COVID-19 raises Alzheimer's risk: Lifestyle changes can help with memory impacts

WASHINGTON (TND) — Research shows that lingering viral fragments after a COVID-19 infection and lingering spike protein after a COVID-19 injection can affect our memory, concentration, processing, speed and mood behavior.

Fatigue, headache and brain fog are common symptoms after being infected with COVID-19. A lasting impairment can potentially lead to a higher risk of Alzheimer’s. However, some lifestyle modifications and treatment strategies can build a better brain.

Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) Advisor Dr. Suzanne Gazda joined The National Desk’s Jan Jeffcoat to discuss the issue.

“I always say that the brain has taken a terrible hit since 2020, 2021 and that it is not a lingering virus but is lingering viral fragments that are wreaking havoc on the brain,” she said. “Many studies have shown cognitive impairment as one of the main post-COVID side effects. So this also potentially happens with people that are vaccine-injury.”

Gazda says there are 11 studies correlating having had COVID to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease within 6 months-12 months which has never been seen before.

Lifestyle modifications such as changing your diet to a low-inflammatory diet are recommended as well as intermittent fasting can also be a strong component toward improving brain health.

“A recent study out of New England Journal of Medicine looked at about 100,000 people and they found a significant portion of these individuals that recovered from COVID had lasting memory issues,” Gazda said. “That's typically what we're seeing in our practice is that these brain fog, cognitive issues, sometimes are not getting better just with the tincture of time.”

Learn more about post-COVID-19 cognitive impairment here.