Studies trumpeting the health perks of foods like chocolate, cheeseburgers and champagne often go viral online, but the so-called “benefits” found in such studies don’t always hold up when they come under a bit of scrutiny.
“We really like stories that basically reinforced the behavior that we want to do,” said Tara Coleman, a clinical nutritionist in San Diego. “There are a lot more studies about the not-so-interesting things like a plant-based diet or more vegetables and things like that, (but) we’re attracted to things that justify our behavior.”
When it comes Alzheimer’s disease, the internet is chock-full of unsubstantiated claims linking specific foods to a lowered risk of developing it.
There are no known cures or ways to prevent Alzheimer’s, but there are foods known to contribute to overall brain health. Coleman said eating a nutritious diet can contribute to a healthy brain, which might help to minimize your risk of the disease.
“I do love when people want to eat in a way to hopefully prevent or lessen symptoms of different types of diseases,” she said. “Having said that, I also want people to know that it is (just) part of the whole.”
Studying the nutritional benefits and risks of food is tricky because it’s difficult to completely track a person’s diet every day, Coleman said. It’s also unethical to design studies that force someone to eat foods known to be unhealthy.
Researchers will often study the lifestyle and nutrition of people in areas with lower risk of disease. The Mediterranean Diet — which promotes eating fruits, vegetables and oily fish — has been linked to increased brain health and a decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Society, a British charity that supports people affected by dementia.
The Family Caregiving Alliance, a national group dedicated to improving the lives of caregivers, lists a number of ways to assess if a study is credible:
- Look at how many people were included
- How they were recruited
- Where the research was published
- If it was peer reviewed
- Who paid for the research
There are many ways that the results of studies can be manipulated, Coleman said.
“If you are a company that is selling a product, you can actually design a study to make your product look better,” she said.
Websites across the internet link specific foods to brain health and a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. We looked at the research behind eight ingredients to determine fact from fiction.
Jury’s still out: Turmeric
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Some lab studies have shown that curcumin, a chemical found in turmeric, has anti-inflammatory properties and is possibly able to break up the beta amyloid plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
An experiment from the UCLA Longevity Center focused on 40 people, age 50 to 90, who had mild memory complaints. Those who were given curcumin had a 28 percent improvement in memory test results, as well as decreased levels of beta amyloid and tau proteins. There were no improvements for those who received a placebo.
Those same results have not been found, however, when it comes to clinical studies, and the way turmeric affects the brain is not fully understood, according to the Alzheimer’s Society. The organization has published a series of articles about what is and isn’t known about the relationship between food and dementia.
We wish: Chocolate
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Everyone wants to believe that chocolate is the cure-all for life’s many ailments, but the research behind it is murky.
Many of the studies linking health benefits to eating chocolate have been funded by the chocolate industry, according to Vox. In its analysis of chocolate research, Vox found that 98 percent of studies funded by the candy company that makes Mars bars found health benefits linked to chocolate consumption.
When it comes to chocolate being used in research, most often scientists are looking at flavonoids (a plant-based chemical found in cacao), not the sugary treats we snag in the snack machine, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
In Italy, University of L’Aquila scientists published research in 2013 that showed applying chemicals extracted from cocoa helped to protect cells from beta amyloid proteins. They concluded that it might be a potential preventative treatment for Alzheimer’s, but more research needed to be conducted since the experiment was with isolated cells in a lab, not with human subjects.
Brain booster: Blueberries
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Anthocyanins, a plant compound found in blueberries, have been linked to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and diabetes, according to the journal Food Science and Food Safety.
Researchers from the University of Cincinnati published a study in 2010 that showed there was a positive relationship between consuming wild blueberry juice supplements and improving memory. But the study only had nine participants and it was paid for by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America.
Blueberries do in fact contribute to brain health because of their antioxidant properties, Coleman said, but more research needs to be done to determine if they can be used to prevent Alzheimer’s.
Mostly mythical: Cinnamon
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A 2013 study from UC Santa Barbara implicated that cinnamon might be able to prevent the build up of tau protein tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. Researchers extracted two chemicals from cinnamon — cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin — and used them to treat lab-created cells as part of the experiment.
It worked in the lab, but to replicate the results in the real world, a human subject would have to consume a toxic amount of cinnamon, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
Popeye was right about leafy greens
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Swallowing all that spinach, kale and collards your parents made you eat as a kid may pay off after all when it comes to brain health.
Research published in the journal Neurology found a link between eating a serving of leafy greens every day and slower cognitive decline related to age, according to the National Institute on Aging.
Scientists from Rush University in Chicago and Boston’s Tufts Human Nutrition Research Center studied 960 older adults who didn’t have dementia when the project began. They found that those who regularly ate the most greens were cognitively on par with people 11 years their junior.
Good for the Brain: Fatty fish
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Omega-3 fatty acids — found in fishes like salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna — are linked to healthier brain function, but not directly related to improving brain functioning in those with Alzheimer’s.
A 2017 study led by Amen Clinics showed a correlation between omega-3 consumption and healthy blood flow in the brain. In 2012, the journal Neurology published research UCLA that found a connection between low levels of fatty acids in red blood cells, smaller brain volumes and cognitive impairment, but there wasn’t a relationship between omega-3 levels and verbal memory.
Multiple studies have shown that taking omega-3 supplements may help to improve brain function for people with mild cognitive impairments and age-based brain health issues unrelated to dementia, but that it had no effect on those already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Go nuts for walnuts (and almonds)
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People who love to snack on nuts may be improving their brain health as they munch. Coleman said the low levels of omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts and almonds make them a good addition to a brain-healthy diet.
A study from the USDA published in The Journal of Nutrition found that eating walnuts is correlated with improvements in cardiovascular health, which is a risk factor when it comes to cognitive health. The same study also looked at older rodents, finding that eating walnuts improved their motor and cognitive behavior.
In a 15-year study of nearly 5,000 adults over 55 who participated in a China Health Nutrition Survey, researchers found that there was an inverse relationship between eating nuts and cognitive decline. Participants self-reported the information though, and as Popular Science reports, more research is needed to determine how nuts affect cognitive decline.
Champagne wishes, caviar dreams
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Stories claiming that drinking three glasses of champagne a day can prevent dementia might be popular, but don’t start popping bottles of bubbly quite yet. When it comes to champagne and Alzheimer’s disease, there’s simply not enough data.
A 2011 study linking champagne consumption to memory improvements from the University of Reading gained viral status in the media, but the spatial memory improvements were observed in older rats, not humans.
As the Alzheimer’s Society reports, drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is actually one of the risk factors when it comes to dementia.