Diseases

Neurodegenerative Disorders

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What is a Neurodegenerative Disorder?

“Neuro” refers to the nervous system, which includes the brain and nerves that send and receive messages (in the form of electric signals) throughout the body. This includes receiving sensation (touch, smell, taste, sight, etc.), controlling muscle movement, speaking, thinking, and maintaining normal organ function (heartbeat, digestion, breathing, etc.). “Degenerative” means “breaking down” or “decaying.” So, a neurodegenerative disorder is a condition of the breakdown or progressive destruction of the body’s nervous system, especially the brain. Like most diseases, neurodegenerative disorders do not happen all at once; rather, the damage silently progresses unnoticed until about 80% of the brain is destroyed, at which point the person “suddenly gets” a neurological disorder – or in other words, the remaining part of the brain is no longer able to maintain semi-normal function (Olney; Blaylock; Rajda et al).

Why do different people get different disorders?

There are many different neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease), Multiple Sclerosis, and Huntington’s disease. These conditions have much in common – they are all diseases of degeneration of the brain and nervous system – but they differ somewhat in symptoms and disease progression. The cause of the damage (excitotoxins, trans fats, heavy metals, pesticides, or other toxins), the age at which the damage occurs (in utero, in childhood, or as an adult), the dosage of the toxin, and the frequency of exposure are some of the factors that determine the differences in the various disorders (Blaylock).

Brain First: Fed or Fried

When we eat, our digestive system absorbs the nutrients from our food and puts them into our blood. That nutrient-filled blood is first delivered to the brain, since the brain requires the most energy and nutrition of any organ in the body. This is good when we eat healthfully because it keeps our brain well-nourished. However, when we eat animal-based or processed foods, our blood carries the toxins and damaging substances directly to our brain. The foods we eat directly affect brain health.

Insulated Wiring

As mentioned above, our brain sends and receives messages through electric signals which travel through nerves (also called neurons). The brain is like a computer (except that it’s live intelligence instead of artificial intelligence), and the nerves are like the wires. The insulation (called myelin) on the nerve “wires” increases the speed, integrity, and clarity of the signal, allowing for controlled movement and clarity of thought. When the myelin is damaged (and not repaired through good nutrition), the nerve signals become slower and muddled (Poitelon et al). If the nerves are damaged throughout the body, we may begin to lose control of our muscles, including the muscles to move our limbs. If the nerves are damaged in our brain, we may lose control of our thought processes and memory, leading to dementia (see also excitotoxicity below).

The myelin sheath (insulation) is extremely important to maintaining precise control of the body, and good nutrition is essential to maintaining the myelin sheath. Eating meat, eggs, and/or dairy, as well as processed foods, is consistently correlated with development of dementia, including Alzheimer’s dementia. Whether it’s the pesticides or heavy metals that concentrate in animal-based foods; whether it’s the metabolic acidosis or the insulin “resistance”; or whether it’s the lack of antioxidants and vitamins – the specific cause don’t really matter. It’s probably a combination of things, but the fact is, good foods (whole plant foods) heal and preserve brain and nerve health, whereas unhealthy foods (animal products and processed foods) progressively damage brain and nerve health (Giem, et al; Barnard, et al; Barnard, et al; Morris, et al; Morris, et al).

Excited to Death: MSG and Aspartame

MSG (monosodium glutamate) and aspartame (an artificial sweetener) are common ingredients in processed foods, including fried and processed animal foods (especially fast food), to artificially enhance taste. Once again, the excessive pleasure of eating comes at the cost of the pleasures of health, because these artificial taste enhancers are excitotoxic in the body – meaning that they literally excite brain, heart, and other body cells to death (hence the name “excitotoxic”). The body is more prone to excitotoxic damage when energy metabolism is impaired (Ikonomidou et al), as with metabolic acidosis and insulin “resistance.” Like many diseases, the damage progresses unnoticed until about 80% of the brain is destroyed, at which point the person “suddenly gets” a neurological disorder – or in other words, the remaining part of the brain is no longer able to maintain semi-normal function (Olney; Blaylock; Rajda et al).

Store-bought flavorings, spices, and broths (including vegetable broths) almost invariably contain MSG, disguised in ingredients such as flavorings, natural flavoring, spices, any kind of broth, and any kind of hydrolyzed protein. Of particular concern is that MSG is a common ingredient in commercially-sold baby foods, because MSG excitotoxicity can cause developmental deficiencies in children (Blaylock). Extreme taste is not worth dulled intellect. Avoiding MSG and aspartame is another great reason to skip the processed foods (including fast foods and fried foods) and enjoy a diet of whole plant foods.

Research

Giem P, et al. The Incidence of Dementia and Intake of Animal Products: Preliminary Findings from the Adventist Health Study. Neuroepidemiology, 12(1): 28-36, 1993.

Barnard ND, et al. Dietary and Lifestyle Guidelines for the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease. Neurobiology of Aging, 35(2): S74-S78, Sep. 2014.

Barnard ND, et al. Saturated and Trans Fats and Dimentia: A Systematic Review. Neurobiology of Aging, 35(2): S65-S73, Sep. 2014.

Morris MC, et al. Dietary Fats and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer Disease. Archives of Neurology, 60: 194-200, 2003.

Morris MC, et al. Dietary Fat Composition and Dementia Risk. Neurobiology of Aging, 35(2): S59-S64, Sep. 2014.

Poitelon Y, et al. Myelin Fat Facts: An Overview of Lipids and Fatty Acid Metabolism. Cells, 9(4): 812, 27 Mar. 2020.

Olney JW. Excitotoxins in Foods. Neurotoxicology, 15(3): 535-44, Fall 1994.

Rajda C, et al. Excitotoxins, Mitochondrial and Redox Disturbances in Multiple Sclerosis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18(2): 353, 08 Feb. 2017.

Ikonomidou C, et al. Neurodegenerative Disorders: Clues from Glutamate and Energy Metabolism. Critical Reviews in Neurobiology, 10(2): 239-63, 1996.

Blaylock RL. Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, Health Press NA Inc., 1997.