Vegetarian and Vegan

Alzheimer's and Vegetarian and Vegan Diets

Considering our discussion so far, it probably comes as no surprise that studies have shown that vegetarians have less dementia and Alzheimer’s risk than people that eat meat. Vegetarian diets can range quite bit, from people that over consume pasta and cheese on one side of the spectrum to those who primarily eat a raw vegan diet on the other side of the spectrum. However, plant based vegetarian diets have been shown to have positive effects on weight status, energy metabolism and systemic inflammation. But can a plant based diet reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s?1

Alzheimer's Studies on Vegetarian and Vegan Diets

An observational study including 12,062 people in Taiwan showed that those who were vegetarian had a 38% lower risk of dementia. But what do the randomized clinical trials show?2

In 2019 a group of researchers put out a systematic review detailing the effects of a plant based diet on the brain. Unfortunately, there were no randomized clinical trials that measured cognition directly, but the vast majority of studies showed positive improvements on Alzheimer’s related biomarkers and risk factors such as a decrease in BMI, decrease in LDL and total cholesterol, a decrease in inflammatory biomarkers, improved lipid metabolism, increased insulin sensitivity, decreased stress, decreased anxiety and decreased depression.1

Apoe4 Carriers and Vegetarian / Vegan Diets

For Apoe4 carriers, the main reason to consume a plant based diet is to avoid saturated fat. Saturated fat dairy and meat product. Because our Apoe4 protein is ineffective at transporting saturated fat leaving us susceptible to Alzheimer’s but also cardiovascular disease and other aging related diseases. If you decide to go with a keto diet, it you might want to consider a vegetarian or vegan keto diet so that saturated fat is reduced as much as possible.