vegetarian diet and dementia M.A.Aleem, A.Mohamed Hakkim, H.Irfan Ahamed BMJ 2022;377:o885

https://www.bmj.com/content/377/bmj.o885/rr

BMJ British Medical Journal 

Editorials

Healthy lifestyles and more life years without dementia

BMJ 2022; 377 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o885 (Published 13 April 2022)

Cite this as: BMJ 2022;377:o885

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Re: Healthy lifestyles and more life years without dementia

Dear Editor

Vegetarian Diet and Dementia

A vegetarian diet with high antioxidants, fibre and low in saturated fats can help to protect cognitive health and lower the risk of dementia.

Vegetarians are also much less likely to be overweight or obese, with lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels compared to meat-eaters.

People who are in their mid-life with vegetarian diets (high in plant-based foods, low in saturated fats) are characterised as having a healthy life with a 86 to 90 percent lower risk of dementia and 90 to 92 percent decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease later in their life compared with people with unhealthy diets rich in meat and dairy foods.

Healthy vegetarian diet also has anti-inflammatory effects and supports the beneficial gut bacteria and, by so doing, helps to protect the brain and supports the immune system.

The following vegetarian foods are are very much helpful to fight against dementias

Vitamin E rich food (nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables and wholegrains)

B – group vitamin rich food (wholegrains, pulses, green leafy vegetables and nutritional yeast, vitamin B12 supplement providing 50g daily or a higher dose twice a week).

Omega-3 fats (from ground flaxseed, chia or hemp seeds (2 tablespoons), walnuts, rapeseed oil or algae-derived supplements)

Green leafy vegetables--An excellent source of B-group vitamins, vitamin E, antioxidants and other beneficial phytochemicals. In one study, people who consumed one or two servings of these vegetables daily experienced a slower cognitive decline – equivalent to being 11 years younger compared with those who rarely or never consumed green leafy vegetables

 Berries--Fruit with a very high flavonoid content. Flavonoids are a group of natural compounds found only in plants and research indicates they have a neuroprotective effect. Studies have discovered that people who regularly consume berries have a significantly lower risk of dementia.

Plant sources of protein pulses (beans, peas and lentils), nuts, seeds and wholegrains are not just healthy sources of protein, they are low in saturated fat and high in fibre – exactly what you need to lower your risk of cognitive decline.

Monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocados) and vitamin D (supplements) also have a protective effect on your nervous system.

So vegetarian diets are very useful in improving the anatomy, physiology and biochemistry of the brain and its circuits to prevent the onset of various dementias.

Competing interests: No competing interests

15 April 2022

M.A. Aleem

Emeritus Professor of Neurology * Professor in Neurology ** Consultant Neurologist ***

A.Mohamed Hakkim, 

H. Irfan Ahamed

The Tamilnadu Dr.M.G.R. Medical University * Dhanalakshami Srinivasan Medical College ** ABC Hospital ***

Abc hospital Trichy 620018 Tamilnadu India

@drmaaleem