "Good Food" cookbook promotes a high carbohydrate diet.
Her comment about non-regulation of the supplement industry is nonetheless important. Most (ginkgo, CoQ), not all, supplements indeed are snake oil, whatever the associated claim.
3
@Allen B Please educate yourself to the science behind natural products. GreenMedInfo dot com. Look for the USP (United States Pharmacopeia ) symbol on supplements--that's regulation. Pharma is angry that natural heath is cutting into their business model, which by the way has a dismal and deadly record, so they work to discredit.
2
Does coenzyme Q10 protect muscles from side effects of statins?
3
@Kevin Cahill Yes, this is well-known. See heart specialist Dr. Stephen Sinatra.
7
I'm particularly gullible, that's why I take Gulliblex twice a day!
21
@Chicago Guy
Latest research recommends 4x a day. While standing on your head. They are also good for your pets. Buy lots more.
4
I have doubled down on my daily dose of Sarcasma. What a remarkable improvement in my mental health!!
Brain Booster in a Bottle?
Sure, as long as it’s a 750-milliliter bottle!
In the same type of studies cited by Ms. Brody for vegetables, large-scale, long-term observational studies consistently show that regular light or moderate ALCOHOL consumption dramatically lowers cognitive impairment in older age.
In the Whitehall II Study, middle-aged people followed for 23 years indicated that long term abstinence was associated with a 74% higher risk of dementia compared with long term consumption of 1 to14 alcoholic drinks per week. Google “PMID 30068508”.
In the American Cardiovascular Health Study, the adjusted odds for dementia for those whose weekly alcohol consumption was 1 to 13 drinks was reduced 55% to 30% compared to those who abstained. Google “PMID 12636463”.
In the Rotterdam Study, 1 to 3 drinks per day reduced all-cause dementia by 42% compared to no drinking. Google “PMID 11830193”.
(And what in the Mediterranean diet is it that you think preserves cognitive function?)
For a meta-analysis of different studies, google “PMID 19494429”.
How does it work? See, e.g. PMID 19056649, 28740085, 15304383, 27184039 & 29325150.
These dementia reduction numbers are HUGE.
Don’t use these bottles and your risk of dementia goes up around 50%!
So there actually IS something you can take to dramatically lower your risk of cognitive decline!
A votre sante!
14
@SRP Besides which, wine tastes good.
1
Trump doesn't touch alcohol and look at him. Case closed!
21
@sleepdoc
No, no it doesn't.
There is some anecdotal evidence that stopping watching FOX News and listening to similar conservative propaganda radio shows can improve cognitive functioning. Cf., the documentary, “The Brainwashing of My Dad” (2016).
107
@Skip Bonbright -
Actually, the phenomenon is what statisticians call "reverse causation"...
2
@Skip Bonbright
Doesn't sound like there is anything wrong with your brain.
Best laugh I've had all day. Thanks!
2
Yes good ideas but there is work to show certain supplements may be important. See letswakeupfolks.blogspot.com-mental decline and what to do for it to see the latest ideas on helping prevent decline.
2
The best brain booster is picking brainy parents.
28
The writer should look into Dr Dale Bredesen of UCLA. He has developed a lengthy Protocol that his research indicates is very successful.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4221920/
6
My father was an Olympic gymnast and a non smoker. Exercised every day. Got Alzheimer's at 70. quit blaming people for a genetic disease.
18
@me, I have to agree with you. So much is genetic and environment. My father never exercised (he wasn't heavy either in middle or late age, just not thin), ate meat and potatoes and desert for dinner. He didn't suffer with Alzheimer's till he was past 90 years old. He was the oldest of 5 siblings and outlived them. So who knows?
9
@me no one’s assigning blame, but I’m very happy you were able to let everyone know your dad was an Olympian. Congratulations.
Anyway, there are ways for everyone to reduce their risk of cognitive decline.
2
@me
Anecdotal. Sorry, but not helpful. Hey, I know a lady who smoked heavily for 60 plus years. Lived dementia-free until 93. Genes? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean you should tell your kids smoking’s not bad for you. It’s ALWAYS a combo of genes and environment.
5
Wow! The article omits the biggest brain enemy: alcohol.
The effect of coffee is also debatable for, as a drug, one builds resistance and needs more and more just to feel normal.
I have no idea who runs the health section of the NYT but the articles keep disappointing on a steady basis.
8
@Alexgri Uh, please see SRPs comment above. Everything in moderation. And, oh, while it is true that tolerance to caffeine occurs, has it occurred to you that it might also happen with supplements?
@Alexgri
The dosis does it!
Anecdotal evidence:
Every single person over eighty and over ninety among my acquaintances and family, who is still of sound mind, drinks a little bit of coffee and alcohol every day.
6
@Alexgri
Alcohol is still up in the air.
Coffee? Seriously? There are many good solid studies showing great benefits. Folks, don’t quit your coffee.
7
really ?
cn
cheese and butter are toxic for the brain ?
10
I don’t get why people, in the year 2019, continue to separate the brain and body. If you make that false dichotomy, then you’ll be surprised that the things that are beneficial to one are also beneficial to the other. If you see them as one, you won’t.
14
So writing sarcastic, inane comments to these articles on my iPad is helping my 82 year old brain. Who knew?
34
Interesting article, but as usual, the Times can't help but throw mud at the entire supplement industry in the process.
Review the last 50 articles published on the Times on supplements or functional beverages and let me know how many are neative in tone.
5
Old proverb:
Eat healthy, exercise regularly, die anyway.
20
Chinese eat plenty of white rice. Many eat it with every meal.
8
With respect, I must say that what's missing here is all the newest thinking on low-carb, keto, and carnivore. See dementia-prevention discussions by Harvard-trained psychiatrist Georgia Ede, MD, for example. I also wish there were more emphasis in this article on exercise, which is the only high-value sure thing right now while the old and suspect nutrition science hobbled by the diet-heart anti-fat anti-meat hypothesis corrects itself. Sad that a great newspaper like the NYT seems to be largely missing a movement that started with Gary Taubes' article in its Sunday magazine.
10
Can't forget Gary Taubes, the Elon Musk of nutrition. Or is that Steve Jobs?
2
@Lorem Ipsum
Taubes was right about some things, and wrong about other things.
But he has provided more useful and effective nutritional advice than mainstream doctors and dietitians.
It is thanks to Taubes that we can finally put the "low fat diet" behind us.
1
@Fritz Ziegler
Georgia Ede appears to have no expertise in the field of dementia prevention or treatment. She does however, provide a "more meat is better" narrative on her website, which there is no evidence to support.
Gary Taubes is an extremely biased individual who calls himself an objective seeker of the truth. He still believes that carbohydrate calories are more fattening than protein or fat calories, with no evidence for the claim and much to the contrary. Furthermore, he has encouraged a widespread distrust of scientific research, with an attendant pursuit of "alternative" answers which have no basis in reality. One wonders how history will view Gary Taubes. It's not as if people were unaware that junk food was bad before he wrote his big book.
1
Always exercised, ate a decent version of the standard American diet (SAD) until my mother was diagnosed with dementia at 68 and my cholesterol, always good, crept up to 190. At 50, after doing a lot of reading, I adopted a plant based diet and experienced an immediate drop in cholesterol and weight and 6 years later have never felt so good. My doctor is thrilled, I supplement with B-12 tablets and an occasional algae based omega 3 pill. I will add, my reading led me to understand how my diet is not only good for me, for our fellow creatures and the earth. Could never go back to eating animals and animal products.
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@Stasia Edmonston
Cholesterol is a nutrient for brain membrane. Dr. Dale Bredesen of UCLA, a pioneer of Alzheimer's therapy, advises us to keep total cholesterol level above 150.
I have explained his research and protocol roughly in my comment in the beginning of the comment column. B-12 and omega-3 are important nutrient for the brain.
11
Wouldn't it be nice if our government scrutinized the claims of prescription drugs and their side effects, not to mention pricing? Prescription drugs taken in prescribed dosages are a major contributor to the third cause of death in the US due to medical error. Supplements have a stellar record. However, the hit pieces keep coming. If you are interested in avoiding/treating memory loss, Dr. Dale Bredesen has dedicated his life's work to it: "The End of Alzheimer's."
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@lechrist
True. And it is also true that prescription drugs save millions of lives every year. Try to keep some perspective.
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@T. Monk 100,000 lost every year to prescription drugs versus zero. Please listen to the drug ad disclaimers at the end of commercials. Prescription drugs may save some lives but nowhere near "millions" or even ten thousand. They mostly work to mitigate illness symptoms and keep the patient coming back for more in chronic and deadly illness for a lifetime versus going for a cure. Yeah, I worked in Big Pharma research for eight years and until I became ill myself, swallowed the false doctrine.
4
I notice that this article fails to mention the blend of L-acetyl-carnatine, alpha lipoic acid and biotin, otherwise known as Juvenon which was born in the UC Berkeley biochemistry lab. Nobody can prove causality, but as someone who lost both parents to dementia and Alzheimers, I am ultra-sensitive to this subject. I started taking this supplement religiously at age 64, already bothered by incipient senior moments. My personal anecdotal evidence shows that at age 69 these incidents have noticeably decreased in frequency. I also eat the great diet described here and exercise over-zealously, but to dismiss supplementation out of hand is foolish.
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@Chuck Burton Yes, your supplement combo works well for me, "anecdotally" as well. Plus, the whole package of diet, sunshine and exercise, of course.
7
There may be some chicken and egg effect on the study results. People who begin to have weak cognitive functions may be less willing to maintain interest in exercise or games.
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Try the website or podcast-
Nutrition Facts.org
Interesting, evidence based dietary information by an MD who culls the latest research to help make good decisions.
It’s the Consumer Reports of nutrition health.
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@nurse betty Excellent, also GreenMedInfo dot com for scientific studies already completed on all sorts of natural heath research.
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@nurse betty
Nutritionfacts.org is a vegan website with a scientific veneer. The studies they quote are usually quite selective!
4
“No known dietary supplement prevents cognitive decline or dementia,” Dr. Joanna Hellmuth stated emphatically in JAMA in January. As a long-time Alzheimer’s spouse with a wife in a memory care facility for four years, I’ve seen around 100 dementia patients pass through the locked doors. Patients, referred to as “residents”. from early 50’s up. The residents, mostly successful, educated men and woman, include runners, vegetarians, and supplement takers are all victims. Alzheimers and related dementias spare no one. Today, there are ways to test for DNA markers to determine if you have a higher potential for developing Alzheimer’s, including lumbar puncture and brain spec. I believe “23 and me” offers such testing. But why would most people want to know if they’re “high risk” since there’s nothing to be done to slow the progression once it’s taken hold. Without knowing if test subjects are predisposed to Alzheimer’s, how can any study be reliable? How can you test if a certain diet or supplement works without knowing the test subjects’ risk factors?
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Great article but be careful about recommending "low-fat" dairy--as that translates to low-fat yogurt in the minds of many, and it turns out most companies add sugar or sugar substitutes to plain low-fat yogurt. My husband has Type 2 diabetes and cardiac issues--and he writes cookbooks for people in the same situation, based on a low carb version of the Mediterranean diet. He has altered all his recipes to recommend full-fat yogurt instead of low-fat for this very reason.
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@Discerning1 This is true of many 'low fat' recipes. I think you just have to read the labels. For yogurt, this is especially challenging, particularly if, like me, you want to eat organic as well as low carb/little sugar. You can, however, find low fat yogurt with little sugar.
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@Discerning1
Indeed. It is my understanding you should eat full fat dairy only. That’s what the Europeans do. Just don’t eat a lot of it.
1
Absolutely love Jane Brody's health articles in the Times. Always so informative and with good and up-to-date information.
There is no longer any doubt that regular exercise - and it doesn't require one to run marathons - and a meatless diet can add vibrant years to one's life. And any exercise that is done on a regular basis is the best one to engage in.
It has to be a lifestyle choice, especially if 60 is the new 40. . . oh boy.
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@Len
Indeed. Exercise is critical. No question. I’d say meat-free is not necessarily good. I’d recommend occasional meat.
I will be 78 years old at the end of this week. If I have a secret, here it is: Mediterranean diet, 7 hours of sleep every night, walking two miles a day every day, an occasional glass of organic red wine, no red meat, no Mylar-packaged snacks, a piece of good dark chocolate once in a while.
I cook every day, care for my 81-year-old husband who is a stroke survivor. I read, use the computer daily, keep up with current events, especially politics. My mother lived to 90 1/2. I plan to beat that so I can see my grandkids start their adult lives.
One more thing: I have been fortunate to inherit good genes. I credit that to my Mediterranean heritage.
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@Cass Warning: Keeping up with current events, especially politics, these days, can take years OFF your life.
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@Cass, that sounds like a very good way to live !
Wishing you and your husband long and happy lives together.
I am trying to reduce my time spent on political news, though. :)
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@Karen Lee. Thanks for your good wishes. You may be on to something with consuming less political hot air!
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It seems that in the U.S. at least wherever there is an opportunity to make a fast buck a product or idea will arrive accompanied by huge marketing campaigns.The latest snake oil might well be something extracted from hemp called CBD. If it's effectiveness is just a placebo then it's any port in a storm. Except that we don't know the true and complete ingredients and the long term effects especially of ingesting it. None of that causes the farmers or retailers to pause.
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I love Costco. The company appears to treat its employees well. The employees have good benefits and the company has employee low turnover. Happy employees are committed to their employers and that serves everyone's interests. As a consumer, I'm pleased with the warehouse's prices, selection, services, and friendly staff. I wish, however, that it would not sell supplements that promise this, that, and the other. It is the only thing that disappoints me about the company. Customers trust Costco to do right by them, and these supplements betray that trust.
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What are the “mind body” exercises that were effective for the Chinese study participants? The linked article is just a summary that does not explain what these exercises are. How are they different from the “toning” exercises, that were shown to make lo difference?
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@Dorothy Heyl
I'll bet it's Qi gong, an ancient movement practice very much like Tai Chi. In China, Qi gong is prescribed for a wide array of ailments.
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@Dorothy Heyl https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/mind-body-exercise
Tai chi, yoga, qigong.
@NorCal Cazadora
Don't forget Zumba Gold. Learning new steps in the company of others is great fun and so good for body/brain.
This is the most simple and the best advice for brain health. People needs to realize that the most important thing to keep our brain healthy is to keep cerebral arteries open by healthy diet, exercise and sleep rather than taking unregulated supplements . I would add to keep learning new things or reading as long as our brains can absorb!
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@Mr. Earth Look for the USP symbol on supplements--United States Pharmacopeia--that's regulation and their record is stellar compared to prescribed prescription drugs in specific prescribed dosages, which are the main contributor to the third US cause of death., medical error, after heart and cancer.
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A Mediterranean-style diet is ideal for brain health. But low-fat dairy has never been part of a traditional Mediterranean diet. Milk spoiled easily in the warm Mediterranean climate, so it was turned into fermented whole dairy foods such as yogurt and cheese, which were eaten regularly but usually in moderation as an accompaniment to other foods.
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@foodluva
Right you are! The low-fat dairy recommendation has no basis in evidence. There may be good fats, like olive oil and fatty seafood and bad fats, mainly trans fats. But dairy fat(butter, creamer, whole milk) and non-burnt animal fat are neutral in their effect on health. Whole grains, 3-5 servings of fruit and veggies, less red meat, sugar and white flour are the pillars of a heart-healthy, brain-healthy diet. Olive oil, butter, and non-burnt animal fat make it taste better. End the low fat recommendation.
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Learning something new boosts your brain.
E.g. taking music lessons, learning a new language, learning a new card game, learn to juggle.
It is the “learning” that is important: once you master the skill, the “brain boost” effect is less effective. Be a lifelong learner. You just might find a new passion. I signed up for an art class at the local senior center. It has become all consuming, this week I plan (at home), to intensely study perspective.
An hour of drawing and an hour of watercolor pencils.
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@Mary M. Sure, I’ll just learn a new language! Why didn’t I think of that before? That’ll be easy!
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@alex
Not being easy is the point? Duolingo can be a steering point and it's free. Khan Academy lets you learn math for free in bite size lessons too.
@alex
Sure, you can study a language for free and online at your public library's website.
It might not be easy, but what worthwhile is?
1
Jane, you failed to state one of the most relevant effects of a good night’s sleep on preventing dementia, the removal of beta amyloid from the brain. We now know that the levels of beta amyloid rise during the day and drop at night during sleep, as our brain gets scrubbed of such toxins. Get 7-8 hours a night.
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My mother was a great sleeper. She’d be asleep the minute her head hit the pillow and would usually wake up 7 or 8 hours later. Died from Alzheimer’s at 81.
22
Dr Rudy Tanzi’s Alzheimer group was actively studying role of ancient herbs like brahmi and ashwagandha that boost cognitive aspects in middle aged and elderly.
Somehow the word hasn’t reached NYT health columnists. Or they are intentionally not interested, not unlike NYT bias against anything that is “not western”?
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@petey tonei
Unfortunately, like Dr. Oz Dr. Tanzi succumbed to the dollar sign! Using test tube results as basis for developing nutraceuticals is one of the most common schemes of medical quackery!
5
I'm 71 yrs. of age and have been 'keeping on top of my game' for years purchasing 'fixer uppers' and working on them. I keep them for a number of years, not buying and 'flippng' them, but creating an opportunity for someone to purchase a home they'll be proud to live in.
I re-do floors-putting in tile, 3/4 inch oak hardwood, getting rid of linoleum and cheap or used-up carpeting, etc.. I put-in pocket-doors to give cramped rooms more space. I believe you get where i'm going.
I know everyone can't afford this manner in which I am dealing with my 'aging out' of a life our culture provided over the years. Just know, we all 'age-in' and 'age-out' of life's experiences whether it's adolescence, mid-life crises, getting older, whatever.
But just remember, once you get 'up there in years' as they say, when you start to think hard and long about your getting old, don't leave out 'quality of life' when you imagine 'longevity'.
Like most things, you have to work at it. So, get curious, do some reading-and getting more than a viewpoint or two.
For 'health-matters' you can't go wrong checking out how The Mayo Clinic feels about things-and that's not the mayonnaise clinic I'm talking about-ha, ha!. Yeah, a good sense of humor helps as well.
Good luck!
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Good common sense presented here. Sadly, one of the places so-called brain boosters are pushed is On PBS. Especially during increasingly frequent and tiresome pledge drives, doctor after doctor trots out recommendations and supplements to boost your brain health and avoid dementia. Many of will gladly sell you the supplements. It is a shame PBS has been hijacked by these quacks.
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@Mark Siegel
This is exactly the reason, why I stopped contributing to PBS! How they could sign over their fund raising to this bunch of mountebanks beats me. What they do is worse than all the infomercials on commercial channels, since they purport to stick to higher morals.
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These dortors are not "quacks". They are using scientific evidences similar to conventional doctors justifying their medicines using scientific evidences. Science is not owned by conventional doctors.
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@Mark Siegel
Actors wearing white coats. They're not doctors.
8
Where is the evidence butter and ordinary red meat are “toxic to the brain”?
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@Jay Hyaler good question - because there are several studies that show real butter and meats (including the fat) are supportive of cognitive health (and several, even reported in the medically conservative NYT, studies showing this type of low carb high fat diet is beneficial for diabetes type 2 and diabetes type 3). Just as no Mediterranean Diet has low-fat dairy (where did that come from?) and it includes meat, fish, bone broths - all with beneficial essential fatty acids and saturated fats. And often accompanied by a nice glass of wine or ouzo.
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@Lucas Chandler. Agreed. We were just in Venice, and choose non-tourist restaurants to eat, along with many fine cicchettib bars. Meat and cheese were plentiful, along with tuna, sardines, tomatoes, olives and vegetables. Residents old and young were fit, including the very elderly, who walked with a bit of help from a cane or walking sticks. My fellow Americans and British tourists were not as fit, and I often saw them with sodas, chips and pastries.
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@Jay Hyaler plaque
3
Here's a sample of research out there on memory support. Of course, if it's a food or natural substance, it can't be patented or boost the revenue stream of drug companies.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190312103702.htm
3
The billions of dollars spent on supplements in hopes of warding off dementia is just one indication of how much we fear falling victim to this heartless disease.
Supplements are not regulated. A couple of years ago, the NYS Attorney General charged the producers of many supplements with falsified claims in terms of content and/or potency.
Until researchers can find the mechanism(s) leading us to lose our precious cognitive abilities, Ms. Brody's advice for healthy living can do no harm and may, in fact, help.
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@DG Those cases went no where because they were baseless, looking at animal instead of plant DNA. Look for the USP (United States Pharmacopeia) symbol on supplements, a sign or regulated purity. Also, Dr. Dale Bredesen already did what you suggested, his life's work is looking for Alzheimer's mechanisms, and he has found many answers which have been human tested, "The End of Akzheimer's."
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@lechrist
There are none so blind as those who will not see! You continue to mention Dr. Dale Bredesen's research and book, "The End of Alzheimer's" and it will largely fall on deaf ears here. Bredesen, a neurologist with stellar academic and research credentials has conducted the first ongoing program to prevent and reverse cognitive decline. Because Alzheimer's is a multifactorial disease, his approach is multifactorial.
Read no further, those of you to whom supplements are an anathema--he does recommend specific ones depending on the features present in individual patients.
To the fearless among you, who have a genuine interest in conceivably forestalling, or perchance reversing this scourge, give the book a try.
Many of us don't realize that our brain's function and health is directly dependent on the proper function and health of our blood vessels and blood supply. Thus, it's no surprise that what is good for our heart and circulation is also beneficial for cognition and overall brain health. So, take good care of your plumbing to keep that brain humming!
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Food grown on depleted soil? Take supplements.
5
@SW
The scientists must have missed that part. Could you tell them what nutrients that are missing and what studies you are referring to?
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@SW
According to the law of the minimum, plants will not grow if even one important soil mineral is missing. So any vegetables you buy must have taken up all the necessary nutrients, otherwise they would have never developed into anything that could be sold! Don't waste your hard earned money on useless supplements!
Not one isolated vitamin has shown any beneficial health effect on anyone who doesn't suffer from a well diagnosed metabolic disorder. The beneficial effect on the wallets of all the supplement peddlers on the other hand has been proven one hundred percent.
3
@derek
The scientists haven't missed this; at least not the soil scientists,
Check out the NHANES dietary surveys, paid for by your taxes. They find nutritional deficiencies are extremely prevalent in American diets and worsening with each survey.
Google zinc and dwarfism, then notice where it's most prevalent--the countries with the longest record of farming--which depletes the soil.
Soil depletion is a very real and concerning issue. Read up on permaculture--a way to rebuild soil.
8
From my own personal experience. No matter how many different form of supplements and pills one takes, when you combine it with unhealthy diet both physically and mentally, the combined result will ultimately be counterproductive. That is why a diet rich in healthy foods , daily exercise to our body and brain is the key to longevity and an overall healthy and robust life.
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@Jennifer G.
"No matter how many different form of supplements and pills one takes, when you combine it with unhealthy diet both physically and mentally, the combined result will ultimately be counterproductive."
This sounds reasonable, but unfortunately not scientific, according to the meta-analysis done by Dr. Bruce N. Ames, one of the leading scientists in our country, which is hyperlinked in my comment. People in poor diet or in poor absorption of nutrients need supplements. However your conclusion is right, though.
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@Wind Surfer
Dr. Ames like Dr. Linus Pauling were terrific scientists in their specialties. But unfortunately they went off the deep end, when they ventured into the hairy field of nutrition.
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@dm
This is the reason why we general public appreciate his trained insight in this field. Better than simpleton mainstream researcher saying supplements are useless.
2
In order to understand the necessity of vitamins and trace minerals, I advise sophisticated people like Jane Brody to read a research report written by Dr. Bruce N. Ames, famous for his 'triage theory'.
"Low micronutrient intake may accelerate the degenerative diseases of aging through allocation of scarce micronutrients by triage"
https://www.pnas.org/content/103/47/17589
Secondly I advise her that it is useless to consult with Alzheimer Association, particularly when she is interested in lifestyle changes for the prevention of Alzheimer's because their attitude is "Nothing prevents Alzheimer's, sorry, period"
The most proven approach in Alzheimer's treatment involving lifestyle changes has been done by Dr. Dale Bredesen of UCLA, who has recently published "Reversal of Cognitive Decline: 100 Patients".
https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/reversal-of-cognitive-decline-100-patients-2161-0460-1000450.pdf
For the prevention, the best approach is to take his 'cognoscopy tests', app. $2,000 lab tests, in order to find out possible causes of Alzheimer's , total 36 known causes out of 3 known groups such as (1) inflammation, (2) deficiencies of nutrients and hormones, (3) toxins from mercury, mold, lyme disease or oral diseases etc. Right now, his group of doctors have been treating over 3,000 patients, and so far they have noticed increasing trend of patients suffering from toxins, though patients usually carry 10-15 causes.
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@Wind Surfer
Careful not to rely too much on one person’s report no matter who wrote it even if it is a “proven” approach.
3
@Linda
Obviously you have not read the research I referred. Doctors belong to 16 medical institutions have written jointly with Dr. Bredesen:
1
Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2
Sharlin Health and Neurology/Functional Medicine, Ozark, MO, USA
3
NeuroHub, Sydney, Australia
4
Youngberg Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, Temecula, CA, USA
5
Resilient Health, Austin, TX, USA
6
Carolina Healthspan Institute, Charlotte, NC, USA
7
Rezilir Health, Hollywood, FL, USA
8
Integrative Functional Medicine, San Rafael, CA, USA
9
GW Center for Integrative Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
10Coastal Integrative Medicine, Jacksonville, NC, USA
11Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
12Amos Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
13Center for Functional Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
14Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA
15Lawrence Health and Wellness, Toccoa, GA, USA
16Brain and Behavior Clinic, Boulder, CO, USA
6
Jane Brody has produced yet another anti-supplement, pro-FDA piece.
There are literally thousands of research studies addressing the efficacy and health benefits of hawthorn, arjuna, reishi, turmeric, resveratrol, quercetin, boswellia, astaxanthin, apigenin and a myriad of others, which in many cases have been used for millennia in Chinese and Indian medicine for memory, heart health and general well-being.
To dismiss all supplements as fake cures and useless is simply wrong and unconscionable.
FDA-approved drugs such as opioids, benzodiazepines and amphetamines cause exponentially more harm, including hospitalizations, deaths and addictions, than any widely available supplement. Yet the NYT never fails in its quest to undermine supplement use and support a politicized and dysfunctional FDA review process for supplements as the "solution" to the "supplement problem."
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@Joan
The NYT has run many articles warning about the dangers - including increasing risk of dementia - of many drugs.
There is no clear evidence out there that any one supplement or specific combination prevents Alzheimer's Disease or other dementias, or slows the decline of those with it. Some substances look promising, but most are at most at "this needs further research" phase.
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@Joan
You have succumbed to two of the most common scientific fallacies:
- Because FDA approved medications can cause harm, therefore supplements are at least harmless.
- Since substances have been used for millennia in some cultures, they are proven to be effective.
For thousands of years doctors have bled patients to death and poisoned them with heavy metals or poisonous herbs!
Jane Brody at least tries to warn of useless remedies sometimes peddled by highly credentialed quacks!
Why hasn't the American Medical Association disciplined some of their members?
And the admittedly dysfunctional and politicized FDA is not even allowed to control supplements!
22
@Joan If only the news side could take a look at the facts of all "healthcare" then we could see much broader and accurate coverage which would be immensely beneficial to readers. GreenMedInfo dot com is helpful to see the science side of supplements. This pushing of drugs and shots as cure-alls along with western diet and exercise is short-sighted and not helpful.
5