September 21st is Alzheimer´s Day. Alzheimer´s is the neurodegenerative disease with the highest incident rate of dementia in the world. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 35.6 million people in the world who suffer from dementia and each year 7.7 million new cases are diagnosed.
We are reminded by Milagros Carvajal of Afacayle that in Spain there are between 800.000 and 1.2 million people suffering from Alzheimer´s, of whom 60% of the total are dependent. Afacayle is the Regional Federation of Associations of Relatives of Alzheimer´s and other dementias in Castile and León.
Alzheimer is a disease that can be very hard to bear not only for those who suffer it but also for those around them. The story “In case tomorrow” by Jesús Espada, winner of the first prize in the competition of Love Letters celebrated in Cobisa (Toledo) in 2014, describes the life of a person with the disease in a realistic, endearing way.
This is a disease that one can live with for many years, which impairs enormously the quality of life not only of the sufferer but also family and relatives. We share the observation “We live longer but we also want to live better” made by the Fundación Pascual Maragall dedicated to research on the disease.
Alzheimer is a disease that can be very hard to bear not only for those who suffer it but also for those around them.
It is important to confront the disease with philosophy and awareness but above all we have to ask: are we able to prevent it?
There are five points that can help us avoid Alzheimer and which are within our reach:
- What is good for the heart is good for the brain.
- We have to keep on the move.
- Exercise your mind or you will lose it.
- Enjoy a social life.
- We are what we eat. A common factor in enjoying good health is the importance of our daily food for our bodies.
In this respect, we can add that “antioxidants help neutralise the devastating effects of free radicals, which protects us when facing degenerative diseases” as described in the scientific study by Nkukwana TT, Muchenje V, Masika PJ, Hoffman LC, Dzama K, Descalzo AM. (2014) ‘Fatty acid composition and oxidative stability of breast meat from broiler chickens supplemented with Moringa oleifera leaf meal over a period of refrigeration’. Food Chem. Jan 1;142:255-61. Available at :
It has been proved that Moringa oleifera´s antioxidant activity reflects among other attributes, an improvement in the fatty acids profile and lower lipid oxidation. (Nkukwana et al., 2014)
The natural daily intake of Moringa oleifera, in an herbal drink or in powder form, contributes to the good nutrition we need. By taking Moringa every day, we receive a high intake of antioxidants (Yguá Moringa has an ORAC value of 131.120 µmol), plus complete plant protein with the nine essential amino acids, and a multivitamin intake (with bioavailable vitamin B12) and multi- mineral.
It is a food that regenerates and balances, because we receive the “totum”, the wholeness of the properties of the leaves of the Moringa tree, grown in a fertile soil and treated carefully to make the most of what the land gives us.
Today is a special day to be aware, to be motivated and to know more about how to begin to prevent Alzheimer´s.
