Imagine if changing what you eat for just a few days a month could help your brain stay healthy as you age. A recent study suggests that a special diet, designed to imitate fasting while still providing essential nutrients, could have the power to fight off the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. This diet isn’t about cutting out all food but rather reducing calories and certain nutrients to give the body the benefits of fasting without going hungry.
Scientists at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology have been studying this fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) in mice, and their findings are pretty exciting. They discovered that mice with Alzheimer’s who followed this diet had less buildup of harmful proteins in their brains and did better on memory tests compared to mice on a regular diet.
The Potential of the Fasting-Mimicking Diet
Alzheimer’s disease is known for two main troublemakers in the brain: amyloid-beta, which clumps together to form plaques, and tau protein, which tangles up inside brain cells. Both of these disrupt normal brain function and lead to memory loss and other cognitive problems. The fasting-mimicking diet seemed to reduce these harmful proteins in the mice.
What’s more, this special diet also appeared to calm inflammation in the brain, which is another factor that can damage brain cells and lead to Alzheimer’s. The diet even seemed to protect against oxidative stress, a process that can injure neurons and lead to more buildup of amyloid-beta.
The diet itself is a short-term plan that you don’t follow every day. It’s high in healthy fats but low in calories, protein, and carbs. The idea is to trick the body into thinking it’s fasting, which can trigger all sorts of beneficial processes, like getting rid of damaged cells and making new ones.
The mice in the study followed the diet for four or five days twice a month. Some mice went through this cycle for over a year. The results were clear: mice on the fasting-mimicking diet had healthier brains and were sharper mentally than those that ate normally.
Could This Diet Help Humans Too?
But what about people? Can this diet help humans with Alzheimer’s? A small study with patients who have mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer’s disease showed that the diet is safe and doable. A larger study is underway to see if it can actually improve memory and thinking skills in people as it did in mice. Other research suggests that this type of diet might also help with other health issues like heart disease and diabetes, which are often linked to Alzheimer’s.
It’s worth noting that Professor Valter Longo, one of the study’s lead researchers, has a stake in a company that makes products for the fasting-mimicking diet. However, his involvement is managed according to the university’s policies to avoid any conflict of interest.
As these studies continue, they could lead to new ways to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease, giving hope to millions of people and their families.
