Sunday July 7, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- At the International Conference on Nutrition and the Brain held in Washington DC from July 19 through 20, 2013, conference speakers were asked to provide their opinions on possible dietary and lifestyle guidelines to prevent Alzheimer’s disease.  The guidelines were developed based on three principles. That is, the guidelines should be based on 1) evidence suggesting the guidelines provide substantial benefits, 2) won't result in any harm and 3) are subject to further modification.

As a result, seven guidelines on dietary and lifestyle interventions for the prevention of Alzheimer's diseases were developed.

1, Intake of saturated fats and trans fat should be minimized.  Saturated fat is high in dairy products, meats, and certain oils including coconut and palm oils.  Trans fat or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils are found in processed foods including many snack pastries and fried foods.  Both saturated fat and trans fat are associated with cardiovascular disease, which is in turn linked to elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease.

2, Intake of vegetables, legumes, fruit and whole grains should be increased to replace meats and dairy products as primary staples.  Antioxidants in these foods reduce oxidative stress which is otherwise associated with elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease.

3, Vitamin E should come from a person's diet, but not dietary supplements.   Good sources of vitamin E are seeds, nuts, green leafy veggies and whole grains.   The current recommended dietary allowance for vitamin E is 15 mg/day.

4, Vitamin b12 from fortified foods or a dietary supplement in a minimum dose of 2.4 ug per day for adults as the recommended daily allowance should be ingested. Vitamin B12 is considered an essential nutrient for cognition.

5, Multivitamin if used should contain no iron and copper.  Iron supplements should be taken only when directed by physicians.  Iron and copper have been associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

6, it is not clear how much harm aluminum can do to increase risk of Alzheimer's disease, evidence suggests that avoidance of this metal may be beneficial.  Any food ingredients or cookware or other consumer products that contain this metal may be avoided if so desired.  (Aluminum can be found in some food ingredients)

7, Do physical exercise with the strength equivalent to 40 minutes of brisk walking three times a week.  Observational studies have shown that those who were physically active were at reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. (Edited by David  LIu, 

Neal D. Barnarda, Ashley I. Bushc, Antonia Ceccarellid, James Coopera, Celeste A. de Jagere, 1, Kirk I. Ericksonf, Gary Fraserg, Shelli Keslerh, Susan M. Levinb, Brendan Luceyi, Martha Clare Morrisj, Rosanna Squittik, Dietary and lifestyle guidelines for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease, Neurobiology of Aging, Volume 35, Supplement 2, September 2014, Pages S74–S78