This week has been dementia awareness week. As dietitians we see a range of people with dementia, mostly who are older with varying levels of dementia. Recently, more emphasis has been placed on benefits of good nutrition in people with dementia.
Good nutrition can improve cognitive function, prevent malnutrition and the myriad of problems associated with that, and improves the quality of life for people with dementia.
The value of a healthy lifestyle has been in the spotlight for quite some time. Research is constantly being done to establish the benefits of specific nutrients in the control of certain illnesses. There is no doubt that a healthy lifestyle, with proper nutrition and enough exercise, has vast benefits in controlling and in certain cases preventing these illnesses, such as dementia.
Dementia is usually more prevalent in older people and specifically those over the age of sixty. There is evidence that the correct nutrition can least have an influence on the severity of the illness. Research showed that there is a definite correlation between a proper diet throughout your adult years and the onset of dementia.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Omega-3 fatty acids help the brain function properly. Because of the many negative connotations to fat in a diet, people tend to cut fat completely from their diets. Omega-3 fats found in fish, vegetable oils (flaxseed oil, canola oil) and nuts (walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts) are important nutrients that should be included in a healthy diet. Saturated fat and hydrogenated fat found in many junk foods should on the other hand be limited as they have little benefit to people with dementia.
Vitamins such as vitamin C and B-group vitamins found in fruit and vegetables are essential to stay healthy. A vitamin deficiency can be responsible for cognitive decline. In some instances treatment of such deficiencies can reverse the symptoms of dementia.
An overall healthy diet which includes foods from all the important food groups can prevent or at least minimize the effects of dementia. This healthy diet should be maintained even if it becomes evident that a person might already have symptoms of dementia.
Nutrition becomes more complicated when a person already suffers from dementia due to the fact that these patients sometimes lose their appetites or on the other hand tend to overeat. Some people crave sweet foods while others might simply forget to eat. All these challenges can prevent the dementia patient from getting the necessary nutrition to assist with the illness and being healthy in general. As well as memory issues, people with dementia may have issues with swallowing food and fluid. They may need assistance from a speech pathologist in determining what level of texture modification or thickening of fluids is required.
Caregivers, family members and friends will have to be specifically aware of these tendencies to prevent the dementia patient from becoming a victim of malnutrition. If the dementia sufferer tends to overeat (many times because they forgot that they have already eaten), it would be better to offer small meals with healthy snacks in between. Those who forget to eat must be reminded that it is mealtime and it will help if mealtimes are at set times. Some people might forget to chew and will have to be reminded of that. It might be necessary to do this for every bite they take. Softer and easily digestible food tends to be better under these circumstances.
Once someone does develop dementia, he or she still needs proper nutrition to prevent other types of health problems. In fact, the bigger problem may be reluctance on the person’s part to eat anything at all. Working closely with the medical staff, as well as a Registered Dietitian or Accredited Practising Dietitian is beneficial in helping to ensure optimal health for the individual.
Links
Alzheimers Australia
Alzheimer’s Association-America
Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Department of Health and Ageing – Dementia
Alzheimer’s Society-UK
Resources
http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/456/main.html
http://www.ehow.com/about_5286377_diet-dementia.html
http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/Dementia-Alzheimer’s
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/omega-3-000316.htm
Tags: Alzheimers, dementia, Omega 3, Vitamin-B, Vitamin-C
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