In June, I released my brand new Complete Alzheimer’s Cure protocol. And already, people who are following it are making tremendous strides against this devastating condition.
But just as I was preparing to launch the protocol, I came across two new studies about the effects of moderate alcohol consumption and of stress on Alzheimer’s and dementia. And I wanted to share them with you as soon as possible.
Drink up to decrease dementia
The first study involved 321 people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers tracked their alcohol consumption over a three-year period.1
They discovered that the people who consumed two to three alcoholic drinks a day had a whopping 77% lower risk of dying than those who had one or no drinks a day.
Of course, the key, as with most things in life, is moderation. The study participants who downed four or more drinks a day had the same risk of dying as those who had one or no drinks a day.
This finding was true even when the researchers adjusted for risk factors like age, sex, quality of life, and educational status.
That’s good news if you’re a fan of a happy hour cocktail or two, or a couple beers while watching a baseball or football game. But it doesn’t mean you should just open a bottle of wine and plop down alone in front of the TV.
You see, the researchers found that the decreased mortality may not actually be due entirely to the alcohol itself. Instead, they think it’s also related to moderate drinkers having a richer social life. And, as I reported in the April issue of Insiders’ Cures (“Fight the ravages of time at the cellular level — and add YEARS to your life…in just 6 weeks”), social interactions can lead to improved quality of life and a longer lifespan.
The shocking effect of stress on dementia
The researchers theorize that high levels of stress contribute to Alzheimer’s, and social drinking can help reduce that stress. I could not agree more. As I have always said, stress is one of the biggest factors behind common diseases of the brain and cardiovascular system. And another new study backs me up.
Researchers gathered 507 people age 70 or older and gave them tests that evaluated their perceived stress on a scale of 0 to 56 points. (I’ve noted prior studies showing that the best way for doctors to find out how much stress their patients are suffering is to simply to ask them, as this study did.)2
The researchers then tracked the study participants for an average of 3.6 years. What they discovered was stunning. For every five points the study participants’ stress levels increased, their risk of dementia rose by 30%.
But the news wasn’t all bad. The researchers also found that mindfulness-based stress reduction (like meditation), cognitive-behavioral therapies, and other natural stress-busting treatments may postpone or even prevent cognitive decline.
I would also add group stress-reducing activities like yoga — which has been shown to benefit the brain and reduce risk of chronic diseases — to this list.
Basically, anything that reduces stress and produces relaxation contributes to health. This approach includes “vices” like alcohol and even tobacco, as long as they’re consumed only in moderation. For tobacco, that means pipe or cigar smoking only, or less than half a pack of cigarettes a day — according to the scientific data I uncovered at the National Cancer Institute.
For more ways to lower your stress and boost your health, check out my book with Don McCown, New World Mindfulness, which you can order by visiting www.drmicozzi.com or calling 1-800-682-7319.
And in the meantime, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to check out my Complete Alzheimer’s Cure protocol today.
Mainstream medicine still has nothing to offer people suffering from this tragic condition (despite two government-sponsored “Decades of the Brain” research). And pharmaceutical drugs have been an epic failure. But my Complete Alzheimer’s Cure outlines specific, simple, step-by-step instructions for scientifically demonstrated, natural techniques you can incorporate right now into every aspect of your life. So you can target — and reverse — every stage of cognitive decline. You can learn more about it or enroll today by clicking here.
SOURCES:
[1] “Alcohol consumption and mortality in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease: a prospective cohort study.” BMJ Open 2015;5:e007851.
[2] “Influence of Perceived Stress on Incident Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: Results From the Einstein Aging Study.” Alzheimer Dis Assoc. Disord. 2015 Dec 10. [Epub ahead of print]