By acting on the aging process using strategies like the Longevity Diet, it is possible to delay and even prevent diseases and remain as healthy as centenaries Emma Morano or Salvatore Caruso, who retained good mental function into extreme old age.
For detailed information on prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, see Chapter 10, The Longevity Diet (New York: Avery/Penguin Books, 2018).
The following are guidelines for people at high risk of developing dementias (based on family history or early cognitive decline).
Adopt the Longevity Diet (see Chapter 4, The Longevity Diet, "How to Stay Young—Everyday Diet") and the periodic FMD.
Incorporate plenty of olive oil (50 milliliters per day) and nuts (30 grams per day).
Drink coffee. For people at relatively low risk of AD, keep it to one or two cups a day; for people at high risk, drink up to three or four cups a day. Speak to your doctor if you have problems.
Take 40 milliliters of coconut oil per day but consider potential heart disease risk (people with or at risk for cardiovascular disease should not use coconut oil).
Avoid all animal-based products with the exception of low-mercury fish and cheese or other dairy products from goat's milk.
Follow a high-nourishment diet containing omega-3, B vitamins, and vitamins C, D, and E.
Take a multivitamin and mineral every day.
The following are guidelines for people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or dementia. This treatment plan must be approved and supervised by a neurologist and should be combined with standard-of-care therapy.
Follow all the dementia-prevention dietary recommendations above.
Consult the neurologist about incorporating cycles of a protein- and essential amino acid-deficient diet followed by normal calorie intake and/or cycles of the periodic FMD.
With AD and other age-related diseases, it is important to remember that calorie- and nutrient-restricted diets are potentially dangerous to the elderly. The neurologist on the case should work with a registered dietitian to optimize the effects on brain function while minimizing risks and side effects.