01 September 2023 , 00:33
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Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK are living with dementia, a degenerative condition that causes nerve cells in the brain to stop working as they should.
The devastating condition damages people's ability to think, remember and perform basic daily tasks, and at the moment, there is sadly no cure. However, one dementia expert says that making three diet changes can reduce your risk of developing the illness by a third - and one of them involves cutting down on a popular food group.
Patrick Holford is a nutritionist and founder of Food For the Brain Foundation charity, where he directs their Alzheimer’s prevention project. The charitable organisation has been carrying out research and working actively for 10 years to help people reduce their risk of age-related cognitive decline, reports Daily Record.
And the expert recommends cutting back on a certain type of snack or meal if you want to lower your chances of developing dementia in the future. He said: "The three most important changes to what you eat, that probably reduce a person’s future risk for dementia by at least a third, are cutting right back on sugar and processed foods, eating fish and especially oily fish rich in omega-3 fats and eating more vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols."
"Increased intake of omega-3, either from diet or supplements or having a higher omega-3 blood level, cuts the risk for dementia by a fifth (20%), according to a study of over 100,000 people just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."
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The refined, white carbohydrates that we often get from white bread and pasta may be our go-to for a lot of meals and snacks, but there are certain chemical reactions that happen in our bodies when we eat too much of them. And over time, these can cause damage to the brain - potentially leading to Alzheimer's further down the line.
Patrick explained: "Eating too much refined ‘white’ carbohydrate on a regular basis, from sugar to white bread, rice or pasta messes up the glucose supply to the brain by promoting insulin resistance. Insulin is the hormone that helps carry glucose into the brain and, with too much sugar and carbs in the diet, insulin receptors shut down, effectively going ‘deaf’."
This process is called 'insulin resistance' and leads to a paradoxical increase in blood glucose, but poor supply into the brain. And the expert says that even slightly higher blood glucose levels than normal in over 35s is a 'predictor' for dementia in the years that follow.
As well as cutting down on refined carbs and adding more nutrients to your diet, Patrick says there are a few other things you can do in your daily life to help prevent Alzheimer's, which accounts for two-thirds of all dementia cases.
These include:
- Controlling your weight
- Eating a 'Mediterranean diet' with antioxidant rich fruit, vegetables and vitamin C
- Preventing depression, stress and a lack of sleep
- Keeping physically, socially and intellectually active
- Not smoking and not drinking alcohol excessively