Harmful Foods

The common foods harmful to Alzheimer’s that many people propagate on the internet include nitrates, nitrites, gluten and AGEs.  But is there evidence to support that?  

I have heard some argue that the rise of certain processed foods have parrelled the increase of Alzheimer’s and therefore these processed foods are to blame.  The argument goes something like this.  Between 1968 and 2005, the death rate of Alzheimer’s patients increased 800-fold for people over eighty-five which parallels the increase in certain types of processed food.  It is an extremely weak argument.  I’ve heard the same argument for copper, but it could be used for anything.  Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere or computer screen time.  The argument should be dismissed out of hand.1,2,3     

Thankfully, there is more insightful research that help to answer these questions about nitrates, nitrites, gluten and AGEs.  Researchers have performed observational studies  which look at exactly those foods and have tried to make correlations.  The following sections will take a deep look into the best scientific evidence available for nitrates, nitrites, gluten and AGEs.  You might be surprised by what you find.