Dementia is a progressive condition linked to the ongoing decline of the brain leading to problems with memory and changes in behaviour. Most common in people over the age of 65, it can often be seen as something that just happens as we get older.
However, there are a number of contributing factors that can raise your risk for dementia.
In fact, research has shown that around 40 percent of dementia cases could be prevented by making certain lifestyle choices.
One such lifestyle choice is your diet. With this in mind, an expert in cardiovascular and metabolic health revealed simple diet changes everyone can make to slash their risk for the syndrome.
Speaking on the Zoe health podcast Dr William Li, the author of Eat to Beat Your Diet, shared what people can do with their diets which gives them a better chance to avoid the potentially lethal and debilitating condition.
He explained that rather than wait until you are already sick it is far better to take preventative action by making simple changes to your diet.
Dr Li also revealed that your brain health is connected to heart and gut health – which are all impacted by diet.
As reported by Gloucestershire Live, he said: “One of the things that we are able to do is to use food as medicine to help heal and maintain the health of our blood vessels.
“That’s something that is well established. All these things are sensitive to our diet. We can keep our blood vessels healthy.”
Therefore he urged people to eat more of the following foods:
- Colourful vegetables
- Oily fish
- Shellfish
- Dark chocolate
- Coffee
- Tea.
Colourful vegetables are particularly powerful due to the fact they are rich in polyphenols, a type of antioxidant.
“Eat the rainbow,” he advised. “That rainbow helps to heal the blood vessels and keep that lining nice and smooth. So blood can flow as well as possible.”
Dr Li explained why omega 3 from fish was so vital. He said: “Oily fish and even not so oily fish and even shellfish actually help to preserve and maintain that slippery, smooth, normal lining of the blood vessels.
“Very, very important for our brain health. Not just for heart health.”
Dark chocolate containing cacao which is full of flavanols is beneficial too, Dr Li explained:
He said: “Dark chocolate has more flavanols and ultra high flavanols.
“Chocolate has been studied and it protects not only heart health but lowers the risk of dementia by improving brain health at the circulation level as well.”
Keeping the gut microbiome healthy is also crucial, something that tea and coffee can help with.
He added: “You want to keep it away from all the harmful ultra-processed foods and preservatives and chemicals that you know are going to harm your gut microbiome.”
Dr Li explained why it was good to look after your stomach. He said: “It lowers inflammation for one thing.
“So better gut health, lower inflammation, better heart health, better brain health, gut heart brain, it’s starting to be one integrated system.”
