The rates of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in Japan and developing countries have been on the rapid rise in recent years and researchers believe that the Western diet, obesity, consumption of alcoholic drinks and smoking are associated with the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The current study released in Journal of Alzheimer's disease shows that in Japan, consumption of alcoholic drinks, animal-based foods, meat and rice supply were highly associated with incidence of Alzheimer's disease with a 15-25 year lag.  In eight developing countries, intake of total energy and animal fat was highly correlated with incidence of Alzheimer's disease with a 15 to 20 year lag.  William B. Grant from Sunlight, Nutrition, and Health Research Center, San Francisco, CA, USA, the author of the study, found evidence suggesting that in developing countries, obesity is a risk factor while in Japan, increased intake of cholesterol, saturated fat, and iron due to increased intake of animal products and meat may increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease.  (David Liu, PHD)