Every 71 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association’s Facts and Figures. While over 5 million people in the United States are already living with the disease, it’s estimated that 10 million baby boomers will develop Alzheimer’s during their lifetime — and this number is expected to triple by 2050.
The prevalence has grown so much in recent years that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, even surpassing diabetes.
Aside from the devastating emotional toll this disease takes on those affected and their families, it also costs the United States more than $148 billion each year.
Doctor Bastomski’s comments:
Alzheimer’s is often in holistic circles called type III diabetes because chronically elevated blood sugar is a strong risk factor for developing it. A study published about two years ago showed that reducing your Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) – which represents your 3 month blood sugar average – to below 5 would lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s by 90%. Not an easy task to do – you really have to eliminate all added sugar from your diet – but the closer you get to 5 the lower your risk. Sad to say but the average American takes in 19.5 teaspoons of added sugar per day. This would include natural sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juice. Some soft drinks have as much as 11 teaspoons in 12 ounces. A leading brand of yogurt, for example, has 7 teaspoons (29 grams) of total sugars in a single serving, most of it added. Fruit juice has almost as much sugar in it as do soft drinks.
Read the nutritional labels and look to minimize the amount of total carbs in your daily diet to between 60 and 150 grams. On the lower side if you are looking to loose weight and on the higher side if you are exercising and want to stabilize your weight. Of note is that one can easily be taking in 300 plus grams per day on the standard American diet (SAD diet) of cereals, pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, waffles, pancakes, muffins, soft drinks, packaged snacks, sweets and desserts.
If you would like to discuss this further please email me or contact my office at 805-569-5000 to schedule an appointment.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jacob Bastomski
Dr. Jacob Bastomski, a board-certified chiropractic neurologist, has served the Santa Barbara area since 1981. As a Santa Barbara chiropractor, Dr. Bastomski seeks to improve health through functional neurology and clinical nutrition.
Please contact us anytime at (805) 569-5000 if you’re looking for a holistic approach to alleviate a chronic condition, especially if traditional medical approaches have failed. Dr. Bastomski’s Back to Health Wellness Center is located at 1900 State St. Suite H in Santa Barbara
