Anti-Inflammatory Diet May Reduce Dementia Risk by Up to a Third: Study

Individuals who adhered to an anti-inflammatory diet had a 31 percent reduction in their risk of developing dementia in a study published in JAMA Open Network last month.

The new findings underscore the promising potential of dietary interventions in preserving cognitive function as we age. Understanding which foods promote inflammation and which prevent it may minimize your risk of developing dementia.

The observational study set out to examine the effects of an anti-inflammatory diet in those with an existing cardiometabolic disease, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, or a history of strokes. The authors found that individuals with one of these risk factors are less likely to develop dementia if they restrict their diet to anti-inflammatory foods.

Abigail Dove, the lead study author and a doctoral student at the Aging Research Center at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, highlighted the uniqueness of the study in an email to The Epoch Times. “Our study is distinctive in that it delves into the relationship between diet and dementia within the context of a major dementia risk factor: cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs),” she wrote.

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a range of symptoms associated with a decline in memory severe enough to interfere with a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. It is caused by damage to brain cells, and the most common type is Alzheimer’s disease. There is already an established link between diet and dementia.

A systematic review of this research, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience in 2023, found that certain dietary patterns may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, while a standard Western diet is a risk factor. Recent research has also linked blood sugar regulation to dementia, highlighting the importance of ongoing research in this field.

The Link Between Cardiometabolic Disease and Dementia

Cardiometabolic diseases are well-established risk factors for dementia. “Individually, each of these diseases [Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke] is associated with 1.5X to 2X increased risk of dementia, and this becomes even stronger for people who have more than one CMD (for example type 2 diabetes plus heart disease),” Dove said.

She noted that this new research points to how dietary modifications may serve as a strategy to temper the likelihood of dementia in this high-risk group of individuals. People with cardiometabolic diseases have more overall inflammation, making the adoption of an anti-inflammatory diet a potentially valuable approach.

Dove said that an anti-inflammatory diet lessens systemic inflammation in the body, which may slow the progression of injury to the brain and the eventual development of dementia. It is still unclear why people with cardiometabolic diseases are more at risk of developing dementia than those without. Studies are still underway to uncover the precise mechanisms, she said.

“It seems that CMDs [cardiometabolic diseases] share similar underlying biology with dementia. The heart pumps blood through a vast network of blood vessels spread out throughout the entire body, including the brain,” Dove said. “Heart problems—for example an irregular heart rhythm or stiffening of the heart’s pumping chambers—can cause blood flow to the brain to become irregular, therefore restricting the brain’s supply of oxygen and important nutrients, gradually starving brain cells over time.

“Type 2 diabetes can lead to brain wear and tear: When excess sugar from the blood enters the brain, it can break down the protective coating that surrounds brain cells, making them less efficient and more vulnerable to damage.

“Stroke occurs when blood supply to a part of the brain is cut off, essentially suffocating brain cells and leaving severely damaged tissue behind.”

Study Details

Using data from the UK Biobank, the researchers constructed a sample of more than 80,000 adults aged 60 and above without dementia as a baseline. The individuals were tracked for up to 15 years, with a median follow-up period of 12.4 years. During the follow-ups, participants filled out a comprehensive food questionnaire.

The models were adjusted for baseline age, sex, education level, and caloric intake, as well as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and vascular risks, including body mass index, hypertension, smoking, and physical activity. The status of a genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, APOE epsilon-4, was also assessed.

The study measured 206 foods and 32 drinks, ranging from vegetables and green tea to brownies and beer. However, the inflammation index calculated was not based directly on consumption of these particular foods. The researchers used a more nuanced approach to assess inflammation from diet. Each nutrient in the measured foods was designated an inflammatory effect score.

“The data about these specific foods and drinks was used to estimate the amount of different vitamins, nutrients, spices, etc. that people consumed. It is these more granular items that were used to calculate dietary inflammation,” Dove said.

“This is basically how strongly anti- or pro-inflammatory the nutrient is, based on meta-analyses of previous studies correlating the nutrient to inflammatory markers in the body.”

Once an inflammatory score was calculated for each participant’s diet, Dove said, they were divided into three groups. One-third were categorized as having an anti-inflammatory diet, one-third as having a pro-inflammatory diet, and one-third as having a neutral diet.

MRIs were done to measure the total brain volume. “Reduced gray matter volume is an indicator of neurodegeneration (i.e., loss of brain cells), a key type of brain damage underlying dementia. In our study, CMDs and pro-inflammatory diet were both associated with lower gray matter volume,” Dove said.

“They were also both associated with smaller hippocampal volume. The hippocampus (which is composed of gray matter) is a region of the brain that is specifically dedicated to memory processing. Neurodegeneration/loss of volume in this area is an especially important marker for dementia, since memory loss is the key symptom of dementia.”

While the study found an association between lower systemic inflammation and more favorable brain markers in the MRIs of those with a lower risk of dementia, Dove noted that a causal conclusion cannot be drawn just yet. “Interventional studies in which participants are randomized to an anti-inflammatory versus pro-inflammatory diet would be required to conclusively test this hypothesis,” she said.

As to whether an anti-inflammatory diet could be beneficial for people seeking to mitigate their risk of developing dementia later in life, whether or not they have any cardiometabolic diseases, Dove said “the main takeaway of the study is that adhering to an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern was associated with lower risk of dementia in both people with (-31%) and without (-21%) CMDs.”

Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Add to Your Diet

If you are seeking to minimize your risk of developing dementia, try adding anti-inflammatory foods such as the following to your diet:

1. Berries Berries, including blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, contain a high amount of antioxidants known as polyphenols that can help fight inflammation.
2. Nuts Nuts are rich sources of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory potential. A review published in Nutrients in 2023 found that tree nuts and peanuts can help lower risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases.
3. Fatty Fish Fish such as salmon, sardines, anchovies, and mackerel are good sources of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.
4. Avocado Certain compounds in avocados are linked to anti-inflammatory properties.
5. Green Tea and Matcha EGCG, a component of green tea, is known to regulate inflammation.
6. Olive Oil A study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2018 found that oleocanthal, a compound present in extra virgin olive oil, has similar effects as the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen when ingested in the same amounts.
7. Vegetables Leafy greens are high in the antioxidant beta-carotene, which reduces inflammation. Both bell peppers and chili peppers contain vitamin C and quercetin, which have each been shown to lower inflammation. Sulforaphane, an antioxidant found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, has also been shown to prevent inflammation.
8. Turmeric Turmeric is rich in curcumin, which has been shown to contain anti-inflammatory properties.
9. Mushrooms Mushrooms are rich in antioxidants. Though more research is warranted, an animal study published in Antioxidants in 2019 found that lion’s mane mushrooms may offer neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory qualities.

Inflammatory Foods to Avoid

While adding anti-inflammatory foods to your diet may help lessen systemic inflammation, removing common inflammatory culprits is another practical approach:

• Excess sugar and high-fructose corn syrup intake is linked to an inflammatory response.
• A diet high in refined carbohydrates, including such processed foods as bread, pasta, and cereals, is linked to neuroinflammatory processes in the brain.
• Fried foods may contain high amounts of harmful compounds (advanced glycation end products) known to contribute to inflammation. Frying food also increases trans fats, which can promote inflammation.
• Research ties heavy alcohol intake to systemic inflammation.

Naria Le Mire, a registered dietitian, told The Epoch Times via email that she advises her clients to limit their intake of alcohol, sugary beverages, pastries, high-fat animal products, refined carbohydrates like white rice and pasta, processed meats such as hot dogs. Eating less of those could help reduce chronic inflammation, which in turn could help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and gut issues, she said.