If you love meat, you might have looked into the carnivore diet. Podcaster Joe Rogan said he lost 12 pounds and improved his autoimmune disorder after following the carnivore diet for a month, even though it wreaked havoc on his digestive system for the first two weeks. The carnivore diet says “no” to any foods made from plants, so that means all the meat, fish, poultry, and dairy you like. While the ketogenic diet has you watching your carb intake, there’s no counting carbs in the carnivore diet, since you won’t find carbs there at all.
Similar to the keto diet, the carnivore diet forces your body into ketosis, which is a metabolic process where your body uses stored fat for energy when it’s depleted of carbohydrates. The carnivore diet might help you lose weight, but you’ll be missing many nutrients mostly found in plant foods.
Plus, according to a 2020 review in Open Biology, you need fruits and vegetables in your diet to neutralize acidity that promotes inflammation and oxidative stress. This acidity is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Nutrients you’re missing in the carnivore diet that protect against Alzheimer’s
Some nutrients found in plant foods, you just can’t get in meat. Vitamin C isn’t found in high amounts on the carnivore diet; this antioxidant can ward off age-related cognitive decline, according to a 2012 review in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. A healthy, balanced diet is probably rich in vitamin C, so it’s better to get your vitamin C from foods rather than a vitamin C supplement.
Flavonoids are antioxidants only found in plant-based foods such as berries, cocoa, and kale. According to a 2009 article in Genes and Nutrition, flavonoids play a role in your brain health by protecting your brain cells from damage, reducing brain inflammation, and supporting memory and learning. They improve the blood flow to your brain and support the growth of healthy brain cells.
You also won’t find much fiber in a carnivore diet. Fiber from oats, fruits, vegetables, seeds, and legumes is key to a healthy gut. A healthy gut might be important to protect your brain against Alzheimer’s disease, according to a 2019 study in the Journal of Applied Microbiology. Gut bacteria can affect the levels of the neurotransmitters in your brain. A less diverse gut microbiome might interfere with your brain’s ability to clear out harmful proteins.
Diets that might reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
While the carnivore diet avoids foods that are high in sugar that often lead to inflammation, other diets might do better for your brain health. Diets that focus on antioxidants and reducing inflammation are often preferred to protect the brain from neurodegeneration, according to a 2019 review in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. Although more extensive research is needed, the Mediterranean Diet, the DASH Diet, and the MIND Diet could protect your brain because they emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy unsaturated fats while limiting sugar and unsaturated fat. Intermittent fasting might also reduce inflammation of the brain by reducing your risk of metabolic syndrome, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
It might sound surprising that the ketogenic diet might help protect your brain cells from age-related degeneration. The keto diet allows for 50 grams of carbohydrates a day from antioxidant-packed veggies such as leafy greens, cauliflower, and peppers. A 2019 article in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences argued that the production of ketones on this low-carb, high-fat diet could reduce brain inflammation and improve the function of your brain’s mitochondria. Ketones might also reduce the buildup of amyloid plaques in the brain, which are often associated with Alzheimer’s disease.