I submitted this review of The Alzheimer's Antidote by Amy Berger

This is a well made book.  

My main complaint is with the title offering false hope for treating Alzheimers. 

This is more a book about diet than Alzheimers. 

Part one : The Metabolic Origins of Alzheimer’s Disease 

Similar to Diabetes Mellitus and Primary Hypertension we don’t know what causes Alzheimer’s. 

Amy Berger writes on page 3:

“Identifying the fundamental causes of AD is imperative and grows more critical every day”

No one with Azheimer’s disease has been cured. 

Dr. Dale Bredesen published a list of patients but do they truly have Alzheimer’s and have long have they survived so far?

Part two: A Nutritional Strategy for Restoring Healthy Cognitive Function

Again the critical word is ‘strategy’.  No proof. 

Part three: Lifestyle Factors to Support Healthy Neurological Function

It is a general belief that exercise, avoiding stress, and good sleep are helpful for Alzheimer’s patients. However they are not an antidote. 

Definition of antidote:

noun

1. a medicine taken or given to counteract a particular poison.

verb

1. counteract or cancel with an antidote.

 Exercise, avoiding stress, and good sleep may slow the rapid progression of Alzheimer’s but it is not going to cure it. 

My second biggest complaint is the trashing of Aricept and Namenda by Dr. David Perlmuter in the foreword he wrote.   

There are good trials that show these medications slow the progression of Alzheimer’s over two years. 

Amy Berger does not mention these medications at all in her book. 

I have recently started Intermittent Fasting and while I have not had weight loss I have improved my Hemoglobin A1c by two points.  Still not cures from this yet. 

Part four: Setting Yourself Up for Success 

This section discusses how to start a low carbohydrate diet. 

I have been this diet since 2011 and in ketosis. I endorse it but it has not prevented me from getting Alzheimer’s disease in Dec 2017. 

Amy talks about drugs.  

I disagree with her strongly about the use of statins the lowering cholesterol levels.  This is my third main criticism of her book/

People with Alzheimers often have a sudden drop in function with stroke. 

The best way to avoid stroke is to keep cholesterol low and control blood pressure. 

Amy writes on page 230 about cholesterol lowering medication.

  “Reducing the body’s endogenous synthesis of cholesterol is in direct conflict with trying to increase the amount of nourishing, brain-boosting  cholesterol we want to make available.”

Amy knows the brain makes it’s cholesterol. 

 Newborn babies who make a great deal of brain cells. 

Newborn babies run LDLc less than 100. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11142836

In summary, I agree with the message of:

1- Low carbohydrate high fat diet

2- Exercise

3- Avoid stress

4- Get enough sleep.

I give her only 3 stars because:

1- The title with antidote gives false hope

2- She doesn’t mention the drug for Alzheimer’s. Namzaric. 

3- She speaks against lowering cholesterol. This may cause stroke.