from it.
Recently, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging
reported that it was able to “reverse” symptoms in nine of
ten patients with varying degrees of cognitive impairment,
including Alzheimer’s disease. The program was designed
to improve metabolic health: blood sugar and insulin levels
were reduced, and patients were told to eat “low-grain” diets
to spur ketone production.^32 At the same time, other factors
known to play a role in metabolic health, such as nutrient
deficiencies, sleep problems, and sedentary lifestyles, were
addressed. In total, thirty-six customized interventions were
“prescribed” to each subject, many of which are in line with
the recommendations made in this book.
At the end of six months, most patients reported
improvements in their ability to think and remember, which
their partners corroborated. Cognitive testing revealed an
improvement as well. The report stated that some who had
been unable to work due to the severity of their cognitive
decline were able to resume their jobs, and brain scans even
showed that one patient added new volume to the
vulnerable hippocampus–a growth of nearly 10 percent!
Does this mean that Alzheimer’s disease might be
“reversible”? While it’s tempting to draw big conclusions
from these few anecdotes, only a handful of patients in this
trial had actual Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, to answer
this question, larger controlled trials with more rigorous
scientific methodology would be needed. Nonetheless, this
“kitchen sink” approach has presented a new and worthy
angle from which to tackle cognitive impairment: as a
metabolic problem.