Eating for brain health: What women need to know about diet and Alzheimer’s

Women have a greater probability of developing Alzheimer’s than men. Making certain diet changes could help keep the brain healthy. Plenty of patients still come to me after they have developed a disease, but the majority of people are now coming beforehand — so they don’t develop one. Women, especially, are focusing on the brain . After all, what’s the point in making sure you don’t get heart disease or cancer if your brain is no longer working as it once did? With June marking Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month, the American Alzheimer’s Association predicts the prevalence of Alzheimer’s could triple by 2050. It currently impacts about 5.7 million Americans and remains the sixth leading cause of death, killing more people each year than breast cancer and prostrate cancer combined. If you are a woman, you have a greater probability of developing Alzheimer’s than a man. The reason why may lie in part to a hormone that has a huge impact on a woman’s health: estrogen. It protects the body from many diseases, and when stores of it dip — as they do when a woman enters menopause — our organs, including our brain, may act against us. Despite this knowledge, the debate over hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and all of its pros and cons rages on. Is it the only way to protect our mind and memory, or can diet play a role? Estrogen and brain health Best Drinks for Fat Loss Several studies indicate supplemental estrogen may in fact protect the brain from adverse changes associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. A 2017 study in the journal Neurology found women who began HRT at the beginning of menopause had a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s a decade later. Other studies indicate women on HRT have better working memory […]

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