There are many benefits of a low-fat, low-glycemic diet, but new research shows another plus: It can also protect your brain.
In a study published in JAMA Neurology, people who ate a high-fat, high-glycemic diet had changes in the brain seen in people with a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease. In other words, diet can actually nullify the protection a person’s genetic code can provide.
This shouldn’t be surprising; Alzheimer’s disease is often referred to as diabetes of the brain, or even “type 3 diabetes.” Lower insulin levels as created by the low-fat, low-glycemic diet are associated with fewer beta-amyloid deposits in the brain. Inflammatory reactions to these amyloid proteins in the brain are believed to be a key factor in promoting Alzheimer’s disease in susceptible people.
Hallmarks of the low-fat, low-glycemic diet are eating foods that are less than 55 on the glycemic index and consuming an overall diet that is less than 7 percent saturated fats and about 15 to 20 percent protein (think meals like fish, brown rice, and steamed veggies, for instance).
It’s interesting to note that in this study, both diets contained the same number of calories — so it’s not the quantity, but the type of food that is key to health promotion and disease prevention.
When it comes to foods for protecting the brain, keep the following rules of thumb in mind:
- Eat a rainbow assortment of fruits and vegetables.
- Reduce exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, and food additives.
- Do not overconsume animal foods.
- Eat the right types of fats (vegetable oils like olive, flax, and canola and from fresh nuts and seeds).
This article is reproduced with permission from Dr. Michael Murray’s Natural Living News. For more articles like this one, visit www.DoctorMurray.com/NLN.
Dr. Michael T. Murray is one of the world’s leading authorities on natural medicine and the author of more than 30 bestselling books, including The Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. He is a graduate and former faculty member, and serves on the Board of Regents, of Bastyr University in Seattle, Washington.