Good News for Brain Health and Food

A newly published study in Nature Medicine shows how what you eat might help protect your brain — especially if you're at high risk for dementia. The researchers looked at people with two copies of a gene called APOE4. Having one copy of this gene raises your chances of getting dementia — like Alzheimer’s disease. Having two copies is even riskier. Only about 2% of people have two copies, but they’re up to 10 times more likely to get dementia as they age.

But here’s the exciting part: the study found that people with two copies of APOE4 who followed a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of getting dementia and also had slower cognitive decline. The Mediterranean diet includes foods like fish, olive oil, whole grains, nuts, fruits, and veggies.

This is encouraging because it shows that even if you were born with a higher risk of dementia, you may not be stuck with it. So, if you’re looking for a way to take care of your future self, maybe start with what’s on your plate.

The Mediterranean diet is rich in: 

• Fruits and vegetables

• Nuts, seeds, and legumes (like pinto beans, black eyed peas

• Whole grains

• Fish, especially oily types like salmon

• Olive oil as the primary source of fat

  • If olive oil is too pricey for your budget oils like canola and other seed oils are also healthy substitutes for saturated fats

Eat Less:

• Processed Red Meat

• Sweets

• Processed Foods

• Saturated Fats (animal fats)

A great resource for all plant-based diets is the U.S. News & World website: Best Overall Diets 

This study was part of the big, long-term Nurses’ Health study at Harvard. This ongoing study has produced a lot of findings over the last almost 50 years. Those findings include studies on preventing breast cancer, how nutrients affect inflammation, and how heavy metals affect disease development. We've learned a lot from it.

Sadly, the federal government has cut funding for the Nurses’ Health Study. If they don’t reverse that cut, we will lose so much. Special freezers that hold decades worth of blood, urine, and stool samples and DNA specimens will be lost. The data collected from those decades will be tossed. Ultimately, we will suffer the consequences of this loss. New treatments for cancer and chronic diseases will remain undiscovered. We will lose future knowledge of how our food affects our health. All I can say is, it’s a tragic loss.

Beth Kitchin PhD RDN

Bonus Note: This Saturday, 9/6, is another free UAB Brain Chats at Avondale Library at 11:00 am: You CAN teach an old dog new tricks! Plasticity and the aging brain

Speaker: Kristina Visscher, Ph.D. Professor, UAB Department of Neurobiology

I think it’s going to be a good one!