By Dr. Ronald Hoffman
I'm on vacation this week, so I thought I'd dust off an "oldie but goodie" - all the information below is still relevant and I hope it will prove useful for you.
A new study from the Cleveland Clinic has revealed that 99.6 percent of Alzheimer's drug trials are unsuccessful! Of 244 drugs tested from 2002 to 2012, only one drug was a success? and a very partial one at that, with only temporary small benefits and no impact on the ultimate course of the disease, and with side effects to boot!
No wonder that drug companies are rethinking the vast amounts of money that they're pouring into Alzheimer's research and that the "drug pipeline" is drying up-and consumers are searching for natural ways to forestall the disease in lieu of a "magic bullet" cure.
The problem is critical. With 10,000 Baby Boomers reaching the Alzheimer's risk period each day (!) our current tally of 5.5 million sufferers will reach 14 million by 2050 if we don't come up with better answers. This unsustainable level of disability will sink our healthcare system and hobble our economy.
In the second of my new "Clinical Focus" podcast series, I focus on factors that impact the progression of dementia such as genes, diet, exercise, mental gymnastics, sleep, stress, heavy metal toxicity, and harmful effects of prescription drugs.
I also catalogue some of my favorite supplements for combating cognitive decline.
Here's the list:
1) DHA-rich fish oil: 1.5 to 2 grams per day
2) Vitamin E (gamma-rich mixed tocopherols): 2000 IUs per day
3) Alpha lipoic acid: 600 milligrams twice daily
4) B12 (methylcobalamin): 500-1000 micrograms per day
5) Folate (5 methyl-folate, not synthetic folic acid!): 1-5 micrograms per day
6) Phosphatidylserine (PS): 200-300 mg per day
7) Phosphatidylcholine (PC): 12-15 grams per day
8) Acetyl-l-carnitine: 2-3 grams per day
9) Melatonin: 1.5 to 3 grams before bedtime
10) DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone): 5-15 milligrams per day for women; 25-50 milligrams per day for men
11) Ginkgo biloba: 120-240 milligrams per day
12) Huperzine A: 200 micrograms twice daily
13) Vinpocetine: 5-10 milligrams three times daily
14) CoQ10/Ubiquinol: 1200 to 1600 mg daily/600 to 800 mg daily
15) Resveratrol: 500 milligrams once daily to 1000 milligrams twice daily
16) Vitamin D: 2000 IU per day
17) Curcumin: 500 to 1000 milligrams twice daily
18) Nicotinamide Riboside (Niacel): 125 milligrams twice daily
To get the rationale for each of these supplements in detail, listen to Part 2 of my Clinical Focus podcast on Alzheimer's. If you'd like to purchase any of the supplements listed above, visit the Hoffman Center store.
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