Rates of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, are on the rise worldwide. The most important risk factors seem to be linked to the diet, especially the consumption of meat, sugar, and high-fat dairy products. A review article regarding the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, appearing in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition comes to the conclusion that the Western Diet is at least partly responsible for the rise in Alzheimer’s disease. Taking the information from many studies published worldwide, the data seems to make clear that as less developed countries make the transition to a more industrialized society’s way of eating, including more sugar and meats -The Western Diet, Alzheimer’s rates increase. The evidence also shows that fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat dairy products, legumes, and fish are associated with reduced risk.
Residents of the United States seem to be at particular risk, with each person in the U.S. having about a 4% chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The traditional diets of countries such as India, Japan, and Nigeria, with very low meat consumption, are associated with a particularly low rate of Alzheimer’s disease
Of particular note is what has happened in Japan. As Japan became more prosperous and a transition was seen from the traditional Japanese diet which included very little meat, to a more Western diet, Alzheimer’s disease rates rose from 1% in 1985 to 7% in 2008.
The author of the review article William B. Grant, says “reducing meat consumption could significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease as well as of several cancers, diabetes mellitus type 2, stroke, and, likely, chronic kidney disease. ”
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