| HIGH protein diets have been popular off and on | | | | damaging, if the high fat increases the |
| since the 1960s, and are once again grabbing the | | | | accumulation of plaques and the high protein |
| attention of millions of people desperate to lose | | | | sensitizes nerve cells to the poison released by |
| weight. But before you jump on the bandwagon, | | | | plaques," said lead author Sam Gandy, a professor |
| there are some things you might want to | | | | at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a |
| consider. | | | | neurologist at the James J. Peters Veterans |
| High protein diets can produce a rapid initial weight | | | | Affairs Medical Center in New York. |
| loss, but most of this loss can be water rather | | | | "Given the previously reported association of |
| than fat. Additionally, many high protein diets are | | | | high-protein diet with aging-related neurotoxicity, |
| high in saturated fat and low in fiber, a | | | | one wonders whether particular diets, if ingested |
| combination that can increase cholesterol levels | | | | at particular ages, might increase susceptibility to |
| and raise the risk of heart disease and stroke. | | | | incidence or progression of Alzheimer's disease." |
| High protein diets have also been shown to cause | | | | Gandy believes the only way to know for sure if |
| higher than normal calcium excretion through the | | | | these findings have implications for the human |
| urine, which over a prolonged period of time can | | | | brain is to perform prospective randomised double |
| increase the risk of osteoporosis and kidney | | | | blind clinical diet trials. "This would be a challenging |
| stones. | | | | undertaking but potentially worthwhile. If there is a |
| And a recent study suggests that a high protein | | | | real chance that the ravages of Alzheimer's |
| diet may actually cause brain shrinkage and an | | | | disease might be slowed or avoided through |
| increased "susceptibility to or progression of | | | | healthy eating," he said. "Such trials will be required |
| Alzheimer's disease." | | | | if scientists are ever to make specific |
| The discovery was an unexpected one, found | | | | recommendations about dietary risks for |
| while studying the effects of different diets on | | | | Alzheimer's disease." |
| mice bred to develop Alzheimer's disease (AD). | | | | Previous research has shown a |
| The mice were fed either a regular diet, high fat | | | | Mediterranean-style low-calorie, low-fat diet rich in |
| low carb custom diet, high protein/low carb | | | | vegetables, fruits, and fish might delay the onset |
| version or a high carb/low fat option. When the | | | | or slow the progression of AD. AD is the most |
| researchers looked at the brain and body weight | | | | common type of dementia, affecting as many as |
| of the mice, as well as plaque build-up and | | | | 5.3 million Americans. |
| differences in the structure of several brain | | | | Brain lesions, called amyloid plaques and tangles, |
| regions involved in the memory defect underlying | | | | accumulate, destroying brain cells, causing |
| AD, they were surprised to find that the brains of | | | | memory loss and problems with thinking and |
| the mice fed a high protein/low carb diet were | | | | behavior severe enough to affect work, social life |
| five percent lighter than all the others and the | | | | and even the ability to cope with everyday life. |
| regions of their hippocampus were less developed. | | | | Over time, AD gets worse and is fatal. Currently, |
| The researchers theorize that the high protein | | | | there is no cure for AD, but researchers around |
| diet may leave neurons more vulnerable to AD | | | | the world continue to search for better ways to |
| plaque. "High protein diets are used for weight | | | | treat the disease, delay its onset, or prevent it |
| control, and those diets sometimes combine high | | | | from developing. The study is published in the |
| fat and high protein, which may be doubly | | | | journal Molecular Neurodegeneration. |