Can Diet Prevent Alzheimer's Disease?

Can Diet Prevent Alzheimer's Disease?

Little in life is as alarming because the plan of forgetting our idolised ones, our histories, and ourselves. nevertheless that's specifically what's happening to the quite five million individuals in North America laid low with Alzheimer’s unwellness.

Mild forgetfulness within the early years of the unwellness slowly expands to incorporate serious issues with memory, language, and abstract reasoning till eventually this brain disease robs its victims of the flexibility to perform.

Despite in depth analysis, each cause and cure for Alzheimer’s unwellness stay elusive. consultants theorize that a sophisticated combination of genetic, environmental, and way factors lead to psychological feature decline, although they're still functioning on specifically however it happens and what may be done to stop it.

One logical space of exploration is diet. whereas there are no definitive breakthroughs nevertheless, there area unit bound foods that area unit being fastidiously studied for his or her specific relationship to Alzheimers.

Diet and Alzheimer’s Disease: polyunsaturated fatty acid Fatty Acids and B Vitamins

“A few studies found a correlation between high dietary fish with polyunsaturated fatty acid carboxylic acid intake and a decrease in developing Alzheimer’s,” says Tara Harwood, registered dietician at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. “However, additional studies should be conducted before any conclusions may be drawn.”

High levels of homocysteine, associate aminoalkanoic acid within the blood, are related to the danger of insanity. One avenue being examined is whether or not increasing intake of B complex and vitamins B6 and B12, that break down homocysteine, will facilitate forestall Alzheimer’s unwellness. “Neither B or B12 supplementation has been established effective,” says Harwood, “but knowledge from one study found a lower incidence of Alzheimer’s for people with the best B complex intake.”

Diet and Alzheimer’s Disease: Antioxidants

Another potential theory within the development of Alzheimer’s unwellness involves free radicals destroying the integrity of the body’s cells. These unstable molecules have the potential to cause cell aging and injury, that can be one piece of the Alzheimer’s puzzle.

“You will cut back your exposure to free radicals by limiting contact with the sun, environmental pollutants, and smoke smoke,” says Harwood. “However, free radicals area unit a byproduct of metabolism, that happens each minute of the day. as a result of it’s not possible to fully eliminate free radicals, [eating foods with] antioxidants, like antioxidant, vitamin C, beta carotene, and flavonoids, can help.”

Foods high in antioxidants embrace berries, dark inexperienced and orange vegetables, nuts, and beans. Specifically, studies have shown rats and mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s unwellness had improved mental perform when being fed blueberries, strawberries, and cranberries. tea leaf is additionally high in antioxidants, and though it hasn’t been established specifically to stop Alzheimer’s, it's been shown that drinking 5 cups each day will cut back one’s risk of cardiovascular disease.

Diet and Alzheimer’s Disease: The Mediterranean Diet

A few recent studies conducted by researchers from the neurology department at university heart in big apple have checked out the potential preventive effects of the standard diet eaten up by individuals in countries round the Mediterranean Sea, like Greece. The “Mediterranean diet” is primarily created of fruits, vegetables, and beans, fish, olive oil, a moderate quantity of wine, some dairy farm foods, and tiny amounts of meat and chicken. although additional study is required, results purpose to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s and lower deathrate among people who contracted  the unwellness.

Diet and Alzheimer’s Disease: Next Steps

While there's no definitive answer to the Alzheimer’s mystery, there area unit actually clues to follow. “No changes in diet, dietary supplements, food additives, vitamins, nor various seasoner medicines have ever been incontestable  to have an effect on the danger for Alzheimer’s unwellness or the course of the unwellness in an exceedingly well-designed trial experiment,” says Randolph Schiffer, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Cleveland. “With that same, most people within the Alzheimer’s analysis field believe that individuals ought to adopt and continue healthy lifestyles, as well as diets low in saturated fats and high in antioxidants and B vitamins.”