Drinking orange juice and green tea can prevent dementia! 4 tips for diet, using your brain more and exercising more are the keys to success

As the population ages, a wave of dementia is coming! Is dementia caused by “brain overwork”? In order to avoid the rapid loss of memory, studies in recent years have found that foods that help improve memory, including deep-sea fish, orange juice, and green tea, can help stay away from the threat of dementia. In addition, foreign studies have found that if the sense of smell is reduced and one cannot smell onions, it is a warning sign of dementia. What do domestic neurologists think about these arguments?

One in every 84 people suffers from dementia, and about 60% of dementia is caused by Alzheimer's disease

According to data estimated at the end of 2018, the number of people with dementia in Taiwan has reached 282,364, which means that 1 in every 84 people is a dementia patient. The wave of dementia is coming, and for elderly people, it can be said that the very mention of it is terrifying! About 60% of the causes of dementia are caused by Alzheimer's disease, which is the largest cause. The second largest cause is vascular dementia, which accounts for about 20%. The remaining 20% ​​includes Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, mixed dementia, and others (nutritional disorders, intracranial lesions, metabolic abnormalities, central nervous system infections, poisoning, etc.).

【10 typical symptoms of dementia】:

(1) Memory loss affects your life.

(2) Having trouble planning things or solving problems.

(3) Inability to perform tasks that were once familiar to them.

(4) Confusion about time and place.

(5) Difficulty understanding the relationship between visual images and space.

(6) Difficulty expressing oneself or writing.

(7) Things are placed in a disorderly manner and one loses the ability to look back and find them.

(8) Poor or weakened judgment.

(9) Withdrawing from work or social activities.

(10) Changes in mood and personality.

Is dementia caused by “brain overwork”? More experimental evidence is needed

In addition to the 10 typical symptoms of dementia reminded by the Taiwan Alzheimer's Association, according to statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control, the most relevant risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are age and race; and the risk factors for vascular dementia include age, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. So is dementia caused by "brain overwork"? Dr. Lai Junhao, a neurosurgeon at the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Lo Sheng Sanatorium, said that although current studies have shown that working hours and dementia are nonlinearly correlated, whether it is a causal relationship still needs to be confirmed by more experimental evidence.

Is a reduced sense of smell and inability to smell onions a warning sign of dementia?

Foreign studies have found that if the sense of smell is reduced and one can no longer smell onions, it is a warning sign of dementia. What do domestic neurologists think of this statement? Dr. Lai Junhao said that the symptoms of hyposmia have been reported in relevant research literature on Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, and Parkinson's disease. Some patients even have symptoms of reduced sense of smell before cognitive impairment emerges. Patients often change their complaints of hyposmia to loss of taste, or changes in their eating habits are discovered through observation by relatives, friends, and caregivers without the patients themselves noticing. In addition, decreased sense of smell may also be caused by other diseases. If any abnormalities are found, you can seek medical professional assistance for evaluation in a timely manner to facilitate further diagnosis.

Study: Eating more deep-sea fish, drinking orange juice and green tea can help prevent dementia

As for, which foods can help prevent dementia? In addition to the well-known need to consume more deep-sea fish to supplement omega-3, many recent studies have also pointed out that drinking orange juice and green tea can also be helpful. According to a study conducted by Harvard University and published in the American journal Neurology in November 2018, men who drink more orange juice may have a lower risk of dementia than men who do not drink it. In addition, research from Newcastle University in the UK has found that green tea can protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease and prevent other dementia diseases.

Dr. Lai Junhao said that according to a report from the Taiwan Alzheimer's Association, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, and even overall mortality, while the relative risk of developing Alzheimer's disease is reduced by about 70%. In addition, the National Health Service recommends that the best approach is to use your brain more, exercise more, eat a balanced diet, maintain a proper weight, and prevent risk factors for dementia, such as staying away from depression, not smoking, avoiding head trauma, and preventing the three highs (high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high blood lipids).

As for the claim from foreign studies that drinking orange juice and green tea can also help prevent dementia, it just so happens that an 11-year follow-up study conducted by the Academia Sinica, the National Institutes of Health and Yang-Ming University recently showed that the risk of dementia can be significantly halved for people who consume fish and tea more than four times a week. It is mainly the catechins contained in green tea, which have antioxidant effects and can cross the blood-brain barrier and reach brain cells. The Omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids rich in deep-sea fish can reduce brain inflammation and enhance blood circulation to the brain.

【Dietary tips for preventing dementia】:

(1) Eat more fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, and unrefined grains (vitamins C, E, and B complex).

(2) Use unsaturated oils such as olive oil when cooking or making salads, and consume less saturated fats.

(3) Eat more fish (fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids).

(4) Drinking alcohol is not recommended. People who have the habit of drinking can drink moderate amounts of wine, but not excessive amounts.

【Doctor's Tips】:

Dr. Lai Junhao reminds us that there is currently no drug that can cure dementia, so how to prevent dementia has become an issue of public concern. In today's research on the prevention of dementia, most of the focus is on Alzheimer's disease. With the continuous progress of dementia research, we are also increasingly aware of factors that help prevent or delay dementia, such as using the brain more (maintaining curiosity, getting in touch with new things, taking courses, learning new knowledge, etc.), regular exercise (such as hiking, mountain climbing, swimming, cycling, gymnastics, aerobics, yoga, Tai Chi, etc.), a Mediterranean diet, more social interaction, maintaining a healthy weight, and staying away from risk factors related to the three highs (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar). These are all keys to success!