If you have had the unfortunate experience of having a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you know the sadness of slowly watching that person lose their memories and cognitive abilities. According to the CDC, Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, and about 5.8 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed. You might think that this is a disease of the elderly, but it isn’t, as younger-onset Alzheimer’s can also take place. It’s anticipated that the number of people affected by Alzheimer’s disease will increase to 14 million people by the year 2060. So, what can we do right now, no matter our age, to help reduce our risk? Some of the ways to lower our risk of developing this cognitive impairment may surprise you—and they have to do with your eating habits.
The gut and the brain
Everything in the body is connected, even the gut and the brain. A new study has found that microorganisms in the gut are directly associated with cognitive health. Initial findings seem to link microbial composition to cognition, possibly through the production of short-chain fatty acids. When studied in animals, “short-chain fatty acids appear to be protective against vascular dementia and cognitive impairment,” and now the same seems to be found in humans as well. While additional studies need to be conducted, there is strong evidence that “[g]ut microbiota may eventually be used to identify biomarkers involved in the risk of chronic diseases that lead to cognitive decline.” What happens in the gut affects the brain.
