Alzheimer’s Disease

What is Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common cause of dementia. ‘Dementia’ refers to a collection of symptoms that involve difficulties with cognition, memory and language.

A healthy brain is made up of a network of nerve cells which help transport electrical signals between each other to facilitate normal cognitive function. However, Alzheimer’s is an irreversible disease where a build-up of proteins called ‘tangles’ and ‘plaques’ kill these brain cells by blocking the signals and nutrients between cells. This results in the progressive damaging and shrinking of the brain which manifests in further symptoms.

Early symptoms of Alzheimer’s involve short-term memory loss as affected tissue lies in the outer parts of the brain. However, as the disease progresses to other areas or deeper parts of the brain, existing symptoms may worsen and other symptoms may occur e.g. long-term memory loss.

General symptoms include:

Memory difficulties
Difficulties with speech, communication and social skills
Mood changes or anxiety/depression
Fatigue, lack of concentration and enthusiasm
Reduced physical and motor coordination
Troubles with high level planning, organising and problem-solving skills

Many of these symptoms will leak into the nutritional wellbeing of someone with Alzheimer’s and the specific aspects of nutrition that the disease can impact on include:

Loss of appetite
Forgetting to eat and drink
Changes in taste preferences and dietary habits
Difficulties with chewing and swallowing
Changes in taste and smell
Having difficulties at mealtimes
Insatiable appetite/craving sweets

What causes Alzheimer’s Disease

The cause of the abnormal build-up of proteins in the brain is currently unknown. Furthermore, the disease progression from person to person is highly varied and he/she may live from a few years to a few decades.

There are currently 472 000 Australians living with dementia and that figure is expected to grow with the ageing population. This is because the main risk factor for Alzheimer’s is age, with three in ten people over 85 having dementia.

Other risk factors include:

Gender (there are twice as many women as men over 65 with Alzheimer’s)
Genetics
Lifestyle i.e. diet and exercise
Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s but there are drug treatments which slow down progression or alleviate symptoms associated with the disease. Furthermore, there is a wide range of health and community support to help manage the disease e.g. psychiatrist/counsellor, family/carer, GP, social worker, dietitian, occupational therapist etc.

How can Bites Dietitians help?

Alzheimer’s Disease affects each individual differently. Our care process will cater to your specific needs and preferences. Our dietitians will work with you individually to optimise nutrition and wellbeing depending on the stage of the disease. For example, in the early stages of dementia, we will attempt to minimise the progression of the disease by following a Mediterranean diet style approach while advocating for independence at home. Our dietitians will also attempt to implement strategies to combat specific nutrition impact symptoms e.g. setting alarms for mealtimes, easy and on-hand snacks, assistance with shopping or cooking etc.

It is incredibly important to develop consistent healthy dietary patterns and habits. This is because as the disease progresses, it will become increasingly difficult to implement new structures around food and the food environment. Our dietitians will place all their energy in developing optimal dietary patterns from the very start!

People living with dementia are at higher risk of malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies. Some common symptoms associated with these include:

Weight loss
Reduced energy levels
Feeling vague or forgetful

Our dietitians will attempt to correct any form of undernutrition or deficiencies with personalised meal plans and recommendations for you. They will work closely with you to help identify the best strategy moving forward to best tackle this disease.

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An interesting fact about Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease was discovered in 1906 by a psychiatrist called Alois Alzheimer when he studied the brain of one of his patients who had presented with unusual behavioural symptoms such as confusion, paranoia and memory disturbances.

Currently, multiple research and clinical trials are being conducted to investigate the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. One recent trial involved developing an Alzheimer’s vaccine for mice.

What improvement can you expect from a tailored dietary prescription?

Alzheimer’s is a lifelong disease and our main goal is management. With proper nutrition you can expect:

Improved independence
Better energy levels
Improved mood
Healthy weight gain
Reduced progression of the disease
Improved blood biochemistry and correction of any nutritional deficiencies
Improved management of other chronic diseases (if any)

How will you know if it’s working?

We will monitor your individual symptoms along your care journey to see if they improve or are well-managed. Ideally, we would like to see a greater independence at home and all the improvements described above. But Alzheimer’s is a tough and bumpy road and it is often tricky to predict certain outcomes, however Bites Health Clinic is happy to help every step of the way and provide ongoing support.

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Helpful things to bring/remember before your first appointment

Referral if you have one
Medical history from your GP and/or treating specialists
List of current medications
Bring along your partner/carer/friend etc. if you would like someone else to help with recall of information provided although this is not necessary as our team is able to provide written copies and/or email you any reports and meal plans devised.

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Contact Details

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305/29–31 Lexington Drive, Bella Vista NSW 2153

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0452 458 146

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