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Progressive Cognitive Difficulties in Adult Patients with Mitochondrial Disease

BeautifulDay

Senior Member
Messages
372
Progressive Cognitive Difficulties in Adult Patients with Mitochondrial Disease

Association of British Neurologists (ABN) joint meeting with the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), London, 23–24 October 2013

"Conclusion: These findings demonstrate widespread cognitive difficulties that can undermine independence and quality of life in patients with mitochondrial disease, and emphasise the need to incorporate cognitive testing into clinical practice, in order to ensure that appropriate care is provided. These findings serve as an informative guide for assessing the true nature and severity of cognitive disability in patients with mitochondrial disease and preface future studies assessing speed of progression and final cognitive outcome, whilst providing clues to the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in other neurodegenerative conditions and age–related cognitive decline."
http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/84/11/e2.43


A decade ago, I started mixing up words. For example, meeting a new person I once said "Nice to foot you". Then it started happening all the time. I mentioned it to my neurologist and was told to decrease my stress and get more sleep.

Then I started forgetting things. I'd lose focus. I'd enter a room and forget why I was there. I'd ask the same question over and over again and forget that I was already told the answer. I owned my own business at the time and met a client one day and over the weekend we were at an event and the client came over to talk business and I didn't remember anything about her or meeting her previously. She thought I was nuts. My husband took me over to the emergency stairs where I had my first cry of "Oh My God, I'm losing my mind".

My business went under because I couldn't remember anything or what I was doing. I went into the business because it was supposed to be just something I could do in spare time and work around my Chronic Fatigue.

Then I started forgetting my kids names, my husband, and I went back to the neurologist and said I'm forgetting things. Major things. Again she said reduce stress and get more sleep.

Not once did she mention cognitive testing. Instead she assumed fatigue and memory lapses and my odd symptoms meant hypochondriac. So I went to a different city, New York City, where I underwent cognitive testing at a top university. They found severe cognitive loss.

My doctor explained that people with high cognitive reserve who have memory loss often aren't taken seriously until they are far along. So while I looked well (with the exception of my malar butterfly mask) and I could pretend to keep up with a conversation - ask me about that conversation 15 minutes later and it was gone.

I learned to use cognitive helpers from a 5 foot calendar in the kitchen, notes everywhere, alarms on my phone, my husband GPS'd my phone, etc.... I was given a prescription of Donepezil. I started doing research and found the MIND diet. It really helped. Now I can have music on in the house and keep up with conversations (well some of the time).

But I still have bouts of words getting mixed up. I still need to use the calendar, etc.... I have severe amnesia episodes regularly where I can't remember an event. Luckily people fill the events in for me.

If I write something here, it has probably taken me 5 times as long as you think because I have to keep rereading what I wrote to remember the path I'm taking here.

My doctor calls these episodes as being due to "attention". It's not that I'm not paying attention. It's that we have these buckets of short term memories happening and they get dumped into long term memory buckets. He says my short term memory bucket has developed holes. I'm doing a horrible job of explaining it the way he does.

Since the memory issues developed I also have ADHD and OCD. I can't focus on anything my brain doesn't want to focus on. When my brain wants to focus on something, it's very hard to walk away. I've walked away from conversations with friends without explaining because it's just too painful to be subject to whatever the conversation was (despite the fact that it's rude and something that actually should be important to me). I was in church the other day watching our 8 year old daughter sing in the choir. It was so difficult to sit there during the sermon and readings. I was clinging by a string from walking out. It's a little karma getting me back for forcing our son (who later we learned was high functioning autistic spectrum with ADHD and OCD) to sit in church for a few years.

In the last year, when we were diagnosed with Mitochondrial Disease, it all made sense.

Going back to cognitive testing. Anyone who thinks they are having cognitive loss should get tested. My memory loss neurologist can't believe my past neurologists didn't recommend cognitive testing for me earlier when I mentioned losing my memory. He said that's the time to have a test so that continued memory loss can be documented by comparing test results over time.
 

Chocolove

Tournament of the Phoenix - Rise Again
Messages
548
I started doing research and found the MIND diet. It really helped.

Wonderful! You may be needing a lot of nutrients, or certain forms of nutrients. Have you run your genetics? It might help decipher nutrient wise what you and possibly what your son needs. Otherwise look for common dietary deficiencies in your population or due to drug depletion. etc. I think you are really on to something here. Mitochondrial functions depend on certain nutrients and co-factors.

Remember that most doctors are not trained in nutrition, thus they will tend to prescribe drugs which will complicate matters if problems are due to nutrient deficiencies. A good nutritionist might be able to help.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to post. :hug:
 

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,931
You do explain all these things so well!:)

I can identify to many of your troubles....:thumbsup:
Forgetting why I went into one or another room. Forgetting to bring something my husband asked me about just a few minutes before. Forgetting an idea that crossed my brain one second before...

Cognitive functions are a concern too now for some years...

And I too wasn't taken seriously by my neurologist 10 years ago, I wish to find some energy to go back to doctors, but they were so helpless to me for so long...:confused:
 

BeautifulDay

Senior Member
Messages
372
Wonderful! You may be needing a lot of nutrients, or certain forms of nutrients. Have you run your genetics? It might help decipher nutrient wise what you and possibly what your son needs. Otherwise look for common dietary deficiencies in your population or due to drug depletion. etc. I think you are really on to something here. Mitochondrial functions depend on certain nutrients and co-factors.

Remember that most doctors are not trained in nutrition, thus they will tend to prescribe drugs which will complicate matters if problems are due to nutrient deficiencies. A good nutritionist might be able to help.

Thank you for taking the time and effort to post. :hug:

Thanks @Chocolove I don't have time to re-read my notes below, so please forgive incomplete thoughts.

It ends up being complex, one of the symptoms I have is aminoaciduria (from my body not processing things correctly). For me, this means I'm starving for some things and yet my urine is full of them. Adding more will just overburden my body. So it's a matter of how to get whatever it is that I need into my body, without it accumulating it in my brain in a bad way or it going out in urine.

For example, I can't take iron pills or anything with copper. The first few days I start to feel drunk, then I can't feel the top of my head, then I act completely intoxicated, and then I feel like I'm poisoned and dying by the 4th day. So for me, basic low dose iron/copper goes straight to toxic level. Yet, I can have a huge bowl of spinach every day, and it doesn't overburden my body and keeps my iron level up. I'm, big on listening to the body, when science has yet to explain symptoms.

For me, eating clean (MIND diet), the spinach, blueberries, whole grain crackers/bread/cereal, and having little junk food), and being careful to try not to dive into hypoglycemia, works the best for me. It seems the less I overburden my body, the more it's able to deal with the issues that come up from Mitochondrial Disease. There are still tons of issues, but I'm definitely better when I'm clean eating. My cognitive issues aren't as bad (and I decline more slowly), my allergies are kept to a minimum, my body is no longer overreacting to chemicals/smells/etc... I still have intermittent foot drop, severe fatigue, intermittent gastroparesis, etc...... The hardest part is not eating the junk food. I'm not perfect (or even close). :bang-head:

I ended up on the MIND diet because I liked that they took the studies on Alzheimer's/dementia and added what worked for some people into a combined program. A little of this, a little of that, ..... Then they put it to the test. Then they published the results and explained what they did so that anyone can do it.

That's completely opposite of the MEND diet, where part of it was published, but never giving all the details. They added in things like, regular dental checkups (which is known to slow memory loss) -- which is a good thing. But then those related to conducting the study have been involved in selling use of the program to those selling outrageously expensive conferences and programs. I believe their latest is this -- https://museslabs.com/physicians/

It's good for people who can't do the research on their own and have the money to do it.

However, I have much more respect for the researchers doing the studies for the right reasons and not promoting them by selling supplements or programs.I believe that's a complete conflict of interest. In my mind, I take less seriously the researchers or those that paid for a study who then profit from it through alternative means.

MIND diet associated with reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1552526015000175

MIND diet slows cognitive decline with aging
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1552526015001946

MIND DIET SCORE MORE PREDICTIVE THAN DASH OR MEDITERRANEAN DIET SCORES
http://www.alzheimersanddementia.com/article/S1552-5260(14)00292-1/abstract
 
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BeautifulDay

Senior Member
Messages
372
I'm so sorry to hear about this, i also have cognitive issues but not at the level you do. Did the donepezil help at all?

@Alvin2 I wish it had. I have the genetic mutation for Pseudocholinesterase Deficiency carrier (heterozygous for rs28933390). Usually, that just means carrier for most people. Those who are homozygous are considered to have Pseudocholinesterase Deficiency.

According to the NIH:
"Pseudocholinesterase deficiency can be caused by mutations in the BCHE gene. This gene provides instructions for making the pseudocholinesterase enzyme, also known as butyrylcholinesterase, which is produced by the liver and circulates in the blood. The pseudocholinesterase enzyme is involved in the breakdown of choline ester drugs. It is likely that the enzyme has other functions in the body, but these functions are not well understood. Studies suggest that the enzyme may be involved in the transmission of nerve signals."
https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/pseudocholinesterase-deficiency#synonyms

But couple that heterozygous mutation with my Mitochondrial Disease mutation, and things that shouldn't impact me as a heterozygote, do. My first experience was when 18 years old with boney impacted wisdom teeth, where they put me under in the hospital. I reacted by having the muscle relaxant for the throat hold for too long and couldn't breathe after the procedure and was wheezing when waking up. It sounded like I was trying to breathe through the tiniest closed airway and it made a squeak sound when trying to breathe (like a balloon when you let the air out and hold the ends tight).

Therefore, I'm treated as being Pseudocholinesterase Deficency (not just carrier).

In addition, everyone in our family with the MitoD gene mutation also have severe and odd reactions to meds (even those without the Psedocholinesterase Deficiency mutation). http://www.mitoaction.org/blog/medication-exposures-mitochondrial-toxicity

Donepezil (Aricept) acts as a centrally acting reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. I'm not sure what that all means, but because of these three things: 1) my pseudocholinesterase deficiency, 2) my stomach issues (constipation, intermittent gastroparesis, huge long colon), and 3) the fact that Donepezil has many side effects and has been proven to be not effective to slightly effective in some people -- my pharmacist and I decided that it just wasn't worth the slight upside for all the potential risks.

I mentioned the Donepezil prescription as an indication of how seriously my New York neurologists now take my memory loss in my 40's. Yet, do my NY cognitive docs know anything about Mitochondrial Disease? Nope. We end up still having to be on top of the research and do what's in our best interest. It helps to have the cognitive study data on me to compare from year to year, yet, the cure is not there yet.

I occasionally go to the Early Alzheimer's (memory loss) Group meetings when I'm having severe issues. I've only met one other young person at the meetings. Yet, when I mention issues that I might be having at the time, such as when I tell my husband to slow down his driving to 20 miles per hour in a 60 mile per hour zone because my brain can't keep up and it looks like warp speed in Star Wars -- they all understand.
 

BeautifulDay

Senior Member
Messages
372
Thanks. Cognitive problems usually increase with ME severity but aren't usually tested or taken seriously, it's just written off as fatigue in the way that the problems bring active isn't just written off as fatigue but researched.

@Cinders66 I agree

Study: "Neuroinflammation in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: An 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET Study"

"Results: The BPND values of 11C-(R)-PK11195 in the cingulate cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, midbrain, and pons were 45%–199% higher in CFS/ME patients than in healthy controls. In CFS/ME patients, the BPND values of 11C-(R)-PK11195 in the amygdala, thalamus, and midbrain positively correlated with cognitive impairment score, the BPND values in the cingulate cortex and thalamus positively correlated with pain score, and the BPND value in the hippocampus positively correlated with depression score. Conclusion: Neuroinflammation is present in widespread brain areas in CFS/ME patients and was associated with the severity of neuropsychologic symptoms. Evaluation of neuroinflammation in CFS/ME patients may be essential for understanding the core pathophysiology and for developing objective diagnostic criteria and effective medical treatments."
http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/55/6/945.short
 

Cinders66

Senior Member
Messages
494
@Cinders66 I agree

Study: "Neuroinflammation in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: An 11C-(R)-PK11195 PET Study"

"Results: The BPND values of 11C-(R)-PK11195 in the cingulate cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, thalamus, midbrain, and pons were 45%–199% higher in CFS/ME patients than in healthy controls. In CFS/ME patients, the BPND values of 11C-(R)-PK11195 in the amygdala, thalamus, and midbrain positively correlated with cognitive impairment score, the BPND values in the cingulate cortex and thalamus positively correlated with pain score, and the BPND value in the hippocampus positively correlated with depression score. Conclusion: Neuroinflammation is present in widespread brain areas in CFS/ME patients and was associated with the severity of neuropsychologic symptoms. Evaluation of neuroinflammation in CFS/ME patients may be essential for understanding the core pathophysiology and for developing objective diagnostic criteria and effective medical treatments."
http://jnm.snmjournals.org/content/55/6/945.short


Yes that study was good but small. Fortunately that same team is now attempting replicating it on a much larger scale, Shame no one else replicated it in the three years gap.
 

panckage

Senior Member
Messages
777
Location
Vancouver, BC
@BeautifulDay those cognitive symptoms sound like my own. I think my ME brain fog can be classed as severe most of the time... I can do by reflex, but cannot think on feet at all 90% of the time

I do find notes are the best option when I am well but are almost completely useless on my worse days. I have posters on the wall with what i need to do. I read them but I can't process them at all. In such a state notes are almost worthless...
 

Chocolove

Tournament of the Phoenix - Rise Again
Messages
548
Yet, I can have a huge bowl of spinach every day, and it doesn't overburden my body and keeps my iron level up. I'm, big on listening to the body, when science has yet to explain symptoms.
I'm with you there. We'll be in a whole lot of pain if we don't listen to the body.

That's a bowl of fresh - not cooked spinach? ...Looks like you're proving an old theory wrong:

One cup of raw spinach has 0.8 milligrams of iron. This is slightly less than 4 percent of the 18 milligrams of iron women need each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention....
Although that heaping spinach salad gives you iron, it also has a natural chemical called oxalic acid that binds with some of the iron, making it harder for your system to absorb. Most leafy greens have oxalic acid, making it almost unavoidable...

You can only absorb 2 to 20 percent of the nonheme iron from plant foods, the Office of Dietary Supplements reports. Since spinach has oxalic acid that blocks some of the nonheme iron absorption, you’re most likely absorbing closer to the lower end of the range....

Cooking spinach releases some of the oxalic acid, making it easier for your body to absorb more iron.
Further... Nonheme iron is very sensitive to other parts of your meal. If you love spinach and include it in several dishes throughout the week, pair it with vitamin C-rich foods, like orange juice, strawberries or red bell peppers. Vitamin C enhances nonheme iron absorption...
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/drawback-using-spinach-iron-supplement-7894.html

This form of iron is not absorbed as efficiently as heme iron, the iron found in meat and animal sources. Additionally, the oxalic acid in spinach binds with iron, which further inhibits iron absorption. You can improve the absorption of iron from spinach by eating it with foods that enhance iron absorption.
Does the Oxalic Acid in Spinach Inhibit the Absorption of Iron ...
www.livestrong.com/.../533800-does-the-oxalic-acid-in-spinach-inhibit-the-absorption-...

But this finding shows that:
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008 Mar;62(3):336-41. Epub 2007 Apr 18.
Oxalic acid does not influence nonhaem iron absorption in humans: a comparison of kale and spinach meals.
genannt Bonsmann SS1, Walczyk T, Renggli S, Hurrell RF.
Author information
Institute of Food Science and Nutrition, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. stefan.storcksdieck@ilw.agrl.ethz.ch
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the influence of oxalic acid (OA) on nonhaem iron absorption in humans.

DESIGN:
Two randomized crossover stable iron isotope absorption studies.

SETTING:
Zurich, Switzerland.

SUBJECTS:
Sixteen apparently healthy women (18-45 years, <60 kg body weight), recruited by poster advertizing from the staff and student populations of the ETH, University and University Hospital of Zurich, Switzerland. Thirteen subjects completed both studies.

METHODS:
Iron absorption was measured based on erythrocyte incorporation of (57)Fe or (58)Fe 14 days after the administration of labelled meals. In study I, test meals consisted of two wheat bread rolls (100 g) and either 150 g spinach with a native OA content of 1.27 g (reference meal) or 150 g kale with a native OA content of 0.01 g. In study II, 150 g kale given with a potassium oxalate drink to obtain a total OA content of 1.27 g was compared to the spinach meal.

RESULTS:
After normalization for the spinach reference meal absorption, geometric mean iron absorption from wheat bread rolls with kale (10.7%) did not differ significantly from wheat rolls with kale plus 1.26 g OA added as potassium oxalate (11.5%, P=0.86). Spinach was significantly higher in calcium and polyphenols than kale and absorption from the spinach meal was 24% lower compared to the kale meal without added OA, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P>0.16).

CONCLUSION:
Potassium oxalate did not influence iron absorption in humans from a kale meal and our findings strongly suggest that OA in fruits and vegetables is of minor relevance in iron nutrition.

PMID:17440529
DOI:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602721
*************************************************************************************************************************

For example, I can't take iron pills or anything with copper.
Sounds rather like the iron and copper overload problems in diseases discussed here....

Excessive copper deposition is a defining feature of hepatolenticular degeneration, an autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism commonly known as Wilson’s disease. Normal copper metabolism is a balance between intake and output, with excess copper excreted in the bile. Transport from the hepatocyte into bile is mediated by a membrane-bound copper-binding ATPase [1]. Mutations affecting this protein are responsible for Wilson’s disease and result in copper deposition in sensitive tissues such as the liver, and in the basal ganglia and lenticular formation in the brain....

Part of the purpose of the present study was to characterize how often elevated hepatic copper was seen from disorders other than Wilson’s disease.

Excessive tissue deposition of iron is characteristic of hereditary hemochromatosis, an autosomal recessive disorder of iron metabolism. In hemochromatosis, mutations to genes such as HFE induce iron overload by interfering with the normal down-regulation of iron absorption. Aside from bleeding, no mechanism is present to excrete significant amounts of iron and any excess is therefore deposited in the tissues. Decades usually pass before sufficient iron accumulates to induce symptomatic disease...

A complicating factor is that iron overload can also occur in a variety of other chronic liver disorders, although usually to a lesser degree.
http://www.annclinlabsci.org/content/33/4/443.full

Wow. Thanks for sharing. You've given me a whole lot to digest. :thumbsup:
 

Chocolove

Tournament of the Phoenix - Rise Again
Messages
548
@Wonko Well here is a mass media overview of the MIND diet...which as we know can lead to gross misinterpretation upon occasion:

The MIND Diet
Overview
Balanced Diet
These diets fall within accepted ranges for the amount of protein, carbs, fat and other nutrients they provide.

Pros & Cons
  • Blends two proven healthy diets
  • May boost brain power
  • Details not fleshed out
  • Recipes, resources lacking
The aim: Preventing Alzheimer's disease with brain-healthy foods.

The claim: You may lower your risk of mental decline with this new hybrid of two balanced, heart-healthy diets – even without rigidly sticking to it – early research suggests.

The theory: The MIND diet takes two proven diets – DASH and Mediterranean – and zeroes in on the foods in each that specifically affect brain health.

The emphasis is on eating from 10 brain-healthy food groups: green leafy vegetables in particular, all other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil and wine. Meanwhile, MIND adherents avoid foods from the five unhealthy groups: red meats, butter and stick margarine, cheeses, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.

The MIND diet, which stands for "Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay," was developed by Martha Clare Morris, a nutritional epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center, through a study funded by the National Institute on Aging and published online February 2015. Morris' team followed the food intake of 923 Chicago-area seniors. Over four and a half years, 144 participants developed Alzheimer's disease. The longer people had followed the MIND diet patterns, the less risk they appeared to have. Even people who made "modest" changes to their diets – who wouldn't have fit the criteria for DASH or Mediterranean – had less risk of developing Alzheimer's. The study found the MIND diet lowered Alzheimer's risk by about 35 percent for people who followed it moderately well and up to 53 percent for those who adhered to it rigorously.

Two previous, large U.S. studies found significant slower cognitive decline in people who ate at least two servings of vegetables per day, with the strongest effect seen with at least six weekly servings of leafy green vegetables. Several animal studies show that eating a variety of berries is tied to better memory performance. And population studies suggest eating a single fish meal a week is related to Alzheimer's prevention.

Morris emphasizes that findings on the diet are not definitive, with more long-term, randomized comparison studies needed. Her team's second paper on the MIND diet found the MIND diet superior to the DASH and Mediterranean diets in preventing cognitive decline.
https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mind-diet

@BeautifulDay Just off the bat, the avoidance of cheese, fermented cheeses that is, could prevent consumption of any vitamin K2 in many. Vitamin K2 is an essential nutrient in sending calcium into bones rather than soft tissues like skin, arteries, heart and brain. Calcified heart disease is still the #1 killer in the U.S. evidencing a major deficiency of vitamin K2 confirmed by dietary intake studies. (Vitamin K is totally different from K2 and converts very poorly to K2.)

The easy way around that is to consume natto instead: fermented soy beans, which contains loads of vitamin K2... if you can manage the taste and texture without aversion. It can be obtained through Amazon.
 

Eastman

Senior Member
Messages
526
A recent write-up on diet and cognition:

Dietary Patterns, Foods and Beverages in Age-Related Cognitive Performance and Dementia

Abstract

... There is significant evidence from human studies that low quality diets reduce and high-quality diets enhance global cognitive performance with aging. The Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), DASH diet, and MIND diet (a hybrid of both the MedDiet and DASH diet with an emphasis on specific brain protective foods) are effective in protecting cognitive performance with aging. A number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies support the benefits of high polyphenolic fruits and vegetables, dairy (especially yogurt), 100% juices (polyphenol rich), coffee, tea, flavanol-rich cocoa beverages, and low-moderate wine consumption on improving age-related cognitive performance and reducing risk of dementia, but excessive alcohol consumption can have negative effects on cognitive performance and lead to higher risk of dementia. Lutein has been shown to preferentially accumulate in the human brain and its content in neural tissue as reflected in macular pigment density has been positively correlated with cognitive performance and reduced risk of dementia.
 

Eastman

Senior Member
Messages
526
@Wonko Well here is a mass media overview of the MIND diet...which as we know can lead to gross misinterpretation upon occasion:

The MIND Diet

...Several animal studies show that eating a variety of berries is tied to better memory performance.

https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/mind-diet

Here's another study on the benefit of berries in preventing Alzheimer's disease in mice.

Gut microbiota to counteract metabolic disorders and neuroinflammation : Impact of dietary factors and their potential to prevent Alzheimer’s disease
Abstract
...
The results of these studies suggest that the gut microbiota may be involved in the progression of AD by triggering systemic inflammatory responses. Chronic inflammation and ageing have been shown to increase vulnerability of the BBB. Inclusion of lingonberries in HF diets counteracted negative effects of the HF diets on metabolic and neuroinflammatory markers. Therefore, lingonberries may be included as a part of a functional diet to target specific gut microbiota associated with improved risk factors for developing AD or even other neurogenerative diseases.
 

Eastman

Senior Member
Messages
526
Another study on the MIND diet and cognition.

MIND Diet Slows Cognitive Decline in Stroke Survivors (P3.216)
Abstract
Objective: To determine the role of diet pattern on cognitive decline in stroke survivors

Background: Stroke survivors are at increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Studies have shown that the MIND diet (a hybrid of the Mediterranean and Dash diets) slows cognitive decline in the general population, but it is not known whether the diet may also be effective in stroke survivors.

Design/Methods: A total of 108 participants from an observational prospective cohort study with a history of stroke at their baseline enrollment were assessed annually for an average of 4.7 years of follow-up. Participants with baseline dementia, missing or invalid baseline dietary evaluations, or less than two cognitive assessments were excluded. Cognition in five cognitive domains were assessed using structured clinical evaluations that included a battery of 19 cognitive tests. MIND diet scores were computed using a valid food frequency questionnaire. Dietary components of the MIND diet included whole grains, green leafy and other vegetables, berries, beans, nuts, lean meats, fish, poultry, and olive oil and less consumption of regular cheese, butter and sweets. MIND diet scores were modeled in tertiles. Change in global cognitive scores was regressed on baseline MIND score using linear mixed models adjusted for age and other potential confounders.

Results: In the age adjusted model, the top tertile of MIND diet scores versus the lowest tertile was positively associated with a slower rate of global cognitive decline (β = .08; P = .02.) With further adjustment for sex, education, apo-E4, late-life cognitive activity, caloric intake, physical activity, and smoking the association remained unchanged (β = .08; P = .03).

Conclusions: High adherence to the MIND diet was associated with slower rate of cognitive decline in stroke survivors. A dietary intervention trial would be necessary to validate the role of the diet in long-term outcomes for stroke survivors.
 

pattismith

Senior Member
Messages
3,931
That's a bowl of fresh - not cooked spinach? ...Looks like you're proving an old theory wrong:


http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/drawback-using-spinach-iron-supplement-7894.html

This form of iron is not absorbed as efficiently as heme iron, the iron found in meat and animal sources. Additionally, the oxalic acid in spinach binds with iron, which further inhibits iron absorption. You can improve the absorption of iron from spinach by eating it with foods that enhance iron absorption.

:thumbsup: I have a problem absorbing iron from vegetable.
The reason may be that I don't like cooked vegetable, I prefer eating them raw, so oxalate is blocking absorption.
And like @BeautifulDay , I have problems tolerating iron supplement.

Some iron supplement can modify your gut microbiota (ferrous sulfate is known for that), and can favor some pathogenic gut bacteria, so this is one possible explanation.

(This effect on gut bacteria not only lead to digestive problems, but can produce higher higher LPS in blood )

Iron Bisglycinate is the only supplement I can tolerate.


Thanks @Chocolove

For example, I can't take iron pills or anything with copper.

The first few days I start to feel drunk, then I can't feel the top of my head, then I act completely intoxicated, and then I feel like I'm poisoned and dying by the 4th day.

So for me, basic low dose iron/copper goes straight to toxic level.

Yet, I can have a huge bowl of spinach every day, and it doesn't overburden my body and keeps my iron level up. I'm, big on listening to the body, when science has yet to explain symptoms.

Hello @BeautifulDay , I hope you are doing well.

Do you know your iron levels?
 

BeautifulDay

Senior Member
Messages
372
Thanks @pattismith

My memory continues to improve every year. The ADHD has also improved somewhat, but can still be quite disruptive.

My mother who is now 85 started having severe cognitive issues. We were singing happy birthday to my son just a few months ago and then served his cake. Mom turned to me and asked if my son would be mad that we started eating the cake before singing happy birthday to him. She did not remember us singing to him just a minute earlier. Such severe memory examples were happening multiple times an hour (pretty nonstop).

I knew mom's memory issues could be impacted by diet (as my memory issues were). Mom was having a severe rise in these same memory issues prior to the the pandemic lockdown. Dad and mom could no longer go out for fried eggs and bacon for breakfast everyday during pandemic lockdown, nor creamed chip beef for dinner.

During lockdown, mom's memory improved. She was no longer having the severe memory issues she had been having.

Then after coming out of lockdown, her severe memory issues came back as she was again eating poorly and eating out at restaurants often twice day.

I mentioned to her the improvement that happened during lockdown with her better eating habits and reminded her of my history with diet and memory. For the last 5 weeks, mom has been following the diet I mentioned years ago in my first post above. She is back. It's amazing. It's not that she doesn't have little memory issues now. She does, but there are no longer the huge in our faces issues such as singing happy birthday to my son and then a minute later forgetting we sang it. Or 5 minutes later her seeing the presents for my son, and her apologizing to my father for forgetting it was his birthday.

At her age, in order for her to stay on the diet since they don't cook much (leading them to eat out), I batch cook a lot of food for them and pick up the healthy grocery items they don't have at their store and drop it off to them. It's just a matter of cooking more of what I cook for myself. That's easy enough. When I make myself brocolli and mushrooms with a dash of balsamic vinegar, I make them some too. Mine I blend for my gastroparesis. I'll try to include in this post a picture of some of the food I cooked this week for them. My husband is not yet a vegetable eater, but I'm working on him through eating healthy in front if him.

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I've had an uptick in my gastroparesis. I now blend several of my meals a day. I make a pretty amazing plant based corn chowder and my spinach soup is creamy and decadent and mom and I can never get enough of it. Even dad (a meat, heavy cream, and cheese guy) loves my corn chowder. Then again, I believe our taste buds and cravings change when we kick out the junk from our diets.

Mom has also begun to walk around the neighborhood with dad daily. Just this week she went into the Target store with dad for 45 minutes of shopping. Usually, she sits in the car and sends him in with a list. She said her breathing has gotten much easier.

It's so nice to see that health can be improved at even older ages through diet. Its not a "cure all". But for mom and I, what we eat impacts many of our symptoms.

Hugs!