Reducing dementia risk by 31% in a high-risk group through an anti-inflammatory diet
Inflammation, a prevalent condition linked to numerous diseases, has been found to pose a significant threat to brain health. A recent study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease revealed that adopting an anti-inflammatory diet can lower the risk of dementia, even among individuals with cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart conditions.
The research, conducted over a 15-year period, followed over 84,000 seniors diagnosed with cardiometabolic diseases but dementia-free. At five different points during the study, participants completed food questionnaires, enabling researchers to assess their adherence to an anti-inflammatory diet and compare their eating habits to dementia risk. Additionally, nearly 9,000 participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans.
The analysis revealed that people who followed an anti-inflammatory diet had larger gray matter volumes in their brains, a marker indicating lower levels of neurodegeneration. Furthermore, these individuals showed fewer white matter hyperintensities, signs of vascular brain injury. Most significantly, dementia risk was found to be 31% lower for those who followed an anti-inflammatory diet.
"Even after one is contending with a chronic, cardiometabolic condition, the adoption of a higher quality diet appears to offer some protection to the brain, reducing and delaying both functional and anatomical signs of degradation," commented Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine.
Maintaining an alkaline diet, free of acid-forming foods, can help control inflammation levels in the body. The alkaline diet primarily involves consuming more vegetables, fruits, and drinking plenty of water, while reducing sugar, alcohol, meat, and processed food intake.
Research from the MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests that an alkaline diet not only helps with inflammation but also reinforces good, old-fashioned healthy eating habits. By choosing inflammation-busting foods like olive oil, tomatoes, nuts (including walnuts and almonds), leafy green vegetables (such as kale, spinach, and collard greens), fatty fish (including salmon, sardines, tuna, and mackerel), and fruits like blueberries, strawberries, oranges, and cherries, individuals can lower their dementia risk. Additionally, considering an omega-3 supplement can help ensure adequate intake of these essential fatty acids that combat inflammation.
In conclusion, eating an anti-inflammatory diet rich in vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and healthy fats can help reduce the risk of dementia by lowering chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, factors that contribute to dementia. The Mediterranean and MIND diets, plant-forward, anti-inflammatory, and beneficial for reducing dementia risk factors, provide excellent examples of this approach.
- The anti-inflammatory diet, rich in vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and healthy fats, was found to lower dementia risk by 31%, as revealed in a study following seniors with cardiometabolic diseases over a 15-year period.
- Adopting an alkaline diet, free of acid-forming foods, can help control inflammation levels in the body and includes consuming foods like olive oil, tomatoes, nuts, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, and fruits, and considering an omega-3 supplement to ensure adequate intake of anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids.
- Maintaining a high-quality diet, such as an anti-inflammatory one, even when contending with chronic cardiometabolic conditions, offers protection to the brain, reducing and delaying both functional and anatomical signs of degradation. Science and health-and-wellness research consistently underline the importance of nutrition in brain health.
