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Some foods are better than others for Alzheimer’s Disease

Besides taking advantage of the ground-breaking new treatments entering the market for the prevention and improvement of cognitive impairment in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease, people can take a proactive stance by adopting a diet that helps decrease the risk of developing dementia. The World Health Organization recently stated that certain diets and lifestyles can delay or prevent cognitive decline.  We have long known that adequate physical exercise, stopping smoking, and addressing other medical conditions can help.

 

Certain foods may also increase the risk of cognitive decline-called the “Western Diet”.  The Western Diet has too much total and saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar and processed foods.  This diet can also contribute to other disease such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. 

 

Foods thought to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and other medical conditions are part of the Mediterranean Diet.  This diet includes health fats (olive oil), fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts and less dairy, red meat, butter and sweetened drinks. The amount of wine that could potentially help remains controversial. Similar to the Mediterranean diet is the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to stop Hypertension).

A combination of the two is the MIND Diet (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay Diet) which has been shown to slow down the rate of cognitive decline. This diet stresses the intake of whole grains, vegetables, berries, fish, poultry, nuts and olive oil and the avoidance of red meats, butter, cheese, fast foods and sweets.

The benefits of vitamins and supplements is still under investigation.

 

The bottom line is that the best way to prevent and slow down cognitive impairment is through a healthy lifestyle with exercise, a good diet, and adequate sleep.  It is imperative that any decline be detected early so that you can adjust your lifestyle and seek medical evaluation early to get best out of the rest of your life.  BeCare Neuro App can help through gamified activities that can detect neurologic abnormalities earlier, either giving you the reassurance you need or give you a jump-start on any needed treatment.

 

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