How can you avoid pesticide breakdown products that can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease as much as having APOE e4, the so-called Alzheimer’s gene?
Although the list of Alzheimer’s disease susceptibility genes continues to grow, these genes account for less than half of all Alzheimer’s disease cases. This is the “single most convincing” data about our chances of controlling the disease. If identical twins have the exact same genes, even if one twin develops Alzheimer’s disease, the other usually does not. Therefore, you need to consider all other factors, not just genetics.
There is a list of chlorinated pesticides containing DDE (a metabolite of DDT) that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has classified as possible human carcinogens. However, in one study, which I mentioned in my video on pesticides and cancer, blood levels of DDE and other pesticides were not associated with increased mortality from cancer, but rather an increased risk of death from other causes. Researchers speculate that this may be due to an associated increased risk of diabetes and dementia. I’ve talked about the connection with diabetes before. What about dementia?
A research team at Rutgers University found that Alzheimer’s disease patients had significantly higher blood DDE levels compared to controls, as seen below and at 1:22 in my video, “Pesticides (DDT) and Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Anatomical studies have shown that blood concentrations are a good surrogate for brain levels. Patients with the highest levels were about four times more likely to develop dementia from Alzheimer’s disease. Also, in Petri dishes, DDE increases amyloid precursor protein levels in human brain cells, providing a potential mechanism. At the bottom of my video and at 1:48, you can see the levels of a sticky protein associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease before and after adding DDE at levels found circulating in highly exposed individuals in the general population.
Putting all of these studies together, as seen below and at 2:01 in my video, there appears to be an association that is consistent with data showing that acute pesticide poisoning has approximately twice the risk of developing dementia.
Among older adults in the United States, DDT and its breakdown product, DDE, are also commonly associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, as shown below and at 2:08 in my video.
DDT was widely used in the United States from the 1940s to the early 1970s. At its peak, it produced approximately 180 million pounds annually. And it’s still present in our bodies to this day, contaminating the bloodstream of more than 90% of Americans, with DDE, the pesticide linked to quadrupling the odds of Alzheimer’s disease, being detected at the highest levels of all.
It is still present in our bodies because it is found in food. In a previous video on this topic, we noted that a vegetarian mother’s breast milk has much lower levels of DDT, DDE, and other banned pesticides and contaminants compared to her non-vegetarian sister’s breast milk. The biggest difference was found in DDE, which was one-fourth lower in vegetarian sisters. This is generally the case with these types of contaminants. Below and at 3:20 in my video, you can see the combined levels of dioxins and PCBs in beef, chicken, pork, processed meats, eggs, fish, dairy, and all plant foods when we collect food samples from supermarkets across the United States.
These toxins accumulate throughout the food chain, so it’s no surprise that the most contaminated foods are meat, fish, and dairy products. Toxin levels in meat, eggs, fish, and dairy products were found to be 5 to 10 times higher compared to plant foods. Unfortunately, cooking does not destroy contaminants such as DDE. In fact, cooking can further concentrate contaminants. This is about pesticides that can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease as much as having the so-called Alzheimer’s disease gene APOE e4.
doctor’s note
The video I mentioned is “Pesticides and Cancer Risk.”
For more videos about Alzheimer’s disease, visit our Alzheimer’s disease topic page.
