Can You Lower Your Risk of Alzheimer’s and Dementia with a Plant-Based Diet?

By Tammy Russell, MS, RD

 

 Right now, there is a duality in many of our belief systems, be it politics, nutrition, career choices, etc.  It has pushed people to be fiercer and/or defensive of their dogmas and loyalties.  This plays out often in the field of nutrition where the followers of the keto/paleo style diets spar often with those that espouse a plant-based diet. With Alzheimer’s and dementia rates soaring, there an increased focus on the role of diet/nutrition in slowing down or preventing these devastating conditions.  This has further ignited the debate over which diet works better to reduce risk.

 As a health care practitioner that has tried nearly every diet there is to heal and help others, I feel more comfortable in having a particular viewpoint – one that leans more to the plant-based camp. 

 Over years, I have had many private practice patients come to me complaining that their low carb diet is no longer working or having a horror story of how their keto diet sunk their health to a new low and they need help to recover.  I’ve had to start turning away referrals from doctors that prefer I give their patients a keto style diet.  I can’t justify that diet. Years ago, when data came out showing it could be helpful for young kids with epilepsy, it made sense on some level, but recommending it to the general population does not. 

 There are numerous reasons why one would recommend a plant-based diet for cognitive health, such as:

  • Increased phytonutrient and antioxidant consumption from eating berries, other fruits and vegetables, which are highly neuroprotective.  They reduce oxidative stress that damages cells and protect DNA. (1)

  • A high fruit and vegetable consumption helps the liver in its daily cleaning process, whereas a high fat diet congests the liver, leading to more obstacles to regular detox functions. (2,5)

  • The high fiber content of a plant-based diet helps to bind up toxins and cholesterol for transport out of the body through a bowel movement. Fiber also feeds good bacteria, which are an important part of a healthy gut/microbiome. (3)

  • Fruits and vegetables also help to reduce pathogen or unhelpful bacteria/viral loads.  There is evidence to suggest that viral pathogens such as HSV-1/2 may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease. (4)

  • A low carb style diet can reduce the symptoms, but it doesn’t heal. If you take away grains, gluten, dairy, and processed sugar, you remove the food sources and triggers for many types of pathogens (bad bacteria, viruses) in the body, which means less inflammatory compounds are being produced, so you feel better. But is it addressing the root cause? In many cases, it isn’t, because the root cause of any chronic illness is often a pathogen, coupled with toxicity, sprinkled with some kind of stress. As we saw above, the best diet for pathogens and toxicity is a plant-based diet (low-fat plant-based is even better).

  • In putting a lot more stress on the liver, the high fat nature of a low carb diet can also lead to more depression, anger, apathy, constipation, heart disease, diabetes risk, headaches, high blood pressure and kidney issues down the road. All of these can lead to more stress and inflammation which can further aggravate dementia/Alzheimer’s.

 In their book, “The Alzheimer’s Solution:  A Breakthrough Program to Prevent and Reverse the Symptoms of Cognitive Decline at Any Age,” authors Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, MD promote a plant-based diet.  Their point of view, as outlined in their book, is that dementia is not inevitable and that packing our plates with berries, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, spices and seeds in addition to other pertinent lifestyle habits (sleeping well, reducing stress, exercising, etc.) can stave off various states of cognitive decline.  (6)

 They also feel that the worst food and food ingredients to predispose someone to cognitive decline are:

  • Saturated fats (butter, ice cream, meat, cheese)

  • Fried food

  • High sugar (processed sugar) foods – sweets and desserts, pop/soda

  • Excess alcohol

  • Red and processed meats (bacon, pepperoni, chorizo)

  • Cheese (high in saturated fat)

  • Excess salt

Ultimately, if you would like to “clean up” your diet to make it healthier, lighter, and easier on your whole system, consider working with a plant-based, integrative nutritionist who can recommend the right kind of diet and lifestyle changes to suit your needs.  As always, I am happy to help you with that!

 

References

1.      Baechler, B. J., Nita, F., Jones, L., & Frestedt, J. L. (2009, June). A novel liquid multi-phytonutrient supplement demonstrates DNA-protective effects. Plant foods for human nutrition (Dordrecht, Netherlands). Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702677/

2.      Anekwe, C. V., Chandrasekaran, P., & Stanford, F. C. (2020, January 8). Ketogenic diet-induced elevated cholesterol, elevated liver enzymes and potential non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Cureus. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7008768/#:~:text=The%20ketogenic%20diet%20is%20a,onset%20of%20fatty%20liver%20disease.

3.      F;, M. K. D. E. C. W. J. B. (n.d.). The impact of dietary fiber on gut microbiota in host health and disease. Cell host & microbe. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29902436/

4.      Piacentini R;De Chiara G;Li Puma DD;Ripoli C;Marcocci ME;Garaci E;Palamara AT;Grassi C; (n.d.). HSV-1 and alzheimer's disease: More than a hypothesis. Frontiers in pharmacology. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24847267/

5.      Chiarioni G;Popa SL;Dalbeni A;Senore C;Leucuta DC;Baroni L;Fantin A; (n.d.). Vegan diet advice might benefit liver enzymes in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: An open observational pilot study. Journal of gastrointestinal and liver diseases : JGLD. RetrievedJune 5, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33548123/

6.      Sherzai, D., & Sherzai, A. (2019). The alzheimer's solution: A breakthrough program to prevent and reverse the symptoms of cognitive decline at every age. HarperOne.

 Tammy Russell is a Registered Dietitian and Reiki Master based in Portland, Oregon who offers a plant-based approach for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gut health problems, obesity and a myriad of other chronic illness conditions.