Of course dementia has always been with us. After all Alzheimer’s disease (only one of several kinds of dementia) was first described by Dr. Alois Alzheimer (Germany) as long ago as 1906, after studying a patient named Auguste Dieter. She had been admitted to Frankfurt Psychiatric Hospital five years earlier with memory loss and other cognitive symptoms.¹

After her death, Alzheimer got to study her brain and found the amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles that are the hallmarks (but not the cause) of what we now call Alzheimer’s disease or AD.

Fast forward more than a century and dementias, including but not confined to Alzheimer’s, now affects 6.9 million Americans. About 1 in 9 people (10.9%) age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s dementia. In the age group 65 – 74, that’s 5.0% of people have AD; by age 75 to 84 that rises to 13.2%; and at 85 years and older, 33.4% of people have AD. That’s fully one third of the population.

But it’s worse: we now recognize a young person’s form of dementia. People under the age of 65 can also develop Alzheimer’s. Although the exact statistics are not yet known, researchers believe about 110 of every 100,000 people age 30 to 64 years have younger-onset dementia.²

Globally, according to the WHO, over 55 million people have dementia, with nearly 10 million new cases each year. Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form, accounting for 60-70% of all cases.

In a 1976 editorial, American neurologist Robert Katzman describes Alzheimer’s disease as a “major killer”, saying that Alzheimer’s is:

• The most common cause of dementia,

• The fourth leading cause of death in the United States after heart disease, cancer and stroke and

• A major public health challenge that impacts the entire world.

I am always surprised that people don’t understand: Alzheimer’s is a rapidly fatal condition. It is rare for a patient to survive beyond 3 years.

Type 3 Diabetes

Recent research has focused on insulin resistance in the brain in Alzheimer’s patients, with researchers at Brown University in 2005 suggesting that the neurodegenerative disease might be a Type 3 diabetes!

Glucose is the main fuel that powers the brain, but in Alzheimer’s disease, neurons can’t metabolize it effectively to generate energy. Unable to produce adequate energy, the brain doesn’t efficiently utilize fats; fails to produce adequate amounts of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine; and can’t properly clear the cellular proteins in the brain that give rise to the telltale plaque associated with the disease.

So the disordered glucose metabolism is certainly further upstream than the limited causes that doctors and scientists have been stuck on (amyloid plaque and tau proteins).

How do we get round this metabolic block? Is there a practical way?

Yes, there is: medium chain fatty acids (MCTs). Like all triglycerides (fats and oils), MCTs are composed of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acids, hence the name triglyceride. But not all are the dangerous ones that screw up your blood lipid profile.

In fact some MCTs are so gentle and friendly that patients with malnutrition or malabsorption syndromes are treated with MCTs because they do not require energy for absorption, utilization, or storage. In addition, MCTs do not require bile salts for digestion.

The names of the medium-chain fatty acids (and the corresponding number of carbons) found in MCTs are caproic acid (C6), caprylic acid (C8), capric acid (C10) and lauric acid (C12). 

Coconut oil is composed of approximately 66% medium-chain triglycerides. Other rich sources of MCTs include palm kernel oil and camphor tree oil. 

Why should these help bypass the glucose metabolism block? Because MCTs, coupled with a low carb diet, release floods of compounds known as ketones. In fact, the body naturally breaks down fat into ketone bodies to use for energy when insulin is unavailable.

Why does that help?

Because ketones are a valuable source of powerful nutritional energy, which brain cells can use for energy even when their ability to metabolize glucose is impaired. Actually, damaged brain cells seem to prefer ketones as a source of energy and lap them up.

Holistics

It is important to understand that, while there may be very strong genetic forces at play in the development of dementia, genes can be effectively switched off! This is called epigenetics and is an important emerging science.

Orthodox science, while admitting there is such a thing, has a great deal of trouble incorporating epigenetics into their thinking. That’s because there are MASSIVE grants ($billions!) to be had for researching genetic diseases. Follow the money!

Vitamin D, for example, is a critical factor in the expression of over 800 genes (expression means whether or not the gene gives rise to the problem or remains quiescent).

1. Nutrition & Diet for Brain Health

A healthy diet can support cognitive function and possibly slow decline. For example:

Mediterranean Diet – Rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, olive oil, nuts, and low in processed foods.

MIND Diet – A mix of the Mediterranean & DASH diet, focusing on leafy greens, berries, nuts, whole grains, fish, and olive oil.

Ketogenic Diet – Some studies suggest that a low-carb, high-fat diet (with ketones as an energy source) may help brain function.

Best of all: Dr. Keith’s BANDIT FOODS program.

Key Nutrients & Supplements

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil, Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds) all support brain cell function.

MCTs (medium chain fatty acids) have their proponents. Chiefly these are coconut oil, caprylic acid, lauric acid and palm.

Phosphatidylserine is a lipid that is the primary component of the membranes that surround nerve cells. Taking phosphatidylserine therefore makes sense. It may shore up the cell membrane and possibly protect cells from degenerating.

Vitamin B12 & Folate. Important for cognitive health, especially in aging adults.

Curcumin (Turmeric).  Has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Supports crucial mitochondrial function in brain cells.

Magnesium (many forms).  May help with memory and learning.

2. Herbal & Alternative Therapies

Some herbs and plant-based treatments are traditionally used for cognitive health:

Ginkgo Biloba. Thought to improve blood flow to the brain and so help memory against aging (mixed scientific evidence).

Vinpocetine. The absolute number one plant-based enhancer of memory and cognitive function!

Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus). Current research suggests it may support nerve growth and memory. 

Bacopa Monnieri. An Ayurvedic herb believed to enhance memory and focus.

Ashwagandha. May reduce stress-related brain inflammation.

Rhodiola. Thought to support brain function and reduce fatigue.

3. Lifestyle & Holistic Practices

Engaging in mentally stimulating activities and stress-reducing practices can help support cognitive function.

Brain-Stimulating Activities: reading, puzzles, learning new skills (languages, music), memory training & cognitive exercises

Stress Reduction & Mindfulness: meditation, yoga, tai chi and qigong, massage and aromatherapy (lavender, peppermint, lemon balm) for relaxation.

Exercise: regular aerobic exercise (walking, swimming, dancing) improves blood flow to the brain.

4. Gut Health & Dementia Connection

New research links gut bacteria to brain function (gut-brain axis). Improving gut health might help: 

• Fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso)

• Prebiotic fiber (bananas, artichokes, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus)

• Probiotics (taken as supplements or fermented foods)

Saving The Best Till Last!

Photobiomodulation: that is treatment with near infrared light (around 810 nm wavelength). I’ve told this story recently. If you are at all worried and looking for solutions, do read this page again.

Dr Keith’s Bandit Foods Program: You now have a book. No excuses!

It’s about finding and eliminating stressor foods; the bandits that rob you of health, happiness and vitality. THIS IS THE NUMBER ONE APPROACH TO BEATING DEMENTIA OR ANY OTHER PROBLEM OF AGING!

Now I’m not talking about a list of anti-inflammatory foods, no set plan like keto dieting, paleo eating, vegetarianism or low-carb, etc.

I’m talking about a personalized eating regimen that you work out FOR YOURSELF. It won’t/can’t be the same as anyone else’s. It’s a unique and self-researched plan. I tell you step by step, mouthful by mouthful almost, what to do and how to figure out your own longevity eating plan!

If you are serious, like me, about being able to party until your last day on earth, you need this book! Heck, I am 80 years old in a matter of weeks, going on 55 and if you want to keep up with me, you must act. Don’t wait!

Here’s the link to more information on the BANDIT FOODS book and how to buy it.

Blessings to all and the very BEST of cognitive function, till the very end!

Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby
The Official Alternative Doctor

References:

1. https://alzheimer.ca/en/about-dementia/what-alzheimers-disease/history-behind-alzheimers-disease
2. Alzheimer’s Association. 2024 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures. Alzheimers Dement 2024;20(5)

The truth is, the common tests are usually a waste of time, because they don’t lead to any worthwhile treatment.

One of the big fashions, for example, is to measure cholesterol and tell you it’s “bad”. But the myth of cholesterol dangers has been disproven, over and over. TAKING STATINS IS A TOTAL WASTE OF YOUR MONEY. We want cholesterol UP, not down! Cholesterol is the precursor of all our good hormones: testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, adrenalin… Once over 65 years, those with the HIGHEST cholesterol levels live longer!¹

So getting down cholesterol is not a worthwhile treatment. In which case, why measure it? Because the doctor is ignorant or undertrained, or both. Either way, this test has no scientific rationale.

Fasting blood sugar is another one. You can’t diagnose diabetes from a fasting blood sugar, so why bother? Again it’s ignorance, or “group thinking” (same as mob rule, in effect!)

Most doctors lay great store by the obesity measure called BMI (body mass index). But it’s nuts! Michael Jordan, the top US basketball athlete, was technically obese, according to his BMI. But in fact he was in superb physical shape, harder than a jungle animal, with not an ounce of excess fat anywhere on him. His bulk was actually solid muscle!

Michael Jordan at his peak

Gastroenterologists is a great money earner for GI surgeons. But is it worthwhile as a screen? Mammography certainly is NOT. Not only does it not save lives, as they claim; mammography is a serious radiation hazard (1 rad: equivalent to the woman being only a mile from ground zero when the atom bomb went off in Hiroshima!) Mammograms actually CAUSE breast cancer.²

Better Tests and Why

For this week’s newsletter, I am going to suggest some pretty hot tests that will lead to real clinical insights that could benefit you—even save your life! And I’ll explain why.

Let’s start with percentage body fat. That’s far more valuable than BMI. As I indicated, your bulk could be solid muscle, which is heavy. Fat is not.

It’s the accumulation of fat that is dangerous. So don’t bother with BMI but go for hip to waist ratio, or even better, height to weight ratio.

Body Fat Percentage

Your body fat percentage is not the same as BMI. This measurement is often used to assess whether you are gaining muscle or losing fat. The healthy ranges are different for men and women. There are a variety of ways to measure it, including using a body fat scale that uses bioelectrical impedance.³

Today you can weigh yourself on scales that give out a whole range of additional parameters. This can include percentage of body fat, percentage muscle and how much visceral fat (the dangerous stuff).

I have the Omron Body Composition Monitor in my bathroom. You can get one on eBay for about $75.

Alternatively, you can learn more about ways to measure body fat at this website: Best measures: https://www.verywellfit.com/best-body-fat-monitors-3435133

Thin Bones Lead To Fractures

It’s little known that fractures of the femur, in older women, cause more fatalities than breast cancer. You (men and women) need to know the state of your bones.

Risk factors for osteoporotic fractures include: a family history of osteoporosis, previous fractures, white race, dementia, poor nutrition, cigarette smoking, alcoholism, estrogen deficiency, early menopause (i.e., before age 45), long-term low calorie intake, history of falls, and inadequate physical activity, among other factors.

A DEXA scan is a high-precision type of X-ray that measures your bone mineral density and bone loss. If your bone density is lower than normal for your age, it indicates a risk for osteoporosis and bone fractures. DEXA stands for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Guidelines from multiple organizations recommend beginning dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) screening for osteoporosis, starting at age 65 in women and men at age 70, with no significant risk factors.⁴

It’s very simple. You just lie on the bed and the machine passes over you a number of times. Here’s my wife Vivien having a DEXA Scan (well, just demonstrating!):

Simple and safe: the DEXA Scan

HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance)

First, you need to understand that insulin resistance is one of the most deadly medical conditions around. It not only means serious risk of overweight, obesity and diabetes. According to Dr. Graham Simpson, it dramatically increases the risk of heart attack and strokes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS). It will also make you much more likely to die of COVID-19. More than 50% of patients with COVID-19 who are technically obese (BMI >30) are admitted to the ICU.

Insulin resistance means, in effect, your body has too much sugar overload and is no longer helped by insulin. In a healthy person, insulin shunts blood glucose into the cells, where it provides energy. But in our modern diets, where ‘most everybody eats too much carbs (which gets turned into sugar), the insulin cannot get it down. Insulin levels rise but the glucose stays high in the blood.

Trouble is, insulin itself is deadly: it’s highly inflammatory and wrecks tissues and organs. So eating too much starch—and especially sugar—means your insulin is going to be too high. The high insulin does no good (hence insulin “resistance”). But it does a lot of damage, especially to the lining of your blood vessels.

It almost guarantees heart attacks and strokes!

That’s why a high fasting insulin has a very strong correlation with early death: insulin itself is gonna kill you, never mind the toxic blood glucose.

How do doctors treat this? EVEN MORE INSULIN! Even more damage to blood vessels and other organs. It makes no sense.

With That In Mind

OK, I haven’t room to give a whole lesson in glucose metabolism. But I hope by now that you are wary of insulin resistance and damage it causes. So is there a good test for insulin resistance?

There is and your doctor will likely not have heard of it, never mind use it and understand it.

Not hbA1C. It’s HOMA-IR, or Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance. We take samples for your fasting insulin level and your fasting blood glucose. They are joined by a simple formula, which gives a measure of insulin resistance:

HOMA-IR = fasting insulin level x fasting glucose level ÷ 405

For example:

• If you have a fasting insulin that is on the high side, like 10 uIU/mL
• and your fasting glucose was slightly high too, say 100 mg/dL

10 x 100 = 1000, divided by 405 = about 2.5 = early insulin resistance!

Ideally, you want a HOMA-IR of 1.9 or less. 1.2 or below is ideal. Levels of 2.0 and upwards, you are already in trouble.

Low HOMA-IR means that you are sensitive to insulin. A small amount of the hormone insulin is doing the trick to keep your blood sugars in good balance. 

If you are above 2.0, your self-prescribed diet and fitness habits will bring your number down into the lower insulin-sensitive range.

Blood Sugar gets too much attention. As you can tell, metabolic health lies in space between the hormone insulin and your glucose sensitivity. Since high blood sugar gets all the press, what is the story behind low and high insulin?

With low insulin, you can readily break down fats that you have stored. In practice, we see low insulin with:

• people with inadequate caloric intake
• people who over-exercise/over-train without adequate time off to recover
• people who have chosen a low-carbohydrate and high fat diet.

High insulin: High insulin on a fasting blood test means you are in an anabolic state—effectively GETTING FAT! ⁵

If you want some help to arrange tests like these, email me (by replying to this email). I don’t do them but I know a lot of doctors who do!

To your longest stay on earth!

Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby

References:

1. Ravnskov, Uffe, et al. “Lack of an association or an inverse association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol and mortality in the elderly: a systematic review.” BMJ open 6.6 (2016): e010401.

2. J R Soc Med. 2015 Sep; 108(9): 341–345. Mammography screening is harmful and should be abandoned. Peter C Gøtzsche

3. Thomas E, Gupta PP, Fonarow GC, Horwich TB. Bioelectrical impedance analysis of body composition and survival in patients with heart failure. Clin Cardiol. 2019;42(1):129-135. doi:10.1002/clc.23118

4. https://www.aafp.org/family-physician/patient-care/clinical-recommendations/all-clinical-recommendations/cw-osteoporosis.html

5. Vogeser, M. Fasting serum insulin and the homeostasis model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in the monitoring of lifestyle interventions in obese persons. Clinical Biochemistry (2007), vol. 40, issue 13/14:964–8.

The caves paintings at Lascaux (better than many paintings exhibited at the Paris Louvre Gallery, trust me!) The Chamber Of The Bulls is breathtaking, to say these paintings were done nearly 20,000 years ago:

This was all done, apparently, as air-brushing. The artist would fill his mouth with pigment and blow it out in a spray. We know this because there were innumerable pigment-stained blow-pipes left at the site.

The other claim to fame is foie gras, the fatty goose liver pâté that everyone adores. The Dordogne region has it down to an art form! The medieval city of Sarlat is ground zero!

French law requires at least eighty percent of pâté de foie gras must be the liver, but sadly the law is often circumvented. Mousse or purée de foie gras contains even less, 55 percent. Although other pâtés can be served warm or hot, the delicate texture of foie gras melts too easily, so pâté de foie gras is usually served chilled.

Some people are shocked by the forced-feeding of geese, which is pushed to the point where the goose’s liver turns to fat. They assume this is cruel, because the birds (geese or ducks) would not over indulge in the wild. There’s even a movement afoot, to try and get it banned.

Well, I have an observation on that: Americans seem to lustily enjoy force-feeding themselves on carbohydrate foods, to the point where their livers are just like foie gras, AND THEY SEEM TO ENJOY THE PROCESS! Why should it be different for a goose?

Force feeding geese, who seem not to mind over-eating!

Now compare that with the lines at Macdonald’s or Burger King, where Americans guzzle stodge and slurp to excess, just like the geese…*

Result? Fatty livers. There is really no difference between a goose’s fatty liver and a human one. For both creatures it’s a short, happy life! Eat all you can manage for a time, feel full and never want for food. Then die early. 

See, fatty liver or, to give it it’s correct title, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is usually fatal. It leads to destruction and fibrosis of liver tissue, a process we call cirrhosis. Most people think that alcoholism is the main cause of liver cirrhosis. But that’s not true. Deaths from alcohol cirrhosis accounts for only about 6% of terminal liver failure. Whereas NAFLD accounts for well over 50% of deaths.

Now do you see where I’m going with this little pâté de foie gras thing?

Funnily enough, eating super-fatty goose livers does not cause obesity, or NAFLD. It’s CARBOHYDRATES that do the damage. Sugar (especially), manufactured foods and too much refined flours (pasta, pizzas, pastry, muffins, crepes, bread, etc.) are all bad.

As a result, 25% – 35% of the US population has a degree of NAFLD. That rises to 80% in patients who are obese. Worldwide, we are looking at between 80 and 100 million individuals with the problem.

The process is well understood, though most doctors and dieticians don’t get it. We eat far too much carbohydrate. This leads to unhealthy raised blood glucose levels, which in turn overloads the insulin control mechanism, which then struggles to bring down the blood sugar.

The problem escalates to the point where the body produces more and more insulin but the hormone has less and less effect. Blood sugar levels continue to soar and we call this outcome DIABETES!

The problem is not lack of insulin. We now have too much insulin but it doesn’t work any more, a state we call “insulin resistance” (IR). Insulin is supposed to lower blood sugar, by having it taken up by the cells. But when there is just way too much sugar (are you paying attention at the back there?) it turns to fat. It gets deposited anywhere and everywhere but particularly in the abdomen (hence pot belly) and one organ in particular… which is?

The liver. Yes, I’m glad you were paying attention. Fatty liver destruction starts and ends with insulin resistance. It is vital to prevent this problem in your body. We need less insulin, not more. It’s beyond stupid to give insulin to diabetics, when it already doesn’t work! Bigger and bigger doses of insulin is a double folly:

• It’s attacking the wrong problem and so not solving anything
• Insulin itself is terribly destructive, highly inflammatory and wrecks blood vessels…

Cue, heart attack music! Haha. But it’s no laughing matter

What To Do?

Strangely, insulin resistance is one of the easiest things to cure in the world. STOP EATING!

It’s the exact opposite of the process that causes IR, overweight, diabetes and fatty liver. Of course most people—who let’s face it are highly addicted to the wrong foods—go pale at the thought of skipping a meal, never mind a whole day without eating.

But it’s not as difficult as you think. Fasting, or intermittent fasting (doing it on and off), has tremendous health benefits. It’s worth making the effort. And surprisingly, you won’t really feel hungry.

On the plus side, you will feel alert and years younger. You’ll have more energy (sugar for energy is a myth put about by the sugar and fast food manufacturers; sugar SAPS energy). You’ll lose some weight, obviously.

But the best things are the invisible results:

• Your body will clear out old, or dying (senescent) cells; a process called autophagy
• Your body will wake up a flood of stem cells that can get to work repairing the effects of aging. No need to get expensive treatments. Use your OWN stem cells!
• Your body will produce ketones, which is what keto dieting is all about. Our brains love ketones and seem to work more efficiently.

Idiots still keep denigrating keto dieting as a fad. Excuse me: a fad that is 2 MILLION YEARS OLD? I don’t think so. Keto eating is what the human race did for most of its duration. You heard of the hunter-gatherers diet and lifestyle?

Well, nobody was THAT GOOD a hunter. So, sometimes the tribe went short and starved a bit! It’s all part of the natural process.

You can see it at work in other animals too. Many of you, I know, have heard me talk about hibernating bears, who eat and eat and over-eat, to build up fat stores for the winter. They get fatty livers, yes sir! But then they go to sleep and don’t eat for months, lose all the excess, weight and go back to healthy when they wake in the spring.

Even pretty little humming birds sip sugary nectar all day, get fatty livers by evening, and then perch and go to sleep. Their milky white livers lose all the fat overnight and the color returns to normal by next morning. It’s like being diabetic during the day and healthy at night!

Nature knows what she is doing. Idiot doctors don’t: fatty liver, insulin resistance and diabetes are entirely reversible…

Just don’t eat!

Now: To read more about this (no, not French holidays… the insulin problem!) get a copy of the 4-Week Diabesity Cure by one of the world’s leading experts on this issue:

Go here.

Here’s to better eating but please, not overeating!

To your good health,

Prof. Keith Scott-Mumby

*Of course there are plenty of obese people today in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, etc.

For nearly 40 years I’ve been asking why diabetics are given “lines” of carbohydrate and told to eat it and then take their insulin to reduce it!  If diabetes is a disease which cannot safely handle carbs, why is God’s name tell patients to eat the stuff? It has never made sense. I’ve cured thousands of diabetics by simply saying “Do not eat carbohydrates.” A great many of them came off insulin altogether.

Now a new study has shown that a very low-calorie diet of 600 calories a day totally reverses type 2 diabetes.

Eleven people who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the past four years slashed their calories for eight weeks, sticking to liquid diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables.

After one week on the diet, participants’ fasting blood sugar levels were no longer elevated. 

MRI scans showed that the fat levels in the pancreas fell from around 8% — considered high — to a normal 6%.

After eight weeks on the diet, their bodies were once again making sufficient insulin, essentially reversing their diabetes.

Three months after going off the diet, seven were free of diabetes. That’s about a 70% cure rate. Brilliant!

So what is the doctor’s response who carried out this study? Don’t do it! Study head Roy Taylor, MD, director of the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University in England said they were not recommending calorie restriction as a cure for diabetes. However he was smart enough to point out that losing weight by any means whatever was good for curing diabetes.

“We have to figure out a more practical way for people to get these results — that is, to get fat out of pancreas and keep it out,” Taylor said.

Diabetes is one of the top three killers in the Western world. It’s tragic because it is such an easy disease to treat: just eat differently!

But over and over patients are told to eat their “lines” and take insulin or drugs.

You can learn more about my method of treating diabetes–and just about any other imaginable inflammatory disease, from arthritis to Alzheimer’s–using dietary control, by buying my book “One Diet For Life”. Just click here or click on the banner image in the right-hand column.

[SOURCE: 71st Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association, San Diego, June 24-28, 2011.Diabetologia. published online June 24, 2011.]

Incidentally: 

The last quarter century has seen such an explosion in the incidence of diabetes that nearly 350 million people worldwide now struggle with the disease, a new British-American study reveals.

Over the past three decades the number of adults with diabetes has more than doubled, jumping from 153 million in 1980 to 347 million in 2008. That’s soon to be HALF A BILLION! One might almost say that the other name for diabetes is “civilization”!

The incidence of diabetes in the United States is rising twice as fast as that of Western Europe, the investigation revealed.

[SOURCE: June 25, 2011, The Lancet, news release]

Fatty liver is a common liver condition that occurs in over one-third of adults in the U.S. and with similar alarming frequency elsewhere in Western societies with poor diets. In some cases, the condition is mild and causes no noticeable symptoms, but in other cases it can lead to permanent liver damage or liver failure.

Fatty liver is frequently associated with alcoholic liver disease, but it may also have non-alcoholic causes.

You do NOT want a fatty liver. You need to get me eBook on liver health: “Love Your Liver”. It’s coupled with a similar super eBook about kidney health (kidney disease is arguably the 4^th leading cause of death). More on that at this page: Liver and Kidney Health

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

Contrary to belief, alcohol is NOT the main cause of liver failure (only 6%); NAFLD is (over 50%)!

Moreover it has now emerged that fatty liver will likely trigger an even bigger killer: diabetes. Diabetes, I have often said, is really “speeded up aging”; that’s pretty much the effect is has on your body.

In a study to be published next month (Apr. 2011), researchers found people with fatty liver disease were significantly more likely to develop the disease within five years than those with healthy livers. Fatty liver, as diagnosed by ultrasound, strongly predicts the development of type 2 diabetes regardless of insulin concentration.

Researchers say fatty liver often occurs along with other risk factors for diabetes, such as obesity and insulin resistance, which has made it difficult to determine whether the condition itself is a marker for diabetes risk.

But in this study, the researchers found that even among those with similar insulin concentrations, those with fatty liver were still 200% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

This was a large study carried out in Korea and published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Over the space of five years (2003- 2008), researchers looked at the relationship between fatty liver and diabetes risk in 11,091 adults.

At the start of the study, 27% had fatty liver, as diagnosed by ultrasound. Nearly two-thirds of those with fatty liver were also overweight or obese compared with 19% of those without fatty liver.

In addition, almost half of those with fatty liver had seriously raised insulin levels, a marker of insulin resistance (pre-diabetes), compared with 17% of those without fatty liver.

During the follow-up period, less than 1% of those without fatty liver developed type 2 diabetes compared with 4% of those with fatty liver.

[SOURCE: Sung, K. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, April 2011. Pre-publication]