“Preventing Dementia: The Role of Diet in Protecting Your Brain from Harmful Foods like Alcohol, Cheese, and Fast Food”

2023-04-18 20:30:00

1. 24vita
2. Health

Created: 04/18/2023, 8:30 p.m

Von: Judith Braun

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If you want to protect yourself from dementia, you should pay particular attention to your diet. Some foods can damage the brain.

1 / 10A glass of alcohol every now and then is fine though. However, if you consume an excessive amount of it, you endanger your brain and therefore increase the risk of developing dementia. Alcohol is neurotoxic. This directly damages the brain cells. © Cavan Images/IMAGO

2 / 10Cheese can also damage the blood vessels in the brain because it is high in saturated fat. In order to prevent dementia, it is therefore advisable to eat it only rarely or to do without it altogether. © Gerard Lacz/IMAGO

3 / 10Like cheese, butter and margarine are high in saturated fat. Both spreads also contain a high proportion of trans fats. They clog arteries and can shrink the brain. Regular consumption is therefore not recommended if you want to do something good for your brain health and protect yourself from dementia. © Eivaisla/IMAGO

4 / 10Highly processed foods are not only high in salt and sugar, but also high in saturated fat. Excessive consumption of chips, ready meals and white bread, for example, can thus clog the arteries in the brain and thereby directly damage the brain tissue. To protect against dementia, you should therefore rather keep your hands off it and instead rely on healthy alternatives. © Liangliang/IMAGO

5 / 10Soft drinks contain a lot of sugar. In order to keep the brain healthy, it is therefore better to avoid sugary drinks. This is because sugar causes inflammation and neuronal damage. This can increase the risk of dementia. © Markus Mainka/IMAGO

6 / 10Processed meat is high in salt, preservatives and saturated fat. Mortadella, black pudding, bacon, black pudding, sausages and salami therefore promote inflammation and damage blood vessels in the brain and promote dementia. © Westend61/IMAGO

7 / 10Red meat is also full of saturated fat. Even if beef or game are less pro-inflammatory than sausage products, they still damage the vessels and cells. This increases the risk of dementia. © Edwin Remsberg/IMAGO

8 / 10Fried foods also contain a high proportion of trans fats. These can reduce brain volume and contribute to cognitive decline. There is a risk that people who consume a lot also have a higher risk of developing dementia. © Cavan Images/IMAGO

9 / 10Fast food also contains trans fats, which can damage the brain. If you want to protect yourself from dementia, you should therefore not put these foods on your menu. © Vasily Pindyurin/IMAGO

10 / 10Sweets and pastries are high in sugar, which has a negative impact on brain health. It causes inflammation and can lead to brain burnout. If you want to protect yourself from dementia, then you should only consume these foods in moderation. © ratmaner/IMAGO

Strictly speaking, dementia is not a disease in its own right, but a syndrome. Doctors use this term to summarize the combination of several symptoms. At the beginning of the disease, this includes the disturbance of short-term memory and retention. According to information from the Federal Ministry of Health, content that has already been recorded in the long-term memory also disappears as the process progresses. As a result, those affected lose more and more of the abilities and skills they have acquired in their lives.

Preventing dementia: Diet plays an important role

Alzheimer’s is the most common and therefore the most well-known form of dementia. However, there are also other forms of dementia, such as vascular dementia, which usually develops after one severe stroke or several minor strokes. Parkinson’s patients, on the other hand, often suffer from Parkinson’s dementia. Frontotemporal dementia occurs at an early age. In this form, nerve cells die, especially in the forehead and temple area.

To keep the brain fit and thus prevent possible dementia, experts recommend a healthy and balanced diet. There are foods that contain certain nutrients and vitamins. These support the functions of the brain and are therefore particularly well suited to protect against the syndrome. Other food groups should be avoided instead. They usually contain a lot of sugar and saturated fat. These trigger inflammation in the body, which in turn can also attack brain health.

This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.