Losing Your Marbles for a Piece of Pizza — Junk Food Can Cause Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s

The majority of America eats junk food on a regular basis. With its affordability and fast service, too many families eat at places like McDonald's rather than a home cooked meal. Could all of these junk foods be the cause for more problems than just obesity?

Alzheimer's is now referred to by the scientific community as "type 3 diabetes." This is because of years of studies producing more and more evidence that Alzheimer's is largely a metabolic disease. We are all familiar with diabetes these days. There are more and more cases occurring across all age groups, races, and sexes. Many families now have at least one, if not more, family members suffering from the ailment.

Also growing in numbers are Alzheimer's patients. This disease is found in the early stages to cause; mild mood and personality changes, losing train of thought and objects, and difficulty completing daily tasks. These symptoms can often be confused with the normal "getting old" behaviors. Once the disease progresses to the moderate stage, the symptoms become more abnormal than the natural slowing down of an older person. Lack of concern with hygiene, increased confusion, and trouble remembering family members can occur. This stage is still seemingly mild, but as Alzheimer's disease ravages the mind the sufferer will enter a frightening existence.

Inability to recognize oneself is listed for the severe stage of Alzheimer's. Can you imagine waking one morning and having no memory of your name or past? Feeling lost in your own home, as if you had never been there before. Someone approaches you that is a complete stranger. They are insistent that they are your spouse or loved one, but you cannot place their face in your absent memories. Explaining to them that you don't know them is impossible because your communication skills have runaway with your memory. Tasks like getting dressed are too hard for you to complete by yourself because you won't remember all of the steps. It is okay if you forgot to put your pants on, though. You have no control over your bladder or bowels, so "accidents" become a regular part of the day.

If the idea of living in that kind of situation makes you feel anxious and a little ill, maybe it is time to consider what you are putting in your body. Since Alzheimer's has been for so long becoming more matched with junk food and being overweight, why would you chance it? Would it not now be the dream just to grow old and forget your keys every once in a while? Is eating that greasy pizza, bag of chips, cookies, and a few sodas worth losing yourself?

The issue of obesity and its effects have been widely discussed and yet the numbers in our country have yet to show improvement. Lets start here and now.

Lose the pounds, not your life and mind.