The common toxin that quadruples your risk of Alzheimer’s

by Fred Pescatore, M.D.

A disturbing new study found that high levels of a pesticide metabolite called dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) come with a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. More than four times as high, in fact.

Yet the powers that be (and that includes the public health departments) continue to doubt the truth of findings like this. And they try to quiet people like me who want tell you about them.

I have to say, it’s a pretty twisted way of promoting health. Honestly, if these people ran the medical world when penicillin was invented, it may never have seen the light of day.

But back to DDE. This is a metabolite of the notorious pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). In case you’re not already familiar with it, DDT was used extensively during WWII and beyond to control insects (and the spread of diseases like malaria).

The United States has banned DDT since 1972, due to the dangers it posed to humans, animals, and the environment. But other countries—like India and Spain—still use it. And the World Health Organization supported its use for fighting malaria as recently as 2006.

So things have not really changed all that much… at least not as much you might think.

Environmental levels of DDT and DDE have declined in this country over the last 30 years. But you’ll still find these compounds in as many as 80 percent of blood samples. So even though you may think the U.S. ban on DDT keeps you safe from these deadly chemicals, it’s just not that simple.

That’s partially because DDT is a persistent organic pollutant (POP)—which means it can remain in soil for as long as 30 years. Plus, people are still exposed to it in food that comes from other countries where DDT is still in use.

It’s an absurd workaround. Dangerous chemicals are banned for use here. But we keep manufacturing them and shipping them to other countries. Who then ship the residues back to us in the form of imported food.

And that’s why you simply can’t accept what any governmental agencies say is safe at face value.

When it comes to pesticides,  GMO farming, and Big Agribusiness, we’re all part of a huge experiment. And yes, people are suffering and dying from terrible diseases like Alzheimer’s because of it. But you and I have some idea of what’s going on. And it’s our duty to spread the word as far and wide as we can.

In the meantime, I can only reiterate what I say over and over again. If you want to avoid these potential hazards, eating organic, fresh, seasonal, and local is the absolute best way to start.  It’s the way I eat. And it’s how I’ve been teaching people to eat for years. Long before it was fashionable.

Speaking of fashionable, let’s also take a minute to talk about detox. As this new research clearly shows, cutting off the source of exposure is just half the battle where toxins are concerned.

Helping your body to eliminate what’s already there is the other half.

My approach to detox is simple, and doesn’t require any fancy juicers or a closet full of supplements. You can read more about my specific detox protocol here [link to DetoxLogic promo] and in the September 2013 issue of my Logical Health Alternatives newsletter.

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Dr. Fred Pescatore is the author of the New York Times best-selling book, The Hamptons Diet and the No. 1 best-selling children’s health book, Feed Your Kids Well, amongst others. He is the President of the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutritionists, a member of the American College for the Advancement of Medicine, and belongs to many other professional organizations. Earlier in his career, Dr. Pescatore served as the Associate Medical Director of The Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine, working as the right-hand-man to the late, great Dr. Robert C. Atkins. Today he sees patients at his own practice in Manhattan and writes a monthly newsletter called Logical Health Alternatives, as well as a free e-letter called The Reality Health Check.

SOURCE:

“Elevated serum pesticide levels and risk for Alzheimer disease.” JAMA Neurol. 2014 Mar;71(3):284-90.