Emerging Strategies for Healthy Ageing
Christine Pope | B Comm ( Accounting & Finance ), B Health Sciences ( Comp Med ), Adv Dip Naturopathy , Adv Dip Nutritional Medicine , Adv Dip Homeopathy
Research on diets is often limited by the difficulty of running long-term clinical trials and many studies are based on retrospective data and recall . Dietary strategies for healthy ageing are limited in terms of their evidence base , with many focused on individual nutrients or herbal medicines . There are , however , recent studies which may provide more evidence for useful strategies for healthy ageing . 1 , 2 In this review we will consider three areas of current research which are relevant to the neurological and physical effects of ageing . The protocols that will be reviewed are the Swanks 3 and Wahls 4 diets for multiple sclerosis and the Bredesen Recode Protocol for Cognitive Decline . 5
The Wahls and Swank diets
The two nutritional protocols related to multiple sclerosis and neurological symptoms are the modified paleolithic Wahls protocol 4 and the low saturated fat ( Swanks ) diet . 3 A comparison of these two approaches was reported in a 2021 article in Multiple Sclerosis Journal 2 and both of these diets in a 36-week study showed improvements in fatigue and quality of life . The Wahls protocol also showed a clinically significant improvement in the Mini Mental State Assessment in 74.2 % of participant at 24 weeks . A lower percentage of 45.5 % showed improvement in the Swanks group . Further , the Wahls protocol continued to show a more significant reduction in fatigue after 24 weeks than was evident in the Swank group . 2
Bredesen Recode Protocol for Cognitive Decline⁵
Dr Dale Bredesen , the author of the Bredesen ReCode Protocol for Cognitive Decline , has published an update to his original case series and is now reporting on a larger group with 100 patients . 4 The protocol is personalised treatment based on an assessment of key risk factors which include insulin resistance , hormone status , inflammatory markers , liver function , nutrient deficiency , and toxic load . The protocol involves up to 36 key points of intervention based on the results of extensive testing . These interventions are tailored and may include improving insulin sensitivity with a lower carbohydrate ketogenic diet , movement and stress reduction , bio-identical hormone replacement , reducing inflammation with omega 3 essential fatty acids , Vitamins D3 and K2 , supporting detoxification with cofactors such as methylcobalmin and methyl-tetrahydrofolate , and treatment of the causes of inflammation such as underlying infections or mould toxicity . The protocol also includes brain training exercises , specifically Brain HQ . 6
Table 1 is a comparison of the Swanks , Wahls and Bredesen protocols .
Naturopathic strategies for / approaches to healthy ageing
From a naturopathic perspective there are consistent features across the Bredesen 5 and Wahls 4 protocols which include the following features : 1 . Reducing insulin resistance 2 . Addressing nutrient deficiency 3 . Reducing toxicity 4 . Exercise and brain training
Reducing Insulin Resistance
A key feature of the Bredesen ReCode Protocol 5 is managing insulin resistance through a combination of a mildly ketogenic diet , appropriate supplements and fasting . The general recommendation
8 | vol29 | no1 | JATMS