Diet rich in carbohydrates increases risk of dementia, a latest study suggests.
Researchers found that a carbohydrate calorie-rich diet leads to dementia and Alzheimer's disease, impaired cognition, and other disorders.
"We live with this notion that a calorie is a calorie, but at least in terms of brain health, and I believe for the rest of the body as well, there are very big differences between our sources of calories in terms of the impact on our health. Carbohydrate calories, which elevate blood glucose, are dramatically more detrimental to human physiology, and specifically to human health, than are calories derived from healthful sources of fat," David Perlmutter, board-certified neurologist and fellow of the American College of Nutrition,said in an interview with 'Rethinking Dietary Approaches for Brain Health.'
He explained that doctors saw an improvement in patients with ADHD, or elderly individuals with depression or dementia, by simply removing gluten, reducing carbohydrates, and adding healthy fats back into the diet. "We understand the benefits of doing this from both the literature and clinical observation," he said.
According to him, foods containing gluten are high in carbohydrates. He advised people to avoid eating breads, pastas, cookies and crackers with extremely high glycemic indices to protect brain health. But he cautions that going 'gluten-free' is not the answer.
"People who are gluten-sensitive may suddenly become attracted to the gluten-free aisle in the grocery stores and gravitate toward gluten-free pastas, breads and crackers. These people are not doing themselves a favor because they are still dramatically pounding their bodies with high levels of carbohydrates," he explained in a news release.
