Ancient Greeks recognized that ageing commonly brought memory issues – today diagnosed as ‘mild cognitive impairment’. But there was no evidence of major loss of memory, speech and reasoning, as caused by Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Professor Caleb Finch, from the University of Southern California, pored over ancient medical writing by Hippocrates and his followers.
The text catalogues ailments of the elderly such as deafness, dizziness and digestive disorders – but makes no mention of memory loss. Centuries later in ancient Rome, a few mentions do crop up. Galen remarked that at the age of 80, some had difficulty learning new things. And Cicero observed that ‘elderly silliness… is characteristic of irresponsible old men, but not of all old men.’
Professor Finch said the findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, bolster the idea that Alzheimer’s is a product of modern living, mostly fueled by air pollution and sedentary lifestyles. He said: ‘There was a progression going from the ancient Greeks to the Romans.’ Professor Finch speculates that as Roman cities grew denser, pollution increased, which drove up cases of cognitive decline.
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In our exploration of age-related dementia throughout history, a common belief is that this affliction is as old as humanity itself. However, research led by the University of Southern California (USC) suggests a different history behind this disease.
This study delves into classical Greek and Roman medical texts, revealing that severe memory loss, now almost epidemic, was surprisingly rare around 2,000 to 2,500 years ago. This finding strengthens the theory that Alzheimer’s and related dementias are
largely products of modern lifestyles and environments.
Factors like sedentary behavior and air pollution are significant contributors.
Tracking dementia throughout history
Caleb Finch, the study’s first author and a University Professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, sheds light on the ancient Greeks’ understanding of memory issues.
“The ancient Greeks had very, very few – but we found them – mentions of something that would be like mild cognitive impairment,” said Finch.
They acknowledged mild cognitive impairments, akin to what we identify today, but nothing on the scale of Alzheimer’s, which involves substantial loss of memory, speech, and reasoning.
The study’s journey through ancient medical literature, including works by Hippocrates and his disciples, reveals intriguing insights.
These texts extensively catalog ailments common in older people,
such as deafness and dizziness, yet surprisingly omit significant memory loss.
However, as we shift to ancient Rome, the narrative changes slightly.
Notable figures like Galen and Pliny the Elder begin to document instances of memory decline in older populations.
For example, Galen observed learning difficulties in some 80-year-olds, while Pliny the Elder recounted a senator who forgot his own name. Cicero, too, noted a kind of “elder silliness,” though he didn’t associate it with all older men.
“When we got to the Romans, and we uncovered at least four statements that suggest rare cases of advanced dementia — we can’t tell if it’s Alzheimer’s. So, there was a progression going from the ancient Greeks to the Romans,” Finch explained.
Environmental factors and cognitive decline
Finch, alongside co-author Stanley Burstein, a historian at California State University,
Los Angeles, postulates that the denser Roman cities and increased pollution might have escalated cognitive decline cases.
The use of lead in cooking vessels, water pipes, and even wine sweetening by
Roman aristocrats likely exacerbated the issue, given lead’s neurotoxic properties.
To further their understanding, Finch didn’t limit his research to the ancient Western world. Lacking demographic data for ancient Greece and Rome, he turned to a modern comparison: the Tsimane Amerindians of the Bolivian Amazon.
The Tsimane’s pre industrial, physically active lifestyle mirrors that of the ancient civilizations, and significantly, they exhibit extremely low dementia rates.
An international team, including Margaret Gatz, a professor at the USC Leonard Davis School, found that only about 1% of older Tsimane people suffer from dementia, a stark contrast to the 11% incidence in the United States’ elder population.
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Rethinking dementia in the light of history
In summary, this comprehensive study, bridging ancient texts and contemporary groups, underscores the profound impact of environmental factors on dementia risk throughout history.
The Tsimane community offers a valuable model for understanding how lifestyle choices influence cognitive health.
As Finch notes, their minimal dementia rates provide a template for asking critical questions about the environment’s role in this modern-day health challenge.
“The Tsimane data, which is quite deep, is very valuable,” Finch said. “This is the best-documented large population of older people that have minimal dementia, all of which indicates that the environment is a huge determinant on dementia risk.
They give us a template for asking these questions.”
This research revisits our historical understanding of dementia while providing suggestions for future studies, potentially reshaping our approach to preventing and managing this condition in the modern world.
More about the history of dementia
As discussed above, dementia describes a group of symptoms affecting memory,
thinking, and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning.
Dementia is not a single disease but rather a general term that encompasses various specific medical conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, observed throughout history.
This horrible infliction results from damage to brain cells, which affects their ability
to communicate with each other, thereby affecting behavior, feelings, and thoughts.
Causes and risk factors
Several factors contribute to the development of dementia. Age is the most significant risk factor, with most cases occurring in people 65 years or older.
However, dementia can also affect younger people. Genetic factors play a role, as certain types of dementia run in families.
Other risk factors include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity. Traumatic brain injury may also increase the risk of developing certain types of dementia.
Symptoms of dementia
The symptoms of dementia vary widely, depending on the cause and the area of the brain that’s affected.
Common signs include memory loss, difficulty in planning or solving problems, confusion with time or place, challenges in understanding visual images and spatial relationships, problems with speaking or writing, and changes in mood or personality.
As dementia progresses, individuals may have difficulty performing everyday tasks and may become more dependent on others for care.
Diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosing dementia involves a thorough medical evaluation, including medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and sometimes brain imaging studies.
While there is no cure for most types of dementia, treatment can help manage symptoms. Medications may be prescribed to improve symptoms related to memory, thinking, sleep disturbances, and behavior changes.
Non-pharmacological therapies, such as cognitive stimulation, exercise, and activities tailored to the individual’s interests and abilities, can also be beneficial.
Living with dementia
Living with dementia poses significant challenges for individuals and their families.
It requires adjustments to living arrangements, daily routines & communication methods.
Support from healthcare professionals, social workers, and support groups can be invaluable in managing the disease.
Creating a safe, supportive environment and maintaining a routine can help individuals with dementia feel more secure and less confused.
In summary, dementia is a complex condition that affects millions of individuals and their families worldwide.
While it has been anecdotally present throughout human history, it has become increasingly common in the modern age.
Early diagnosis and appropriate care strategies can help improve the quality of life for individuals with dementia and provide support for their caregivers.
The full study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
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The biggest reason why developed countries have a higher rate of dementia is that medical technology is better. People in these countries tend to live longer, so they live long enough to develop dementia. In developing countries, people do not have as long of a life expectancy. Therefore, the rate of dementia is lower.
The rates of dementia differ greatly around the world, from the lowest rates in Africa, India, and South Asia, to the highest rates in Western Europe and especially North America. Is it all just genetics? Well, the incidence of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is significantly lower for Africans in Nigeria than for African Americans in Indianapolis, for example—up to five times lower.
Alzheimer’s rates of Japanese-Americans living in the U.S. are closer to that of Americans than to Japanese. When people move from their homeland to the United States, Alzheimer’s rates can increase dramatically. Therefore, when Africans or Asians live in the United States and adopt a Western diet, their increase in Alzheimer’s risk suggests that it’s not genetics.
Unfortunately, one doesn’t have to move to the West to adopt a Western diet. The prevalence of dementia in Japan has shot up over the last few decades. Mechanisms to explain this in Japan include increases in cholesterol, saturated fat, and iron from increases in the consumption of animal products. Traditional diets are generally weighted toward vegetable products such as grains and away from animal products. But since 1960, the diet in Japan has changed from a more traditional rice-based diet to one with a preponderance of meat. From 1961 to 2008, meat and animal fat increased considerably, whereas the rice supply dropped. The dietary factor most strongly associated with the rise in Alzheimer’s disease in Japan was the increased consumption of animal fat.
A similar analysis in China arrived at the same conclusion. As the authors of the Japan study (highlighted in the video, Alzheimer’s Disease: Grain Brain or Meathead?) note, on the basis of these findings, the rate of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia will “continue to rise unless dietary patterns change to those with less reliance on animal products.” This is consistent with data showing those who eat vegetarian appear two to three times less likely to become demented, and the longer one eats meat-free, the lower the associated risk of dementia.
Globally, the lowest validated rates of Alzheimer’s in the world are rural India, where they eat low meat, high grain, high bean, high carb diets. It’s possible that the apparent protective association between rice and Alzheimer’s is due to the fact that the drop of rice consumption was accompanied by a rise in meat consumption, but other population studies have found that dietary grains appear strongly protective in relation to Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, perhaps, don’t pass on the grain, but “pass the grain to spare the brain.” Source: Where Are the Lowest Rates of Alzheimer’s in the World? (nutritionfacts.org)
A few previous videos on Alzheimer’s and maintaining cognitive function:
Alzheimer’s and Atherosclerosis of the Brain
Alzheimer’s May Start Decades Before Diagnosis
Saffron for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s and Apple Juice
Does Coconut Oil Cure Alzheimer’s?
How to Slow Brain Aging By Two Years
More on the consequences of carbophobia here:
Atkins Diet: Trouble Keeping It Up
Paleolithic Lessons
Whole Grains May Work As Well As Drugs
Low Carb Diets and Coronary Blood Flow
-Michael Greger, M.D.
PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my free videos here and watch
my live year-in-review presentations Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death,
More Than an Apple a Day, From Table to Able, and Food as Medicine.
His last interview was with news anchor Robin Marsh of KWTV.
Titled ONE-ON-ONE WITH TOBY KEITH, aired on Wednesday, January 24 and Thursday, January 25 on two different local news stations in Oklahoma. The first sneak peek of the interview was posted by News9 on January 20, and it was of Keith speaking about how important his faith has been during his cancer battle.
Toby Keith Covel (July 8, 1961 – February 5, 2024), known professionally as Toby Keith, was an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. In the 1990s, he released his first four studio albums—Toby Keith (1993), Boomtown (1994), Blue Moon (1996), and Dream Walkin’ (1997)—and Greatest Hits Volume One under Mercury Records. See more.
Quick Facts
Birth name Toby Keith Covel
Born July 8, 1961 · Clinton, Oklahoma, U.S.
Origin Moore, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died February 5, 2024 (aged 62) · Oklahoma, U.S.
Genres Country Toby Keith – Wikipedia
TOBY KEITH WAS one of the Nineties and 2000s most charismatic country artists, known for songs that were heavy in humor, romance, and patriotism — even when they were mixed with a heavy dose of post-9/11 jingoism — all of them delivered in a rich baritone that cut through the often-homogenized sounds of country radio. There was just no mistaking Keith’s voice. Toby Keith American country music singer
Songs Albums Movies Quotes Interviews Biography
Movies Beer for My Horses 2008 Broken Bridges 2006
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