{"id":374643,"date":"2026-04-11T14:25:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:25:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/374643\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T14:25:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:25:15","slug":"high-quality-plant-diets-protect-against-alzheimers-even-when-started-late-at-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/374643\/","title":{"rendered":"High-quality plant diets protect against Alzheimer\u2019s, even when started late at life"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AA new study links a healthy plant-based diet, even when started at older age, to lower Alzheimer\u2019s risk. Javier D\u00edez\/Stocksy<\/a><\/p>\n

Past studies show that eating a healthy, nutritious diet \u2014 such as a plant-based diet \u2014 may help in lowering a person\u2019s risk of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While a plant-based diet can be healthy with whole grains, legumes, and vegetables, it can also be unhealthy if it contains ultra-processed foods, fried foods, or foods high in sugars and salt.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A new study found that consuming an unhealthful plant-based diet may actually increase a person\u2019s risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other types of dementia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Past studies show that eating a healthy, nutritious diet may help in lowering a person\u2019s risk<\/a> of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease<\/a> or other types of dementia<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One such diet is a plant-based diet<\/a>, which emphasizes eating whole foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains<\/a>, legumes<\/a>, nuts, and seeds, with little or no animal-based protein.<\/p>\n

While a plant-based diet can be healthy, it can also be unhealthy if you choose ultra-processed foods<\/a>, fried foods, or foods high in sugars and salt.<\/p>\n

Now, a new study published in Neurology<\/a>, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, has found that consuming an unhealthful plant-based diet may actually increase your risk for Alzheimer\u2019s disease and other types of dementia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Healthy vs. unhealthy plant-based diet<\/p>\n

For this study, researchers recruited almost 93,000 adults with an average age of 59. The study participant pool included people from several different ethnic groups, including Caucasian, African American, Japanese American, Native Hawaiian, and Latino.<\/p>\n

Study participants were asked to fill out food questionnaires at the start of the study to measure the types of healthy and unhealthy foods they consumed, and were given scores based on how closely they followed a healthy or unhealthy plant-based diet.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlant foods have long been associated with broad health benefits, and plant-based diets have gained interest for environmental and other reasons,\u201d Song-Yi Park, PhD<\/a>, associate professor of population sciences in the Pacific Program at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and corresponding author of this study, told Medical News Today. \u201cHowever, an earlier study<\/a> by another group suggested that healthful and unhealthful plant foods may carry opposing effects on dementia risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe adopted the indices they developed to distinguish the good and poor quality plant foods and examined their relationship with ADRD (Alzheimer\u2019s Disease and Related Dementias)<\/a> risk in our Multiethnic Cohort Study,\u201d Park explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince this cohort has followed a large number of people from five racial and ethnic groups for (about) 30 years, we hoped to find out whether different quality plant foods are related to the subsequent ADRD risk differently. Especially, we wanted to see what happens to the related ADRD risk after people change their plant-diet quality over time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Eating more unhealthy plant-based foods raises dementia risk<\/p>\n

Study participants were followed for an average of 11 years, and ranked into five subgroups based on their plant-based diet scores.<\/p>\n

During that time, researchers found that participants in the best subgroup who ate the most plant foods had a 12% lower risk of dementia, compared to participants in the lowest subgroup.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When examining participants\u2019 scores based on how healthy their plant-based diet was, the top subgroup lowered their dementia risk by 7%, while the lowest subgroup that consumed the most unhealthy plant-based foods increased their dementia risk by 6%.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis finding confirmed the overall hypothesis that people consuming more plant foods and more healthful plant foods were less likely to develop dementia later on,\u201d Park said.<\/p>\n

Healthy diet changes reduce dementia risk even at older age<\/p>\n

Additionally, Park and her team analyzed a subset of their participant pool, who were followed for 10 years, to look at how participants\u2019 diets changed over time.<\/p>\n

Researchers discovered that the participants whose diets changed to a more unhealthy plant-based diet increased their dementia risk by 25%. And those who moved away from an unhealthy plant-based diet lowered their dementia risk by 11%.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis finding was more interesting, more indicative of potential benefits from individual changes,\u201d Park said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that we found the strongest dementia relationship from changes in unhealthful plant foods, rather than all plant foods or even healthful plant foods, seems helpful to understand what changes we can start with. And these relationship patterns were similar in people who were younger or older than age 60 at baseline, suggesting it\u2019s not (too) late to make the change at an older age.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\u2014 Song-Yi Park, PhD<\/p>\n

Diet quality matters for brain health<\/p>\n

MNT spoke with Dung Trinh, MD<\/a>, an internist for MemorialCare Medical Group and chief medical officer of the Healthy Brain Clinic in Irvine, CA, about this study, who commented that its results add meaningful evidence to something many clinicians have suspected for a long time: diet quality appears to matter for brain health, not just heart health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat stood out to me is that this was a very large, multiethnic cohort followed over many years, and the findings were not simply about \u2018eating more plants,\u2019 but about the difference between healthier and less healthy plant-based eating patterns,\u201d Trinh explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as important, the study found that changes in diet over time were linked to dementia risk, suggesting that improving eating habits later in life may still be worthwhile,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, I would be careful not to overstate the results, because this was an observational study, so it shows an association rather than proving cause and effect,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

As next steps for this research, Trinh said he would like to see intervention studies that test whether improving diet quality can directly reduce cognitive decline or dementia risk, rather than only being associated with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would also like researchers to better understand which specific dietary changes drive the greatest benefit, how diet interacts with other risk factors such as diabetes<\/a>, hypertension<\/a>, and genetics, and whether some populations benefit more than others,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Tips for eating a healthy plant-based diet<\/p>\n

MNT also spoke with Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN<\/a>, a registered dietitian nutritionist and owner of Nutrition-In-Sight, about this research, who said that one of the most important distinctions to make is that while a plant-based diet can be healthy, much of its health benefits depend on the types of food they select.<\/p>\n

\u201cA plant-based diet can be incredibly health-promoting or it can also be highly processed and low in essential nutrients<\/a> if convenient, manufactured food-like items are prioritized, or the only products available,\u201d Richard detailed. <\/p>\n

\u201cDietary patterns for an individual need to be adequate, varied, balanced, high in quality, nutrient-rich, and based on whole, real food curated by Mother Nature,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch consistently shows that whole, minimally processed plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, are associated with better cognitive and cardiometabolic<\/a> outcomes. In contrast, plant-based diets high in refined grains, added sugars, and ultra-processed foods may not offer the same protection and can even contribute to inflammation, metabolic dysfunction<\/a>, and systemic deterioration.\u201d\u00a0
\u2014 Monique Richard, MS, RDN, LDN<\/p>\n

How can I ensure my plant-based diet is healthy?<\/p>\n

Richard offered these tips on how readers can increase their quality plant consumption and potentially decrease their dementia risk:<\/p>\n

Prioritize color and variety: Aim for colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and teas within a given meal, day and week. Aim for three servings at a meal of fruit and vegetables, and three different colors in a day.<\/p>\n

Upgrade, don\u2019t think \u201coverhaul\u201d: Make this feel doable and not restrictive. Try adding lentils to pasta, nuts to breakfast, and greens to soups.<\/p>\n

Build a meal around plants, not just protein: Include meals rich in leafy greens<\/a>, berries<\/a>, beans and lentils<\/a>, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.<\/p>\n

Include healthy fats with meals and snacks: Examples include extra virgin olive oil<\/a>, walnuts, almonds and pecans, or flax<\/a> and chia seeds<\/a>. These support vascular health and provide key fatty acids for brain function.<\/p>\n

Be mindful of nutrient adequacy: Especially in more restrictive plant-based patterns, ensure adequate intake of protein, vitamin B12<\/a>, omega-3 fatty acids<\/a> (EPA\/DHA), iron<\/a>, zinc<\/a>, choline<\/a>, vitamin D<\/a>, and iodine<\/a>. Hint: This is where working with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) can be especially valuable.<\/p>\n

Strive for enjoyable and sustainable: Consistency over time matters more than perfection \u2014 meals should be satisfying, culturally meaningful, and realistic for your lifestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t control every risk factor for cognitive decline, but what we put on our plate and in our body are two of the most consistent and powerful influences we have to mitigate risk, and increase the probability to enhance feeling good and enjoying being alive,\u201d Richard added.<\/p>\n

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