Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease—the most common form of dementia—a number projected to rise to 13 million by 2050. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, strong evidence suggests lifestyle factors, including diet, can help reduce the risk. “[The Mediterranean diet] has been shown to help thwart Alzheimer's or slow its progression,” Dr. Gad Marshall, associate medical director of clinical trials at the Center for Alzheimer Research and Treatment at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, tells Harvard Heath. “A recent study showed that even partial adherence to such a diet is better than nothing, which is relevant to people who may find it difficult to fully adhere to a new diet.” Just as some diets are beneficial for brain health, certain foods are linked to an increased risk of dementia. Here are 5 foods to avoid for the sake of your body and your brain.
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Ultra Processed Foods
Shutterstock Ultra-processed foods have been shown to speed cognitive decline. “Ultra-processed foods are meant to be convenient and tasty, but they diminish the quality of a person’s diet,” says Huiping Li, of Tianjin Medical University. “These foods may also contain food additives or molecules from packaging or produced during heating, all of which have been shown in other studies to have negative effects on thinking and memory skills. Our research not only found that ultra-processed foods are associated with an increased risk of dementia, it found replacing them with healthy options may decrease dementia risk.”
Added Sugars
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There is a link between added sugar consumption and dementia risk. “The brain uses energy in the form of glucose, a form of sugar, to fuel cellular activities,” says Uma Naidoo, MD, via CNBC Make It. “However, a high-sugar diet can lead to excess glucose in the brain, which studies have linked to memory impairments and less plasticity of the hippocampus — the part of the brain controlling memory.”
Alcohol
iStockExcessive alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing dementia, experts warn. “We found that maintaining mild to moderate alcohol consumption as well as reducing alcohol consumption from a heavy to moderate level were associated with a decreased risk of dementia,” Dr. Keun Hye Jeon, an assistant professor at CHA Gumi Medical Center, CHA University in Gumi, South Korea, tells CNN.
RELATED: 5 Habits to Prevent Alzheimer's.
Refined Carbohydrates
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A diet high in refined carbohydrates is linked to early Alzheimer’s. "A high-carbohydrate intake could be bad for you because carbohydrates impact your glucose and insulin metabolism," Rosebud Roberts, professor in the department of epidemiology at the Mayo Clinic, tells USA Today. "Sugar fuels the brain, so moderate intake is good. However, high levels of sugar may actually prevent the brain from using the sugar — similar to what we see with type 2 diabetes."
Artificial Sweeteners
SpeedKingz/ShutterstockArtificial sweeteners are linked to an increased risk of stroke and dementia. “Artificial sweeteners are 300 to 600 times sweeter than sugar," Lena Beal, MS, RDN, LD, tells Piedmont Healthcare. They offer little nutritional benefit and are much more potent than sugar. You only need a small amount to get that same sensation of sweetness, but we are running into a problem of over-usage. The people who had more frequent and recent use of artificial sweeteners in that study are the ones that showed the greater incidence of stroke and dementia.”
