Eating to Avoid Alzheimer's
Monday, January 25, 2010 at 5:36AM
The best bet seems to be a low-calorie, low-fat diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits and fish. Now a new study suggests that high protein diets may present an Alzheimer's threat. This news comes from researchers in Britain, Canada and the United States who tested four different diets on transgenic mice with a mutant form of the human amyloid precursor protein (APP), which the body uses to generate amyloid plaques typical of Alzheimer's. The mice received (1) a standard mouse diet, (2) a high protein/low carb diet, (3) a high-fat/low carb diet or (4) a high-carb/low fat option. Unexpectedly, the brains of the mice on the high protein/low carb diet were five percent lighter than those of all the other mice - a finding that may mean that brain cells are more vulnerable to the plaque seen with Alzheimer's in humans. To find out for sure whether a high protein/low carb diet influences Alzheimer's risk in humans we would need a large, randomized, double-blind trial. That isn't on the drawing boards. The mouse diet study was published online on October 21, 2009 in the open access journal Molecular Neurodegeneration.
More information on Alzheimer's disease.
Reader Comments (7)
Very interesting! Many people think of protein as "brain food," but it appears that overdoing on protein may actually be bad for the brain. Hmm... I wonder how many studies it will take for us to get the message that eating a variety of fresh, whole foods with a balance of good quality protein, carbohydrates and fats is the way to live long and well?
Healthy-Eating-Support.org/10-Tips-To-Healthy-Eating.html
I do wish you'd actually post links to the primary source article. You don't even link to the journal!
I'm interested in knowing what they used as protein sources for the high-protein diet, among other things.
The unfortunate thing is that sometimes a high protein/low fat diet can translate to mean also being high carb, too--and the sugar/high insulin level might be a problem as far as brain health goes--of course, moderation in the protein area is a good idea...and lots of veggies incl greens are healthy too--but limiting things that keep the blood sugar--and, as a result, insulin--level high is a great strategy as well.
I am sure there must be other factors apart from diet that feature in the predisposition to Alzheimers.
Alzheimer's disease is a disease that we must find a cure for. Having our loved ones slowly disappear from this earth is no longer an option. Governments alike must step up and fund research!
I was wondering if in regards to the use of Ibuprofen and Diclofenac, as studies seem to have shown, does really prevent Alzheimer's Disease, and if used in moderation would not affect other areas of one's health. These medicines are used for analgesical purposes on reumatism and general joint pain, if I'm not mistaken. Can you tell us more regarding this ?
Thanks for sharing this.
I wonder what kind of protein the mice were fed?
Also, if in humans they could single out eating red meat, how it was cooked, and how much of it was eaten that would be interesting and probably vital. Perhaps one group eats red meat, the other does not.
And also have a group of vegetarians as well.
My thoughts are that if a high protein diet is followed, the use of fish is great, and also the use of EFAs (essential fatty acids) such as in Fish Oil may mitigate or reverse any damage.
High Protein Diet Success indicates that a high-protein diet is hard on the liver, and is probably on the gallbladder as well.
Eating a few more cruciferous veggies can help. Also almonds are good for the liver!