Diet and Alzheimer's Disease

A small study published in the June 2011 issue of the Archives of Neurology suggests that a diet low in saturated fat that also emphasizes foods low on the glycemic index may help reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The investigators compared the effects of a diet high in saturated fat and simple carbohydrates with those of a diet low in saturated fats and simple carbohydrates in 20 older adults who were healthy and 29 seniors who had specific memory problems considered precursors to Alzheimer's disease. After four weeks, they found in the healthy group that the diet high in saturated fat and simple carbs elevated substances measured in blood that indicate presymptomatic Alzheimer's, while the diet low in saturated fats decreased cholesterol levels and other biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. However, the low saturated fat diet had no such beneficial effects on participants who already had memory problems. The researchers said that the different results of the healthier diet among participants with some memory problems may have been due to the diet's short duration.

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