While PET scans show lower glucose uptake in Alzheimer's brains, this may not be due to insulin resistance ("type 3 diabetes"). Studies show these brains can absorb glucose normally when cognitively stimulated. This suggests the issue is a lack of demand from inactive brain regions, not a failed supply mechanism.
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Many clinicians mistakenly believe insulin's main role is blood glucose control. In reality, it's a master hormone signaling every cell—from brain to bone—to store energy. This function is so powerful it can slow the body's overall metabolic rate to prioritize energy storage.
Sensory decline, like hearing loss or cataracts, is linked to a higher risk of dementia, likely due to reduced brain stimulation and social engagement. However, this risk appears to be reversible. Interventions like cataract surgery or hearing aids restore sensory input, effectively eliminating the added risk.
A long-term study found many nuns had brains full of Alzheimer's plaques post-mortem, yet displayed no cognitive decline in life. Their constant social responsibilities and interactions acted as a continuous mental challenge, building new neural pathways that bypassed the damaged areas.
Alzheimer's can be understood as a vascular disease rooted in nitric oxide deficiency. This decline impairs blood flow, glucose uptake, and inflammation regulation in the brain. Therefore, strategies to restore nitric oxide address the physiological root causes of the disease, not just the symptoms like plaque buildup.
Many chronic illnesses, including high blood pressure, cancer, and cognitive decline, are not separate issues but symptoms of a single underlying problem: chronically elevated insulin levels. This metabolic “trash” accumulates over years, making the body a breeding ground for disease.
Unlike sedatives, DORA-class sleep aids (Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonists) work by inhibiting wakefulness, creating more natural sleep architecture. Research suggests this may improve the brain's ability to clear beta-amyloid and tau proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease, offering a potential preventative strategy.
Unlike sedatives like Ambien, a new class of medication (DORAs) works by dialing down the brain's wakefulness chemical (orexin). This allows for naturalistic sleep that is functionally beneficial, proven to increase the brain's cleansing of beta amyloid and tau protein, which are linked to Alzheimer's disease.
The link between hearing loss and Alzheimer's is twofold. Physically, the lack of auditory stimulation causes parts of the brain to atrophy. Psychologically, the inability to hear properly can lead to a negativity bias, where one fills conversational gaps with paranoid thoughts, increasing chronic stress and isolation.
The common thread in mental disorders is metabolic dysfunction at the cellular level, specifically within mitochondria. This reframes mental illness not as a purely psychological issue or simple chemical imbalance, but as a physical, metabolic problem in the brain that diet can influence.
Ketones are a more efficient energy source than glucose, producing less metabolic “trash” (oxidative stress). Crucially, they can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and fuel brain cells even when they've become resistant to insulin, directly combating cognitive decline and brain fog.