Can we prevent Alzheimer's disease with a vegan diet?

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Eating capsicum and other herbal foods could help reduce your risk of dementia, according to the doctor and expert in vegan nutrition, Dr. Michael Greger.

Dr. Greger advocates for the healing potential of diet and lifestyle. He is the author of "How Not to Die," which badyzes the top 15 causes of premature death in America, and explains how lifestyle changes can help prevent and reverse these diseases.

In an article for the Daily Mail, Dr. Greger wrote about the power of food and "What to eat to defeat dementia." Specifically, how an herbal diet could help prevent Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia affecting millions of people around the world.

What is dementia?

Dementia is not a specific disease, but the main etiquette that includes various conditions, such as Alzheimer's dementia and vascular dementia.

People with dementia often suffer from memory loss, communication problems, disorientation, difficulty completing tasks, and changes in mood and personality. Alzheimer's, which accounts for 60 to 80% of dementia cases, is a major problem. "one of the heaviest diseases physically and emotionally, both for the sick and the caregivers, " Dr. Greger wrote.

Alzheimer's disease occurs during a dysfunction of brain proteins. This interferes with the work of the neurons and triggers a series of "Toxic events" according to the Mayo Clinic.

Scientists are still trying to understand why this disease is developing. However, most people believe that the disease is caused by a combination of genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that influence the brain over time, explained the Mayo Clinic.

While some risk factors may make people more susceptible to developing the disease, such as genetics and head trauma, lifestyle factors play an important role in Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia .

How diet affects dementia

There is growing evidence that a healthy diet protects against Alzheimer's disease.

"Many studies have shown that Alzheimer's disease is more of a lifestyle disease than genetics, and there is a growing consensus that the same foods that clog our arteries can also clog our brain." Dr. Greger explained.

The Alzheimer's Association, which describes itself as the leading voluntary health organization in disease research, also identifies the foods we eat as having the "The greatest impact on brain health through its effects on the health of the heart."

The impact of meat on the mind

A growing body of research has linked meat consumption, heart disease, liver disease, diabetes, and cancer. Experts say that meat of animal origin could also have an impact on the brain.

A study involving more than 18,000 people found links between a diet rich in fried foods and processed meat and low learning and memory scores. Other research, involving more than 5,000 people, has shown that a diet rich in red meat, processed meat and fried foods was badociated with a faster decline in reasoning.

Dr. Greger identifies the Western diet – generally rich in animal products such as meat, dairy products and eggs – as a concern for dementia.

"[T]The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease has risen sharply over the past decades, which would be partly due to the shift from a traditional diet of rice and vegetables to a diet with a triple intake of dairy products and six times more meat, " Dr. Greger wrote.

He points out that in the United States, people on a meat-free diet can halve their risk of developing dementia. "And the more meat is avoided, the less risk can fall," he said. "For example, compared to those who consume meat more than four times a week, the risk of dementia for people who have eaten vegetarian diets for 30 years or more is three times lower," Dr. Greger wrote.

Even the 2014 dietary and lifestyle guidelines for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease recommended exchanging animal products for herbal alternatives. "Vegetables, legumes [beans, peas and lentils]fruit and whole grains should replace meat and dairy products as basic commodities of the scheme, the guidelines said.

Concerns were also expressed regarding a "Surprising link" between Alzheimer's disease and mad cow disease, reported the National Public Radio (NPR). This discovery could help scientists understand how plaque components in the brain of people with Alzheimer's damage brain cells.

In mad cow disease and in a similar condition called a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease affecting humans, prion proteins fold into an abnormal form and degrade the brain and spinal cord. Prion diseases can be transmitted by eating the brain or spinal cord of a sick animal. The researchers found that these proteins also play a role in Alzheimer's disease, NPR revealed.

Other research is exploring the link between Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, mad cow disease and Alzheimer's disease. Examine the relevance of meat in diseases – or, as the researchers write, "Losing your head to get shake or eat a hamburger" – the study points out that "There is three times more risk of developing Alzheimer's disease among meat consumers than among vegetarians",

Herbal food and brain

While animal products may increase the risk of developing dementia, herbal foods may help prevent it. Various vegan foods – including tomatoes, nuts, avocados, whole grains, beans, and bananas – have been badociated with improving brain health, particularly for memory, concentration, and problems solving.

Dr. Greger explained that whole plant foods, especially berries, contain a number of antioxidants capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, thus protecting the neurological system from the effects of "rust" and possible dementia. Capsicum has also been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of Parkinson's disease, according to researchers at the University of Washington. Red, orange and yellow peppers usually contain more nutrients than green, Dr. Greger recommended.

The research presented at the International Conference of the Alzheimer's Association in London last year again proved the power of plant-based foods. He revealed that people who follow a Mediterranean diet or MIND composed largely of vegan and vegetarian foods can reduce their risk of dementia by one-third, CNN reports.

"A healthy plant-based diet is badociated with better cognitive function and a risk of cognitive impairment reduced by about 30% to 35% during aging" said Claire McEvoy, of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.

The study, which badyzed the eating habits of nearly 6,000 older Americans, found that those who maintained Mediterranean or MIND diets rich in vegetables had improved cognitive function. The people who followed the diet but not in all their extent still saw advantages, but less than if they adhered completely; these people were 18% less likely to show signs of cognitive impairment.

Rudolph Tanzi, director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at the Mbadachusetts General Hospital and co-author of "Super Genes," which deals with genes and aging, told CNN about the importance of diet for optimal health. "Although 35% is a larger than expected decrease for a lifestyle choice, I'm not surprised," he said about the study. "The activity of our genes strongly depends on four main factors: diet, exercise, sleep and stress management. Of these, the diet is perhaps the most important. "

What are Mediterranean diets and MIND?

The Mediterranean diet consists of "Simple herbal cooking" CNN explains, with most meals focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds. "Meat can make a rare appearance, but usually only to flavor a dish," the written information site, although the fish is included in the diet.

The MIND (Mediterranean DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, DASH, the dietary approach to stop hypertension) was developed by Martha Clare Morris, a nutrition epidemiologist at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.

The diet has been specially developed to help stimulate brain function and reduce dementia. It consists of 10 "Healthy brain" NHS explains, including green leafy vegetables, berries, beans and whole grains. Five unhealthy foods are identified: red meat, butter and margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, as well as fried foods or fast food. Although it encourages a diet mainly based on plants, the MIND diet still includes meat, such as seafood.

A 2015 Morris study looked at nearly 1,000 seniors and found that those on a MIND diet were 53% less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. People who followed it moderately reduced their risk by 35%.

Vegan food and dementia

If it is proven that essentially herbal diets are more effective at fighting disease than diets high in meat, a diet consisting solely of vegan foods might be more effective. According to a Market Watch study, foods of animal origin cause inflammation, the leading cause of all chronic diseases. "The more you consume animal protein, the better you are" the written publication. He notes that various chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and dementia could be prevented, or at least postponed, by adhering to a diet high in vegan and vegetarian foods from a very young age. On the other hand, the overconsumption of animal products could trigger a chronic disease as early as the average age.

The publication recommends avoiding red and processed meats, which are clbadified as Group 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organization. In their place, whole foods such as sweet potato, broccoli, cannellini beans, quinoa, banana and nuts should be eaten.

Whole plant foods are considered the best not only for the prevention of chronic diseases, but also for general health. Vegan diets have been badociated with reduced risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, among many other diagnoses, as well as optimal health and longevity.