When I speak to a group about lifestyle changes to prevent or slow the advance of Alzheimer's disease, I hear the loudest groan when I talk about diet ... notably when I say that the MIND diet rules out cheese. That's because everyone loves cheese.
Cheese and other saturated fats were implicated in heart disease for many years, but they were somewhat rehabilitated during the 1990s. This rehabilitation is controversial, and the fact that most saturated fats have animal origins prompts those wishing to protect animals to influence the debate. It's been my observation that, over the past two years or so, the consensus of online authoritative sources has shifted from a relatively benign view of saturated fat to a more critical one. And so some authorities discourage the consumption of saturated fats (for example here and here), while others cite less critical research to permit moderate consumption (for example here and here). We discussed this in Beating the Dementia Monster, citing the writing of Dr. Mark Hyman, and his book Food; What the heck should I eat.
Regardless of how one might come down on the debate with respect to heart disease, research by the late Dr. Martha Clare Morris sustained the strike against saturated fat with respect to Alzheimer's disease. (See her book Diet for the Mind.) Neurologists like to say "what's good for the heart is good for the brain," and there is a strong correlation between heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. So shouldn't the influence of saturated fat on heart disease (whether strong or weak) have a consistent influence on Alzheimer's disease?
Well, apparently not. Dr. Morris's research seems to dissociate the two effects. (Again, this is all controversial with respect to heart disease, and everyone cites their favorite research.)
When I was preparing the second edition of Beating the Dementia Monster, I puzzled over this apparent anomaly. Of course, my underlying assumption was that a negative effect on saturated fat should come to the brain via a negative effect on the cardiovascular system. But maybe that's not true. And I've found something to suggest an explanation.
Several times on this blog we have discussed the gut-brain axis. There is a poorly understood relationship between what goes on in the gut and what goes on in the brain. Most of it hinges on the activity of many different bacteria (and archaea) in the gut. So when the life of the "microbiome" in your gut is disrupted by antibiotics or the wrong kind of nutrients, it can adversely influence the brain. And on this blog, we are very interested in influences on the brain that promote or discouraged the advance of Alzheimer's disease.
I got to thinking about this today when I was at the gym watching this video about diet and the gut microbiome. This particular channel is big on promoting a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle (and so may be a bit biased), but I found what they were saying compelling. (Acknowledging that they may be biased is not to discount their authority, only to acknowledge that every source is biased in some way, and we are wise to always consider that in assessing what someone is telling us.)
What caught my attention was a statement that cheese has a bad effect on the gut microbiome. If so, that would explain it. Cheese (and other saturated fats) may be getting something of a pass with respect to cardiovascular disease, but it's still a recognized and important factor in the development and advance of Alzheimer's disease.
So cheese is bad for brain health, but not because it affects the cardiovascular system. It affects the gut microbiome.
So what do the recommend that you eat? After discussing the affect of different nutrients on the gut, the presenter reviewed the best foods to eat for gut health. Well, guess what ... everything she named as being positive for gut health is right out of the MIND diet.
Of course, we discuss the MIND diet in Beating the Dementia Monster, and I've been trying to follow it now for several years. I'm sure it's making a contribution to my success in dealing with Alzheimer's disease.
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