JOAN’S BLOG – THUR/FRI, APRIL 22/23, 2010 –ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND FAT - A LITTLE HUMOR

My deepest emotions are locked behind a steel door because I could not do my work or function as a caregiver if I dwelled on the sadness and loss Alzheimer’s Disease has brought to my life. For whatever reason – who knows why feelings erupt at the oddest times – I have been sensing sadness creeping through the cracks in that steel door. In order to keep it at bay, I have decided to focus on some humor and satire. So come along with me on the humor train.

If you have been following my blogs, you know how little faith I have in the numerous conflicting studies that promise various snake oil preventions for Alzheimer’s Disease. Click the links for previous satirizing blogs.

Well, here we go again. This week, I read three different reports on FAT and Alzheimer’s Disease. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that being fat is not totally our fault. It is not entirely due to “stuffaceitis” . It is due to the roll of the gene dice. There is a gene that predisposes you to being fat. (Click here for article). The bad news is that the “fat gene” is also associated with a loss of brain tissue. The even worse news is that 1/3 of the U.S. population carry this nasty gene, which will not only boost their chances of being thrown off an airplane for violating the “too fat to fly” rule, but will  increase their risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. ( Click here for NY Times' Olivia Judson's blog on the subject.)

I am trying to use logic here. Does that mean that most fat people develop Alzheimer’s Disease and skinny people do not? It has been my observation that plenty of skinny people develop Alzheimer Disease, and THEN become fat, due to two factors. They forget they have eaten a meal, so they eat again…..and again…..and again. The brain mechanism that controls hunger and satisfaction malfunctions, so they eat continuously. The hunger/satisfaction mechanism in my brain has not worked since the day I was born. Does that mean I am going to develop Alzheimer’s Disease?

My maternal grandmother was fat. My mother and her two sisters were skinny. Of the three sisters, the shortest one developed Alzheimer’s Disease. Uh. Oh. More trouble. Two years ago, I wrote about the article that stated people with short arms and legs were more prone to Alzheimer’s Disease. I am short AND fat.

However there is good news for everyone with the “fat Alzheimer gene”.  According to Paul Thompson, a UCLA professor of neurology, the senior author of the gene study, “carriers of the risk gene can exercise and eat healthily to resist both obesity and brain decline.”

Of course! How simple. We knew that. Just as keeping our brains active will prevent or delay Alzheimer’s Disease, so will running a marathon, swimming the English Channel, body building, and playing professional basketball. After you engage in such rigorous exercise, be sure to eat a well balanced diet, consisting of as few calories as possible, because, another study says that the less you eat, the longer you will live. But do not forget (no pun intended), the longer you live, the more at risk you are for Alzheimer’s Disease!

Oh, wait a minute. I am so sorry. I gave you inaccurate information. A new study reports that keeping our brains active will NOT prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. But do not let that little bump in the road deter you from your path to prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. Fool that fat gene. Eat less. Exercise more. According to ANOTHER study, we need intense exercise at least one hour every day in order to keep from gaining weight as we age. I cannot imagine how much exercise we need to LOSE weight. Remember (those of you who do not yet have Alzheimer’s Disease) – the fatter you are, the greater your risk for dementia.

As we all know, these studies are iron clad. Fat people who do not exercise their brains or their bodies develop dementia. What about fat people who DO exercise their brains and bodies?  Do skinny people who do not exercise their brains and their bodies also develop dementia? Or is skinniness a sure fire deterrent in itself? It is all so confusing. My poor brain is tired from all of this deep thinking. I am also worn out from this morning’s gym workout. I need to rest up for tomorrow’s water aerobics class.

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