The REAL mid-life crisis

By Fred Pescatore, M.D.

If you haven’t taken control of your blood sugar yet, now is the time. Because a brand new study has highlighted one of the most frightening side effects of diabetes—and perhaps the most compelling reason yet to stop it before it starts.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that people who are diagnosed with diabetes in midlife are more likely to have significant memory and cognitive problems during the next 20 years than those with healthy blood sugar levels.

Specifically, the researchers found that diabetes appears to age the brain around five years faster than the normal effects of aging.

The study used data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, which began following a group of over 15,000 middle-aged adults in communities in Maryland, North Carolina, Minnesota and Mississippi back in 1987. Participants were seen every three years until 1998 and researchers followed up with them again between 2011 and 2013.

The researchers compared the amount of cognitive decline associated with general aging with the amount of decline found in the ARIC participants. And they determined there was 19 percent greater decline than expected in those participants with poorly controlled diabetes. (And results weren’t much better even for the patients who did have their diabetes under control.)

“The lesson is that to have a healthy brain when you’re 70, you need to eat right and exercise when you’re 50,” said study leader Elizabeth Selvin, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “There is a substantial cognitive decline associated with diabetes, pre-diabetes and poor glucose control in people with diabetes. And we know how to prevent or delay the diabetes associated with this decline.”

It’s absolutely true. Preventing—even reversing—diabetes is absolutely possible. And it starts by focusing on your diet. Studies have shown a Mediterranean diet that focuses on lean protein, fresh produce, and healthy fats is the most effective way to rein in out of control blood sugar.

My New Hamptons Health Miracle is based on the Mediterranean approach, but with a few defining features, like taking a good, quality fish oil supplement every day in addition to eating plenty of fish. (I recommend 1,500 mg of fish oil, combined EPA and DHA, twice a day.)

I also recommend swapping out overrated olive oil for monounsaturated fat-rich macadamia nut oil instead. Why? Well, first of all, most olive oil isn’t as pure as you’ve been led to believe.

While they’re riding the wave of good headlines, many manufacturers are producing a less-than-healthy product. The “pure” and “light” versions are often less healthy to start with, because they’re over-processed and way lower in polyphenols and antioxidants. But going extra-virgin isn’t a guarantee of health either. Many brands claiming to be “extra virgin” are actually spiked with other low-quality, non-olive oils.

And even if you buy pure, estate-bottled olive oil, it still has a smoke point of about 325 degrees. Which means it starts turning into inflammation-promoting trans-fats quite quickly.

In comparison, macadamia nut oil has a high smoke point…as high as 450 degrees. It’s also low in omega-6 fats (the bad ones) and high in nutrients like potassium, magnesium, calcium, selenium, vitamin E, niacin, and folic acid. And it has 10 percent more monounsaturated fatty acids (the good ones) than olive oil. It also happens to have a rich, buttery, delicious taste. And research has shown that people with type 2 diabetes who followed a MUFA-rich diet had their fasting blood sugar drop by 30 points—which is enough to decrease or even eliminate medications.

I’ve seen first-hand how following this simple approach can completely transform a person’s health. And that will help keep your body—and your brain—functioning at peak performance well into the future.

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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:

“Diabetes in Midlife and Cognitive Change Over 20 Years.” Annals of Internal Medicine, 2014; 161 (11): 785