By 2050, an estimated 15 million people in America will have Alzheimer’s—the equivalent of the combined populations of New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. But after years of failed drug trials, scientists are realizing that the disease begins with structural changes in the brain decades before sufferers show any symptoms. And some researchers now believe that diet might be the most important factor in determining whether those brain changes take place. Listen in now to find out: Can changing what you eat prevent Alzheimer’s?
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Working with a cohort of healthy patients who have a family history of the disease, [researchers Richard] Isaacson and [Lisa] Mosconi study whether a rigorous diet-and-exercise regimen can either prevent Alzheimer’s disease or at least delay its onset. Mosconi also puts her patients in a brain scanner to look for early signals of Alzheimer’s—and she’s seeing that what people eat is the biggest factor in changing brain structure.
These findings are brand-new, but the emerging evidence for the power of lifestyle changes for Alzheimer’s prevention is now so compelling that the Alzheimer’s Association has just launched a $20 million, two-year clinical trial to study just that in 2,000 volunteers around the United States.
Read full, original post: The High-Stakes Allure of an Anti-Alzheimer’s Diet
