Eating for Metabolic and Cognitive Health

HealthBrain Foods
Written By Danielle

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of five interconnected symptoms including:

  • Elevated triglycerides

  • Low levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol

  • High fasting glucose

  • Elevated blood pressure

  • Abdominal obesity (more than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men)

Not only is metabolic syndrome associated with conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke (Swarup et al., 2022), but it also increases risk for developing dementia and cognitive loss later in life. Researchers have found that with the onset of each additional metabolic syndrome symptom before the age of 60, there is increased likelihood of future dementia. This heightened risk for cognitive impairment is irrespective of cardiovascular disease status (Machado-Fragua et al., 2022).

These findings were recently replicated in a 15-year study of 176,249 participants. Having metabolic syndrome was associated with increased susceptibility for all-cause dementia. Individuals who demonstrated four or five of the metabolic syndrome symptoms were at highest risk, and the results were most significant for those who were at low genetic risk for dementia. This suggests that dietary factors are directly implicated in dementia disease formation (Qureshi et al., 2024).

Luckily, metabolic syndrome has been shown to be remarkably responsive to dietary intervention, and with a lowering of metabolic syndrome symptoms comes a commensurate reduction in dementia risk.

A healthy diet has been shown to be the most important modifiable risk factor in preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease formation.

How to Eat for Metabolic
and Cognitive Health

Our diets should come primarily from whole, minimally-processed food sources.
Ultra-processed foods are packed with refined grains, sugars, saturated and trans-fats, sodium, and empty calories, and they are often devoid of fiber and phytonutrients. Ultra-processed foods have been linked with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and dementia. Limiting consumption of ultra-processed foodstuffs and reaching instead for a whole, minimally-processed foods will take us far in reducing metabolic dysfunction and lowering dementia risk.

Our diets should contain the right type of Macronutrients.

  •  FATS - In addition to limiting consumption of saturated and trans-fats, there should be a focus on regular inclusion of heart-healthy fat sources, especially Omega-3 fats.

  • PROTEIN - Protein should be included at each meal, with a total protein intake of at least .8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Some researchers suggest that as much as 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is a preferable goal, especially during aging or if you are physically active (Layman, 2023). For optimal health, the majority of our protein should come from plant-based sources, even for individuals who consume animal products (Willett et al., 2019).

  • CARBOHYDRATES - To reduce the risk of insulin resistance, to lower blood glucose concentrations, and to limit central obesity, refined carbohydrates and simple sugars should be minimized. Instead, there should be a focus on consuming complex carbohydrates, including whole grains, tubers, legumes, produce of all kinds, nuts, and seeds. In order to properly fuel our bodies and brains, these healthy, minimally-processed carbohydrates should be consumed at each meal, helping us to feel satiated and to provide sustained energy while avoiding dramatic glucose and insulin spikes.

  • FIBER - Although not a traditional macronutrient, fiber is essential in producing short-chain fatty acids (https://thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/short-chain-fatty-acids), in maintaining a rich and diversely populated gut microbiome, in encouraging healthy weight maintenance, and in lowering risk for hypertension. Plus, fiber is critical for helping to maintain optimal brain health (Berding et al., 2021). Fiber comes ONLY from plants, and it is most easily found in foods like whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, and veggies.

Our diets should be chocked full of Micronutrients
Micronutrients include all our vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. While consumed in smaller quantities than the macronutrients, these dietary components are equally important in keeping our bodies and brains running in top form. Although some micronutrients can be synthesized, others are essential and must be consumed in our food. Here are some easy ways to ensure that you are eating a wide array of micronutrients:

  • Eat a minimum of 30 different plants per week, including produce, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs, and spices. This will help to ensure optimal microbiome diversity, as well as increasing the likelihood that all your micronutrient needs will be met.

  • Reach for the most colorful foods you can find, actively adding as many colors to your plate as you can. If you look down and your food is mostly brown or beige, you can pretty much guarantee that you are not consuming adequate micronutrients.

  • Purple and red foods are key for polyphenols and anthocyanins. Whenever possible add in dark purple, red, and blue foods, like berries, red cabbage, purple grapes, and eggplant.

  • Dark green foods are critical for obtaining adequate folate, and they are rich in iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Think of broccoli, asparagus, and dark leafy greens, like spinach, kale, microgreens, and fresh herbs.

  • Orange and yellow foods are an important source of carotenoids, like betacarotene. Reach for carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apricots, orange bell peppers, and cantaloupe.

You get the idea. Eat the rainbow to help ensure that all your micronutrient needs are met.

By simply focusing on eating whole foods and limiting ultra-processed items, by opting for healthy macronutrient choices (like whole grains, healthy fats, and plant-based protein), and by eating the rainbow, which helps to ensure adequate micronutrient consumption, both metabolic syndrome and risk of future dementia can be dramatically reduced.

For examples of what this looks like in practice, take a look at the following recipes:

Quinoa Nourish Bowls
https://thewell-nourishedbrain.com/blog/eating-for-metabolic-and-cognitive-health-quinoa-nourish-bowl

You can take control of your metabolic and cognitive health, by simply choosing to change what you put on your fork.


Wishing you excellent health and happy eating.
🌱

References:

Berding, K., Carbia, C., & Cryan, J. F. (2021). Going with the grain: Fiber, cognition, and the microbiota-gut-brain-axis. Experimental Biology and Medicine (Maywood, N.J.), 246(7), 796–811. https://doi.org/10.1177/1535370221995785

Grant, W. B., & Blake, S. M. (2023). Diet's role in modifying risk of Alzheimer's Disease: History and present understanding. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease: JAD, 96(4), 1353–1382. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-230418

Hejazi, N., Ghalandari, H., Nouri, M., & Askarpour, M. (2023). Onion supplementation and health metabolic parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clinical nutrition ESPEN, 58, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2023.08.032

Layman, D. (2023). Protein amount, quality, and timing. The Proof Podcast, Ep.236.https://theproof.com/protein-amount-quality-and-timing-dr-don-layman/

Li, N., Wu, X., Zhuang, W., Xia, L., Chen, Y., Wang, Y., Wu, C., Rao, Z., Du, L., Zhao, R., Yi, M., Wan, Q., & Zhou, Y. (2021). Green leafy vegetable and lutein intake and multiple health outcomes. Food chemistry, 360, 130145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130145

Machado-Fragua, M. D., Fayosse, A., Yerramalla, M. S., van Sloten, T. T., Tabak, A. G., Kivimaki, M., Sabia, S., & Singh-Manoux, A. (2022). Association of metabolic syndrome with incident dementia: Role of number and age at measurement of components in a 28-year follow-up of the Whitehall II Cohort Study. Diabetes Care, 45(9), 2127–2135. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc22-0206

Qureshi, D., Collister, J., Allen, N. E., Kuźma, E., & Littlejohns, T. (2024). Association between metabolic syndrome and risk of incident dementia in UK Biobank. Alzheimer's & Dementia : The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 20(1), 447–458. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.13439

Swarup, S., Goyal, A., Grigorova, Y., & Zeltser, R. (2022). Metabolic Syndrome. [StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459248/

Willett, W., Rockström, J., Loken, B., Springmann, M., Lang, T., Vermeulen, S., Garnett, T., Tilman, D., DeClerck, F., Wood, A., Jonell, M., Clark, M., Gordon, L. J., Fanzo, J., Hawkes, C., Zurayk, R., Rivera, J. A., De Vries, W., Majele Sibanda, L., Afshin, A., … Murray, C. J. L. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet (London, England), 393(10170), 447–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31788-4 https://eatforum.org/content/uploads/2019/07/EAT-Lancet_Commission_Summary_Report.pdf

Danielle
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