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There is strong evidence linking the effects of poor diet to dementia. Higher intakes of carbohydrates have been associated with lower cognitive function. In some cases, signs of memory decline have been observed in just five days. Doctor Shahrukh, doctify-reviewed neurologist, breaks down which foods to avoid in order to preserve cognitive health.
High-fat diet
A small number of studies that have controlled participants’ diets and assessed cognition suggest that diets high in refined carbohydrates can increase the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s.
This is because both diets are associated with an increase in spinal fluid levels of beta-amyloid, the protein that clogs the brain.
The authors of a medical paper published in the journal Nutrients in 2015, noted: “Studies highlight that excessive energy can impair condition but importantly, diets high in either fat or sugar can also impair cognition”.
They continued: “Experimental studies in humans also show that these memory deficits can occur rapidly, within one week of diet exposure, and therefore arise independently of any effects on body weight or general health.”
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To investigate these claims, researchers conducted a study on the effects of a high-fat diet on memory, attention and mood.
Commenting on the findings, the authors noted: “In healthy, young adult male subjects, this diet was sufficient to impair attention, speed of retrieval and depressed mood after only five days.”
The findings of the experiment were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2011.
Men were randomly assigned to five days of a high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, before having their cognitive function assessed through computerised tests.
Scientists found that subjects who consumed a high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet had 44 percent higher plasma-free fatty acid.
They concluded that raising plasma-free fatty acids reduced cognition, which suggests that a high-fat diet is detrimental to the heart and brain in healthy subjects.
High-sugar diet
Further research indicates that a single meal with a high glycemic load can impair memory performance in children and healthy young adults.
Doctor Shahrukh noted: “With glucose, we know that a dramatic reduction in blood sugar can lead to hypoglycaemic brain injury and subsequent atrophy.
“But outside of these and acute situations, the factual evidence for glucose actually runs contrary.
“It is usually people with chronically high blood glucose, especially once the glucose is high enough to be technically in the diabetic range, that have accelerated brain atrophy, especially in the memory centres.”
This is the primary reason diabetics are at a significantly higher risk of developing dementia.
How to reduce your risk of dementia
Evidence is growing that taking meaningful action early on in life can significantly reduce the risk of dementia.
“There are simple things you can do to reduce your risk,” points out doctor Shahrukh. “Addressing 20 percent of the [risk] factors can lead to 80 percent of the improvement.
“Avoid eating foods that need high levels of insulin to metabolise.
“Artificial sweeteners are [also] problematic. Aspartame, commonly used in fizzy drinks, consumed in very large doses is a neurotoxin, but you will need to drink over two litres every day for many years before this effect manifests.”
Instead, adhering to a diet that emphasises fruits, vegetables, and fish rich in omega-3 could offer lasting protection for the brain.
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