Nutritional contributions to dementia prevention: main issues on antioxidant micronutrients

Abstract

There is an impressing body of evidence supporting the beneficial role of balanced nutrition in lowering the risk of dementia and its commonest form, Alzheimer's disease. Nevertheless, and despite worldwide dementia epidemic, there is much unfounded skepticism and lack of information among physicians. As a result, the diagnosis of cognitive impairment occurs still far too late, at best symptomatic drugs keep being prescribed and patients and caregivers are left with little concrete support in the hands of the natural history of the disease. This review summarizes knowledge about the impact of nutrition as part of a healthy lifestyle and of micronutrients in particular on delaying and avoiding dementia onset.Why do we need to care about dementia Dementia is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder, and it is characterized by progression, multiple etiology, complex symptomatology including that related to a disturbance of cognitive performance and absence of a cure. During the course of the disease, the cognitive symptoms of dementia persist and steadily worsen and behavioral disturbances appear and progress and as a result intellectual and social abilities are affected enough to obstacle the performance of activities of daily living. According to dementia definition, a diagnosis of dementia can be done when the impairment of more cognitive domains lasts long enough and is associated with behavioral disturbances both affecting activities of daily living. Dementia is indeed associated with disability and a high grade of dependence on caregivers-usually family members. This condition of disability and dependence brings along an enormous social and economic burden which is linked to the epidemics of dementia and its commonest, untreatable form, Alzheimer's disease (AD). The major risk factor for dementia and AD is advanced age, and therefore, the societal impact of AD is increasing according to aging demographics (http:// ec.europa.eu/health/reports/european). Life expectancy at birth in the EU increased from 72 years in 1980 to 78 years in 2007. The population of industrialized countries progressed from a mean life expectancy of 35 years at the beginning of the last century, to currently over 80 years of age. People aged 65 years or older are expected to double between 1995 and 2050 to reach 135 million in the EU, with very old people, aged 80 years and older, being projected to grow as much as eight to ten times on the global scale by 2050. This will strongly impact the already challenging number of ten million AD cases in the EU. As a cure against dementia has not been found yet, health care professionals all over the world are predicted to face the diagnostic, therapeutic and socioeconomical challenges of over 115 million people with dementia by 2050 (Prince et al. 2013). This perspective might be even underestimated, particularly due to inadequate diagnosis, lack of awareness and low education. The dramatic loss of synapses and cholinergic neurons, accumulation of extracellular b amyloid (Ab) plaqu...

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“…M. Cristina Polidori at the University Hospital of Cologne and her colleagues have been at the forefront of this research. Dr. Polidori has reported that Western diets generally favor saturated fat intake which can increase Alzheimer risk [69]. Part of the remedy is to replace fish for meat and consume high amounts of fruits, vegetables, fresh dairy products, and plant-based fats and 138 12 Conditions That Can Promote Alzheimer's nuts [69].…”

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