My aunt has dimentia, could this be related to eating meat?!


Question: My aunt has dimentia, could this be related to eating meat?
I know that meat consumption is linked to many illnesses and diseases including obesity and cancer and I was wondering if dimentia was one of these illnesses that could be linked to possibly drinking milk even?

Answers:

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Grant -
Improper consumption of anything can lead to all the symptoms and diseases you mention.
I can't just let you make the blanket statement that eating meat causes obesity and cancer. It is inaccurate.
Researchers are working on a link between dementia and aluminum in a persons diet and environment. I personally question the safety of putting aluminum dichloride in our armpits everyday (main ingredient in most antiperspirants). Right next to the lymph glands
They really don't know what causes dementia some thinking it may even be genetic.



Not really, it's the inefficient intake of long chain omega 3 fatty acids called DHA in the diet which seem to have an effect on plaque formation which is linked to dementia and Alzheimer's. You can have low DHA on any diet if you don't eat properly but it is most common among people who don't eat oily fishes.

As well as DHA, curcumin appears to help prevent plaque formation. This is a chemical in the curry spice turmeric which is also thought to protect against cancer because it is a good antioxidant. However there are people with certain genes who do not benefit as much from omega 3 in terms of dementia prevention, and while there could be yet other causes it is possible your aunt didn't consume enough DHA or she has this particular genotype.

EDIT: just for fun here is a couple of links to scientific research describing how meat consumption can cause cancer.

"Up to 80 % of breast, bowel and prostate cancers are attributed to dietary practices, and international comparisons show strong positive associations with meat consumption."
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/dis…

In a study of half a million Americans, "Red and processed meat intakes were associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality."
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content…

These describe the known carcinogenic mechanisms in meats:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/n006…
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.10…
http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/11/…

http://www.plefa.com/article/S0952-3278%…
http://www.neurobiologyofaging.org/artic…



PRESERVATIVES added to cured meats, bacon and ground beef have been linked to dementia diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Scientists say sodium nitrite, which is added to meat and fish to destroy toxins, reacts with proteins in the meat, damaging human DNA cells similar to aging.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles…

The Incidence of Dementia and Intake of Animal Products: Preliminary Findings from the Adventist Health Study: http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/pro…

Senile Dementia and Meat Eating:
http://www.gregcaton.com/lumen/demen.htm



Latest work in Archives of Neurology shows sticking to a diet rich in nuts, and vegetables significantly cuts the chance of developing Alzheimer's.

A "Mediterranean diet" containing plenty of fresh produce and less high-fat dairy and red meat has long been thought to improve general health.

Experts believe it is a combination of nutrients in foods that is important.

But they stressed that diet was not the sole cause or solution where dementia is concerned.

Good combinations

Dr Yian Gu and colleagues at Columbia University Medical Centre in the US studied the diets of 2,148 retirement-age adults living in New York.

Over the four years of the study, 253 of these older adults developed Alzheimer's disease.

When the researchers scrutinised the diets of all of the individuals in the study, a pattern emerged.

Adults whose diets included more salad dressing, nuts, fruits and green leafy vegetables, and less high-fat dairy, red meat and butter, were far less likely to develop dementia.

But it is the varying levels of specific nutrients that these food combinations offer that is important, say the researchers.

Diets rich in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, vitamin E and folate but low in saturated fat and vitamin B12 appear to be best.

Experts have long suspected that nutrients might modify dementia risk.

Folate reduces circulating levels of the blood amino acid homocysteine which has been linked to Alzheimer's.

Similarly, vitamin E might be protective via its strong antioxidant effect, while monosaturated and saturated fatty acids could increase dementia risk by encouraging blood clot formation, say the researchers.

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: "Understanding the connection between diet and dementia risk may help prevent the development of diseases like Alzheimer's for some people.

"Adapting our lifestyles as we get older - by exercising regularly, watching what we eat and maintaining an active social life - can reduce dementia risk.

"Unfortunately, no diet or lifestyle factor can eliminate dementia risk entirely."

With 35 million people worldwide living with dementia, she said it was important to focus efforts on research to develop new treatments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8615456.stm



I think it is unlikely that the dementia is linked to meat, it really could be linked to anything.
I would consult the doctor and trust him or her more than random people on yahoo answers



I wouldn't jump to any conclusions. Let her doctors judge what made her get sick.



Actually meat eating is NOT scientifically related to obesity or cancer. Shocking, huh? A lack of vitamin B12 is linked to dementia though. And B12 is only found in foods from animals. What does that tell us?

"Vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms, like those of many other treatable health conditions, can be virtually identical to age dementia symptoms, senile dementia symptoms and Alzheimers symptoms. As many as 20% of people over age 65 have low Vitamin B12 levels. Correcting the deficiency can help older people resume a full and normal lives."

http://www.aging-parents-and-elder-care.…

"Increased levels of vitamin B12, but not folate, may reduce the rate of age-related cognitive decline and dementia, suggests a new study from Oxford."
http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research…



Meat eaters can usually spell because their brains have received sufficient nutrition.

DEmentia is not due to meat.



No, eating meat does not cause dementia. Lack of a balanced diet may cause an inability to spell correctly.



eating meat has nothing to do with dementia or cancer, is that what the Peta propaganda is saying now?



sure, if you dont eat meat or drink milk, I am almost certain you'll get dementia... wat part of a "healthy diet" dont you believe in?



No



no. not at all




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