Eating more plants linked to lower risk of dementia, even in older age | CNN

Eating a high-quality plant-rich diet that includes whole grains, vegetables and fruits may prevent cognitive impairment — even when people start that diet in their late 50s and 60s, according to a new study. “It’s never too late to start eating healthy to lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias,” said senior author Unhee Lim, a professor of population sciences at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu, in an email. Older adults who cut many unhealthy foods from their diet over a decade had a 11% lower risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia when compared with adults whose diets didn’t change, Lim said. However, people who increasingly ate more unhealthy plant-based options, such as refined grains and foods with added sugars, were about 25% more likely to develop some type of dementia at the end of 10 years, she said. “The findings suggest that both plant-predominant eating and high diet quality help protect brain function as we age,” said Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine who was not involved with the study. Katz founded the nonprofit True Health Initiative, a global coalition of experts dedicated to eviden