Taking Lion’s Mane For Alzheimer’s: The Best Way To Consume Lion’s Mane For Dementia
When taking advantage of Lion’s mane mushroom dementia benefits, you can be as flexible as you want. Lion’s mane does not just improve cognitive health when taken as supplements.
If you know how to grow Lion’s mane mushrooms, you can always take advantage of Lion’s mane mushroom recipes to transform the raw fungus into the food you and your family can enjoy. When consumed as food, the mushroom will still increase the synthesis of nerve growth factors and enhance your cognition.
Moreover, you can add Lion’s mane in coffee or tea and enjoy the morning drink before leaving for work. Alternatively, you can benefit from Lion’s mane and Alzheimer’s relationship by simply taking the capsules, tinctures, and other Lion’s mane supplements. You can also add Lion’s mane powder to your smoothies before heading to the gym.
There is no specific time when you have to take Lion’s mane to enjoy its Alzheimer’s disease benefits. You can take it in the morning, afternoon, evening, or even before bed. The benefits you get will remain the same irrespective of when you take the mushroom.
However, to take full advantage of Lion’s mane mushroom for Alzheimer’s, be sure to take the mushroom consistently. The mushroom generates the most benefits when it is taken consistently. Also, talk to a healthcare professional to ensure you take advantage of Lions mane Alzheimers benefit at a dosage that won’t harm you.
Is Lions Mane Mushroom Good For Alzheimers Disease
Lions mane mushroom has been shown to improve the symptoms associated with Alzheimers disease. It is by no means a cure, but lets look at the data.
Rats given erinacine A for 3 weeks increased the concentrations of noradrenaline and homovanillic acid in the hippocampus relative to controls, and showed evidence for increased levels of NGF in general, particularly in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. The increased levels of noradrenaline and homovanillic acid led to increased alertness and better recall of memories, as well as breakdown of fats and increased levels of blood glucose for promoting increased energy, suggesting erinaceus A contributes to neural and brain health in animal models. In addition, mycelium from lions mane mushroom that contains erinacine A, administered orally for 30 days to AD transgenic mice, results in decreased plaque load recruiting and activation relative to controls.
Other structures frequently impaired in AD, such as the hippocampus and locus coerulous, also showed improved function compared with those who were not given the liona mane mushroom. A double-blind clinical trial assessed the oral administration of lions mane mushroom fruiting body to older adults showed improvements for subjects with mild cognitive impairment, compared with age-matched controls.
You can find our favorite capsules, powders, and tinctures on the following pages of our website and learn more about each individually:
Lion’s Mane Fights Diabetes
Research studies have established a significant connection between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. The presence of type II diabetes is associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
According to an article published in 2011 in the National Library of Medicine, Type 2 diabetes mellitus and Alzheimer’s disease may share pathogenesis, according to epidemiological and basic science research. In addition, the article noted that even the possibility that Alzheimer’s Disease is “type 3 diabetes” has been shown in several studies.
Another research study published in 2018 analyzed the relationship between Alzheimer’s Disease and type II diabetes. The research study determined that type II diabetes is one of the leading risk factors for Alzheimer’s Disease.
Lion’s mane offers diabetes benefits. The mushroom is noted for its ability to reduce blood sugar levels and prevent the development and progression of type II diabetes.
This means that by taking Lion’s mane, people with diabetes can balance their blood sugar levels. In addition, people who are yet to get a diagnosis for the condition may be able to avoid getting the condition in the future.
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Can Mushrooms Stop Dementia
Lions Mane mushroom, Chaga mushroom and Cordyceps are popular super mushrooms that are widely used among health enthusiasts for strengthening the immune system and improving gut balance. Their nootropic benefits make them apt to be used to help managing symptoms of Alzheimers disease.Lions Mane mushroom, Chaga mushroomChaga mushroomThe chaga fungus will continue to cause decay within the living tree for 1080+ years. While the tree is alive, only sterile mycelial masses are produced . The sexual stage begins after the tree, or some portion of the tree, is killed by the infection.https://en.wikipedia.org wiki Inonotus_obliquusInonotus obliquus Wikipedia and Cordyceps are popular super mushrooms that are widely used among health enthusiasts for strengthening the immune system and improving gut balance. Their nootropic benefits make them apt to be used to help managing symptoms of Alzheimers disease.06-Dec-2021
This Japanese Study Proved Taking Lions Mane Mushroom Powder Improved Mild Cognitive Impairment By 14%
In 2008 a team of Japanese scientists studied the impact of taking Lions Mane Mushroom powder on Mild Cognitive Impairment. Mild Cognitive Impairment is another term for the early stages of Dementia and Alzheimers.
The conclusion of the study states:
Yamabushitake can be regarded as a useful food for the prevention of dementia without any adverse effects.
We describe the study and results in detail below, but check out this quick summary first. The results may shock you. They certainly shocked me.
The scientists split the study participants into two groups, one that took the mushroom powder and one that got a placebo. A placebo is a substance proven to have zero impact, in this case corn starch.
The scientists gave the subjects either the mushroom powder or placebo every day for 16 weeks. They measured their cognitive ability on a cognitive function scale of 0-30 during the 16 weeks, and at 4 weeks after that 16 week period.
The test measured cognitive impairment. A score of 30 rated as the best , and 0 counting as the worst .
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Try Intermittent Fasting And Ketosis
Besides eating a healthy diet, Dr. Bredesens patients fasted for 12 hours every night, starting 3 hours before bedtime.
They also consumed coconut oil because the medium-chain triglycerides within coconut oil enhance the production of ketones, an alternative source of energy for brain cells.
When your body and brain are running on ketones rather than glucose, youre in a state of ketosis.
And ketonesand MCT oil have been shown to significantly improve cognition and memory in people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease .
Researchers have also found that ketones and fasting can enhance autophagy, which is a process in which your body cleans itself and removes debris .
And this autophagy process can reduce amyloid beta, the main component of amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease .
So if youre trying to prevent dementia or reverse cognitive decline, intermittent fasting and ketogenic dieting should definitely be considered.
As Ive discussed before, fasting and ketones can also increase your brains growth hormone, help you overcome brain fog, and support your brains mitochondria.
I personally fast for about 12 hours most days, and follow a ketogenic diet every now and then.
I also take Optimal Ketones, which are exogenous ketones that get my body into a state of ketosis more quickly. They immediately increase my mental clarity.
Can Ashwagandha Cure Dementia
For Dementia PatientsIt is currently unknown whether ashwagandha can improve cognition or slow cognitive decline in people with dementia. While some benefits have been observed in preclinical studies of Alzheimers disease , ashwagandha has not been clinically studied in people with dementia.
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Ask The Scientist Herpesviruses And Alzheimers Disease
Prof. Ruth Itzhaki is Professor Emeritus of Molecular Neurobiology at University of Manchester and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.
I graduated in Physics and then did an MSc and then a PhD in Biophysics , all University of London degrees. Subsequently, I was involved in research on the structure of chromatin, then on carcinogen effects on chromatin and more recently, on Alzheimer’s disease, starting work on a possible role of a virus in the disease way back in 1989.
Little was understood at the time I started and even the name of the disease was almost unknown to the public. Also, it was a challenge which appealed to meand the possibility that a virus might be involved fascinated me. Another reason was that my father unfortunately had a type of dementia , so I was glad to work on a related topic.
Activities Of Daily Living
3.7.1. Burrowing
Analysis of pea-gravel burrowed after 2 h revealed a significant effect of genotype, F = 13.805, p< 0.001, p2 = 0.173. WT mice burrowed significantly more pea-gravel than tau mice . There was also a significant diet × genotype × sex interaction, F = 8.512, p< 0.01, p2 = 0.114. Female WT mushroom mice burrowed significantly more than male WT mushroom mice . Male tau mushroom mice burrowed significantly more than female tau mushroom mice . Female WT mushroom mice burrowed more than female tau mushroom mice . Male WT control mice burrowed significantly more than male tau control mice .
Burrowing assay measures. Two-hour burrowing assessment. WT mice burrowed significantly more pea-gravel than tau mice after 2 h. At the overnight measure, female WT mice burrowed significantly more than female tau mice. Male tau mice burrowed significantly more than female tau mice and male WT mice burrowed significantly more than male tau mice. Error bars represent mean ± SEM .
3.7.2. Nesting
Nests were scored by two raters blind to experimental conditions. There was a strong agreement between the scores of both raters, = 0.950 analysis was conducted on the resulting average nest score. There was a significant effect of genotype, F = 25.222, p< 0.001, p2 = 0.276 . WT mice built significantly better nests than tau mice .
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How Did The Researchers Measure Results
The researchers measured cognitive function at the beginning of the trial, at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks.
They used the Revised Hasegawa Dementia Scale . The HDS-R reportedly delivers more accurate results than the Mini-Mental State Examination as a screening instrument for Alzheimers disease. For more detail, please refer this this study .
Researchers use the MMSE more widely for screening cognitive impairment. However, scientists developed the MMSE to evaluate elderly psychiatric patients rather than cognitive impairment patients. Because of this critics point out shortcomings in the MMSE for its level of sensitivity and specificity for cognitive impairment patients. This is why the researchers in this study chose the HDS-R, as it better measures cognitive impairment in a normal population of adults.
The HDS-R test consists mainly of a verbal test. The researchers in this study added a drawing test to evaluate visuospatial and constructional functions of the study participants. The drawing test required the subjects to draw the numbers of a clock on a pre-drawn 3 centimeter circle. The researchers awarded a score of 2 points if the participant drew all 12 numbers in the correct position.
The researchers reduced the HDS-R to a total score of 28 points from 30 points, and added 2 points for the drawing test, making total score of 30 points.
Does Lions Mane Support Brain Health
Hericium erinaceuss protective influence on the brain is widely documented, especially in animal studies.
Lions Mane and Neurogenesis
Bioactive compounds found in lions mane mushroom extract, mainly hericenones and erinacines, seem to promote brain neurogenesis. These compounds, commonly found in the fruiting bodies of the lions mane mushroom, stimulate nerve growth factor proteins which in turn aid in nerve regeneration and even the formation of new neurons.
Neurogenesis and Memory
An animal study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food examined the effects of lions mane on depression and anxiety and concluded that these medicinal mushrooms aid in the reduction of mental health issues by promoting neurogenesis within the hippocampus.Hippocampal neurogenesis, in turn, improves memory. The hippocampus plays a major role in learning and memory, and research shows that the formation of new nerves in this area of the brain can have tremendous benefits on cognitive function, including memory formation and retention.
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Lion’s Mane Fights High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure has been implicated as a possible contributor to dementia occurring later in life. A research study conducted in 2021 by The Lancet Neurology showed the connection between high blood pressure and Alzheimer’s disease.
An article published in 2019 by the National Institute on Aging showed scientific evidence that controlling high blood pressure reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, a research study conducted in 2017 and looking at evidence from more than 27 years further proved that Alzheimer’s disease and high blood pressure have a deep connection.
However, Lion’s mane organic mushroom powder is revered for its blood pressure-lowering effects.Lion’s mane helps with weight lossobesity is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure. Earlier, we noted that Lion’s mane fights diabetesdiabetes is another precursor for high blood pressure.
Beyond fighting amyloid plaques to help with blood pressure control, Lion’s mane prevents memory loss and improves the brain health of people with or without Alzheimer’s disease.
Did Lions Mane Mushroom Powder Cause Any Adverse Side Effects
Researchers conducted a number of laboratory tests after the study to measure any adverse effects of taking Lions Mane mushroom powder.
The researchers tested impacts on the items below at weeks 0, 8 and 16 of the trial. They did not record measurements that fell out of the normal range. This means they did not find any adverse impacts to taking Lions Mane Mushroom powder.
- Body weight and body mass index
- Systolic/diastolic blood pressure
The test results showed no adverse effects. This is not surprising as humans have eaten lions mane mushrooms for thousands of years with scant reports of harmful effects.
Furthermore, the study states:
mushrooms are known to be low in calories and rich in fiber, and they are safe for patients with diabetes, hyperlipemia and arteriosclerosis.
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Lions Mane Mushroom Extract
For now no such studies have been executed with humans.most of the studies have been conducted in animals or test tubes
Jessbow said:From studies with mice, Lions Mane is believed to be able to prevent the neuronal damage from amyloid-beta plaques, which accumulate in the brain during Alzheimers disease and reduces the symptoms of memory loss. For now no such studies have been executed with humans.However there are studies with adults that show great results for improving the brain functioning. In just four months they have seen huge improvement in the older people who took 3 grams of powdered Lions Mane daily.So despite the facts we need to keep in mind most of the studies have been conducted in animals or test tubes, so there is a need for more research with humans.
Jessbow said:From studies with mice, Lions Mane is believed to be able to prevent the neuronal damage from amyloid-beta plaques, which accumulate in the brain during Alzheimers disease and reduces the symptoms of memory loss. For now no such studies have been executed with humans.However there are studies with adults that show great results for improving the brain functioning. In just four months they have seen huge improvement in the older people who took 3 grams of powdered Lions Mane daily.So despite the facts we need to keep in mind most of the studies have been conducted in animals or test tubes, so there is a need for more research with humans.
Is There A Relationship Between Lion’s Mane And Alzheimer’s Disease
It is estimated that 24 million people have Alzheimer’s disease worldwide. Even in the western world, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia.
A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s can leave people feeling lost and hopeless. Currently, there are no drugs on the market that prevent, reverse, or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. But some treatments may change disease progression and help treat symptoms.
Lion’s mane is a medicinal, edible mushroom containing two key bioactive compounds beneficial for brain health, hericenones and erinacines .
Through these compounds, Lion’s mane offers neurogenesis benefits. Preclinical studies suggest that it may be able to increase levels of a protein called nerve growth factor , which is essential for the growth, differentiation, and survival of nerve cells.
The two natural bioactive substances in Lion’s mane mushrooms could potentially contribute to the benefits of the medical fungus in Alzheimer’s. In addition, the lions mane dementia benefits may also result from the eranacines and hericenonesit is worth noting that dementia is an umbrella term commonly given to brain health issues that affect memory and thinking.
Most brain health diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, result from decreased nerve growth factor levels. The mushroom’s ability to increase the nerve growth factor’s production is why Lion’s mane is used for Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions.
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