While politicians and so-called healthcare “experts” debate whether or not a fourth Covid vaccine is needed, a real epidemic is sweeping across the globe.
I’m talking about the chronic inflammation that leads to diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Unlike acute inflammation, where your body responds to a specific injury, chronic inflammation is more subtle, creeping up on you over a period of years. And it will continue unless you stop it.
New research by Tufts University confirms what I’ve been saying for decades… There’s a natural solution to chronic inflammation — especially the inflammation that leads to Alzheimer’s.
More on this in a moment. First let’s look at the connection between inflammation, your immune system, and your brain…
Breakthrough research confirms that amyloid plaques are caused by a breakdown of the immune system, triggered by widespread inflamm-aging.
Amyloid plaques prevent neurons from working properly. When your brain is inflamed and your immune system can no longer clear away these rogue proteins, they cluster together and gum up the signaling networks between your neurons.
Eventually, it leads to memory loss and confusion.
At the same time, inflammation squeezes the blood vessels in your brain, restricting oxygen supply, causing cell damage, loss of brain tissue, and cell death.
In a recent clinical trial, Tufts University researchers followed a group of adults with chronic inflammation. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either EPA or DHA supplements twice a day.1
After 34 weeks, the researchers discovered:
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- DHA lowered the genetic expression of four types of pro-inflammatory proteins
- DHA lowered white blood cell secretion of three types of pro-inflammatory proteins
- DHA also reduced levels of a specific anti-inflammatory protein
To reduce the inflammation that causes premature aging, you need between 600 mg and 1,000 mg of DHA daily. It’s impossible to get what you need from our food today. So, you’ll need to supplement.
But as you may know, most fish oils don’t have nearly enough DHA. I recommend getting DHA from krill. These shrimp-like animals don’t live long enough to absorb large amounts of toxins — so they don’t get contaminated. And their omega-3s are stored in phospholipid form instead of triglyceride. This helps it pass through cell membranes better.
And combine your krill with calamari oil. Calamari, or squid, has one of the highest concentrations of DHA of any food. But be sure your oil comes from squid that lives in the pure water off the South American coast.
Conquer inflammation to beat Alzheimer’s
You won’t hear this from your doctor — but there are several tried and tested ways to reduce inflamm-aging, restore your body’s immunomodulation powers, and dramatically reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
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- Change your diet: Today, almost everyone on the planet is inflamed, thanks to a modern diet packed with inflammatory ingredients like refined sugar, grains, and cheap vegetable oils. I recommend that my patients limit carbs to 5% to 10% of daily calories. The easiest way to start is by avoiding all processed foods. Also avoid grains, rice, pasta, beans and legumes, and starchy vegetables. Fats should make up the bulk of your calories. But they have to be the right kinds of fat. Strictly avoid trans fats and vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, safflower, soy, and canola. Instead, choose fats like olive oil, cheese, coconut oil, avocado, butter, and heavy cream. Choose grass-fed meats, pastured eggs, and wild-caught fish. Factory farmed meats and farm-raised fish are full of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids.
- Supplement with curcumin. This spice is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatories out there. It works by knocking out the body’s inflammatory “command center.” Your body has a “switch” that activates more than 400 pro-inflammatory genes. It’s a molecule called nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB). This molecule controls nearly 98% of all diseases. But it can’t stand up to curcumin. Studies show curcumin deactivates NF-kB.
- Soothe inflammation with stem cell therapy. Stem cell therapy has been shown in multiple studies to have an impressive ability to soothe inflammation.2 Especially mesenchymal stem cells… which have special immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Unfortunately, you lose stem cell activity as you age. Some stem cells die — but others fall into a state of stem cell senescence, a kind of cellular deep sleep. Stem cell therapy can reawaken these senescent cells, helping to keep your body free from the dangers of inflamm-aging. Knocking out inflammation with stem cells has been done for more than a decade, and treating Alzheimer’s itself with stem cell therapy is widespread practice outside the U.S. — for example, in Germany, Peru, India, and China.
If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine call 561-784-7852.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. So J, et al. “EPA and DHA differentially modulate monocyte inflammatory response in subjects with chronic inflammation in part via plasma specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study.” Atherosclerosis. 2021 Jan;316:90-98.
2. Wang LT, et al. “Advances in mesenchymal stem cell therapy for immune and inflammatory diseases: Use of cell-free products and human pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells.” Stem Cells Transl Med. 2021 Sep;10(9):1288-1303.