There have been a multitude of studies that researched how our diets can affect our overall health, especially our brain health. These studies have shown that diets high in saturated fats are the ones that actually hurt our cognitive function the most. One particular study conducted in 2012 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital concluded that women who ate the most saturated fats from foods such as red meat and butter performed worse on tests of thinking and memory than women who ate the lowest amounts of these fats.
The reason saturated fats are harmful to your brain has to do with how it affects our blood. Saturated fats raise the low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol in our blood to an unhealthy level. This causes build up in your arteries which leads to first, damage in the heart, but eventually leads to damages in the brain. The LDL cholesterol cause the formation of beta-amyloid plaque in the part of the brain where we store long-term memories and is extremely hard to eradicate; once the damage is done, it is difficult to reverse. Beta-amyloid plaque is directly linked to the cause Alzheimer’s disease.
Sticking to a diet of non-processed foods and staying away from saturated fats is a critical way to preserve your memory and preventing Alzheimer’s. Eating foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables helps your LDL cholesterol stay at a normal level in your blood, which prevents blockage in your arteries. Also, it is important to avoid alcohol and any wheat based products as they contribute to the beta-amyloid plaque as well. Unfortunately, a lot of food from a traditional American based diet is high in saturated fats and are bad for your health. It is suggested that you follow a Mediterranean based diet which consists of fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, and limited dairy consumption.
It may be hard to cut back on foods that contain a lot of saturated fats because of their tasty and satisfying reputation. But, it is crucial to your memory that you stick to fresh and healthy foods to prevent Alzheimer’s. Here at the South Coast Post Acute care community, we work together to give you the best meals as possible, as we want you to keep your favorite memories of your loved ones fresh in your mind. It is difficult to stick to a healthy diet by yourself, we make sure you are not alone and we work with you to put an end to the spread of Alzheimer’s and have a healthy cognitive function.
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Real People. Remarkable Care. South Coast Post Acute.