Cutting back on fats, sugar might protect against Alzheimer’s
Following a diet thats low in saturated fat and quickly digested carbohydrates, such as doughnuts and white bread, could cut your risk of developing Alzheimers, suggests a study published today in the June issue of the journal Archives of Neurology.
Researchers fed 20 healthy adults either a diet that had a high glycemic index and lots of saturated fat or a low glycemic index and little saturated fat for four weeks. They then gave the participants a memory test. Those who ate the low-fat, low-glycemic-index diet performed better on the memory test, and also had lower blood levels of certain markers of Alzheimers disease. A similar experiment in 29 adults who already had some signs of cognitive showed similar, though not quite as impressive, results.
While this study is quite small and relatively short, it’s not the first to look at the effects of diet on cognition. Earlier research has shown the Mediterranean way of eating can lower risk of developing Alzheimers. And numerous studies suggest that fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, and other foods might help preserve mental agility by protecting blood vessels and promoting regeneration of nerve cells.
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