It seems that early education and social engagement, preventing high blood pressure, obesity, and not smoking, are recommended for dementia precluding. Along with them, nutritionists say that your diet also has a lot to say. Dementia is a disease with a broad specter. Alzheimer’s Disease International’s World reported in 2019 that, by 2050, dementia is set to affect over 152 million people.
Dementia is a prevalent medical condition
Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for 50% to 70% of cases of dementia, vascular dementia for at least 20%. The rest is split between dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia. About 10% of dementia patients have mixed dementia, where usually Alzheimer’s disease gets combined with one of the other forms.
Amyloid beta is a chain of amino-acid. It is still a mystery, and its normal function is yet to be controlled. It is known for protecting against oxidative stress, regulating cholesterol transport, and for its anti-microbial activity.
It is also the main responsible component for developing Alzheimer’s by growing into amyloid-beta aggregates called amyloids. They are responsible not just for Alzheimer’s’s but for amyloidosis too. An amyloidosis is a group of 50 illnesses. So, when one fights with amyloids, he fights for many other purposes than dementia.
Best diet strategies that might limit the risks of dementia
- Low Sugar Intake – there is an enzyme in our brain that takes care of the accumulation of beta-amyloid. Unfortunately, it also takes care of the level of insulin secreted when we consume sugar. When we intake sugar, the insulin-degrading enzyme will always choose to take care of the insulin, thus letting the beta-amyloid become amyloids.
- Intermittent Fasting – during fasting, the insulin-degrading enzyme has nothing else to do but take care of the beta-amyloid.
- Ketogenic Diet – moderate nutritional ketosis can fuel the brain with glucose’s substitute, ketones. Ketones are known for blocking beta-amyloid.
- Diet Rich in Plant-Based Nutrients – is recommended due to the polyphenol they contain, which is well-known for its benefic effect on oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of dementia.
- A Mediterranean diet – enhances the microbiome balance, the brain function, including memory. The microbiome is considered to be an extra organ that includes bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses in the human body. The diet also decreases the risk of metabolic damage such as insulin resistance and cell damage.
All of these diet strategies get a lot of help from regular exercise, sleep, healthy weight, avoiding aluminum exposure, and keeping balanced gut bacteria. Accordingly, they reduce the risks of dementia.
As our second lead editor, Anna C. Mackinno provides guidance on the stories Great Lakes Ledger reporters cover. She has been instrumental in making sure the content on the site is clear and accurate for our readers. If you see a particularly clever title, you can likely thank Anna. Anna received a BA and and MA from Fordham University.