The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Dementia or liver disease?
About one out of nine adults in America say they’re experiencing cognitive decline — a potential precursor of dementia.
Mild cognitive decline affects 22% of folks 65 and older, while almost 10% of seniors have full-blown dementia, according to a study published in JAMA Neurology.
But sometimes cognition problems are a symptom of another condition — and can be reversed or avoided altogether.
A new study in JAMA reveals that up to 10% of socalled dementia cases may really be a side effect of liver disease, which often goes undiagnosed.
Around 100 million Americans have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which can lead to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatic encephalopathy (HE). That can trigger neurological disruptions, as the liver loses its ability to filter brain-damaging toxins from the body. NAFLD is caused by obesity, Type 2 diabetes, elevated LDL cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Upgrading your nutritional choices (go plant-based with no ultra-processed foods, added sugars, syrups, or simple carbs) and increasing your physical activity level can slow or reverse early-stage NAFLD — and protect your brain.
The researchers in the JAMA study concluded that any patient with dementia should be screened for cirrhosis to uncover “reversible factors associated with cognitive impairment, such as HE.” We say, long before you develop cirrhosis, if you’re noticing cognition problems, talk with your doctor about being screened for NAFLD and other liver disorders, so you can protect your brain from collateral damage.
For more info, read iHerb. com’s blog, “How to Improve Liver Health Naturally,” and Kristin Kirkpatrick’s new book, “Regenerative Health: Discover Your Metabolic Type and Renew Your Liver for Life.”
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world’s leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively.