Diet of Fast Food and Candy May Cause Alzheimer's

lurking_giant sends along a Reuters report on research out of Sweden indicating that a diet rich in fat, sugar, and cholesterol could increase the risk of Alzheimer's, at least in mice. "'On examining the brains of these mice, we found a chemical change not unlike that found in the Alzheimer brain,' [said] Susanne Akterin, a researcher at the Karolinska Institutet's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center... 'We now suspect that a high intake of fat and cholesterol in combination with genetic factors... can adversely affect several brain substances, which can be a contributory factor in the development of Alzheimer's.' ... These mice showed chemical changes in their brains, indicating an abnormal build-up of the protein tau as well as signs that cholesterol in food reduced levels of another protein called Arc involved in memory storage."

Comments

Re:Obvious?

[penguin_dance]

Now if we could only get governments to have some kind of taxes on the bad stuff, and subsidize the good stuff. I'd eat better if I could afford it, quite frankly.

No, it's not the government's job to be your nanny. You know you should eat healthier, go forth and do so. It's not all that expensive; it's just usually more convenient to buy a McFatburger than make a healthy salad. Buy foods that are unprocessed. Yes, there is bagged salad, but it would be cheaper and healthier to buy a head of lettuce and a couple of carrots without the preservatives. Top with olive oil and vinegar and maybe some dried herbs instead of bottled dressing.

Buying food in it's most unprocessed state is usually best. I would except frozen vegetables (check for salt and other preservatives) which are usually flash frozen and so retain their vitamins potency longer and raw, unpasteurized milk. And this doesn't mean you have to become a vegetarian. But buying leaner meats, such as ground round instead of just ground beef, while they're more expensive, they have less waste as well as less fat. And you don't have to have red meat everyday. Chicken and some fish (baked, not fried) provide protein for less. Or combine non-meat products that form complete proteins. Like, peanut butter and whole wheat bread, beans and cornbread or corn tortilla, red beans and rice.

They raised taxes on cigarettes for years, yet change in people's habits did not come until there was massive peer pressure not to be around second hand smoke or to subject you child to it. Once it became both inconvenient and *uncool* to smoke, more people stopped smoking.

But junk food is not smoking and having a fast food burger or dining out isn't bad in moderation. The problem with these studies is it's all or nothing. They fed these mice nothing but fast food equivalent for NINE MONTHS. (Don't forget that research mice are not common mice but are bred to be more susceptible to disease.) Well of COURSE they're going to get sick. Who eats like this? But had they fed them healthy meals and then once or twice a week they got junk food, they probably wouldn't have the dramatic results to report.