Diet right for a healthy brain

There are many unproven “miracle cures” for Alzheimer’s disease that have popped up online as frustration with available medical therapies has increased. After years of research, there’s no cure and more than 99% of drugs in the research pipeline have failed in the past 15 years!

Fortunately, there’s new research suggesting that lifestyle habits may reduce your risk of developing AD. It seems that eating foods that deliver a good dose of choline — a nutrient necessary for the formation of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, as well as for liver and muscle function and heart health — may protect your brain.

But we have a bone to pick with the observational study of 2,500 men age 42 to 60 recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It did find a 28% reduction in dementia risk in those who had the highest intake of dietary choline, compared with those with the least intake. But the guys got most of their supply of this nutrient from meat and eggs, and there is also data indicating that most forms of choline, like that from meat and eggs, increases inflammation and leads to brain cell death!

So, as we always advise, ditch red meat and eggs from your diet and opt for getting choline and other nutrients from healthier sources. You can take in what you need daily (550 mg for men and 425 mg for women) from poultry, fish, cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, nuts, beans and 100% whole grains.