Can Reducing Fat Intake Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s Disease is one of the most common forms of dementia. Recently, a study came out that suggests the possibility that reducing the amount of fat you eat might help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive form of dementia that starts with mild memory loss. As it progresses, communication skills and the ability to manage daily life are lost. Alzheimer’s affects the areas of the brain that control memory, thought, and language. In 2020, an estimated 5.8 million Americans were living with the disease. By 2060, this number is expected to triple to 14 million. According to the CDC, symptoms of the disease develop around age 60. The number of people with Alzheimer’s doubles every five years thereafter. By age 85, almost a third of Americans have symptoms consistent with Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have worked hard to understand why Alzheimer’s develops in some people but not in others. Understanding why and how it develops is the first step to learning how to treat and preve