Research suggests that one specific way of eating bread could potentially increase the risk of dementia by up to 16 times! You should also be cautious about your coffee drinking habits? A psychiatrist points out that 6 dietary habits can easily harm brain health and trigger cognitive impairment (dementia), warning against the damage accumulated from daily routines.
Japanese psychiatrist Dr. Toshio Iwase, in his book "48 Bad Habits That Lead to Dementia," identifies 6 dietary habits that are detrimental to brain health and can easily induce cognitive impairment. To prevent dementia, one should avoid eating certain foods and also avoid consuming specific foods at the wrong times.
Brain-Damaging Habit 1: Drinking Coffee at Night
- Reason: Caffeine has a stimulating effect. Excessive intake can disrupt sleep. Sleep deprivation impairs the mechanism that clears out beta-amyloid protein. The accumulation of this substance in the brain can easily lead to brain atrophy and increase the risk of dementia. Besides coffee, Gyokuro green tea is also a high-caffeine beverage.
- Benefits of Coffee: Caffeine helps dilate blood vessels, thus preventing cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction. Some studies indicate that people who drink 4-5 cups of coffee daily have a lower cancer risk than non-coffee drinkers. Coffee is also rich in chlorogenic acid, which enhances the body's antioxidant capacity and helps prevent diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and arteriosclerosis.
- Recommendation: 3 to 10 hours after consumption, half of the caffeine still remains in the body. It's best to drink coffee before 3 PM and avoid caffeine intake at least 5 hours before bedtime.
Brain-Damaging Habit 2: Using Margarine on Bread
- Reason: Margarine is primarily made from vegetable oils. Liquid vegetable oils at room temperature are chemically processed to become solid or more oxidation-resistant, simultaneously producing large amounts of trans fats. Trans fats accumulate in the heart, increasing the risk of heart disease.
- Related Research: The "Hisayama Study" conducted by Japan's Kyushu University found that an increase in trans fat concentration in the blood could lead to a risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, increased by up to 16 times.
- Recommendation: Using butter is better than margarine, as it contains three-quarters less trans fat. However, butter still contains saturated fat, which can potentially block blood vessels, causing cerebral and myocardial infarction. It's best to switch to vegetable oils for spreading on bread, such as olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil.
Brain-Damaging Habit 3: Using White Sugar
- Reason: Dementia is also called "diabetes of the brain" because when high blood sugar levels persist, the sugar level in the brain also rises, leading to nerve cell death and consequently causing brain degeneration. Highly refined white sugar has a very high Glycemic Index (GI), easily causing blood sugar spikes. If the high blood sugar state continues, it damages insulin function.
Brain-Damaging Habit 4: Eating High-GI Staples Like White Rice
- Reason: High Glycemic Index (High-GI) staple foods are those that easily cause post-meal blood sugar and insulin levels to rise. They are recognized causes of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Eating foods high in carbohydrates, like white rice or bread, can lead to sharp blood sugar increases.
- Recommendation: Choose low-GI staples like buckwheat noodles, brown rice, bean thread noodles, and whole wheat bread to reduce post-meal blood sugar fluctuations. Other low-GI foods include apples, strawberries, honeydew melon, grapefruit, mandarin oranges, avocado, leafy greens, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, daikon radish, turnips, bean sprouts, milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter.
Brain-Damaging Habit 5: Eating Processed Meat
- Reason: Processed meats like ham and sausages have large amounts of fat and salt added during processing. Compared to eating the same portion of regular meat, one consumes more fat and salt. High-fat foods increase blood triglyceride and cholesterol levels, leading to dyslipidemia. Excessive salt intake causes hypertension, which in turn leads to arteriosclerosis, exacerbating the risk of myocardial infarction or stroke.
- Recommendation: When eating processed meats, also consume vegetables, fruits, seaweed, and legumes rich in potassium, as potassium helps remove excess salt from the body. Furthermore, the day after eating processed meat, try to choose proteins with less fat, such as fish, or plant-based proteins like soy products.
Brain-Damaging Habit 6: Drinking All the Soup When Eating Noodles
- Reason: Whether it's ramen, soba, or udon, the soup base is often very rich and salty. Additionally, noodles are made from flour and contain a lot of carbohydrates. Toppings like braised pork (chashu) are high in fat. These elements are already high-risk foods for triggering dementia; drinking all the soup only worsens the harm.
1 in 6 in HK Has Dementia – Symptoms Vary in Early, Middle, and Late Stages
According to data from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, dementia (formerly known as senile dementia / brain degeneration) is a general term for conditions caused by abnormal degeneration of brain nerve cells leading to declining brain function. It is a disease resulting from the loss of brain function, affecting memory, thinking, language, judgment, behavior, and personality. According to the Department of Health, among Hong Kong's elderly aged 70 and above, it is estimated that 1 in 6 women has dementia, while for men, it's 1 in 10.
5 Major Types & 3 Stages of Dementia Symptoms
According to Hospital Authority information, dementia can be classified into 5 types, with Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia being the most common:
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Vascular Dementia
- Frontotemporal Dementia
- Lewy Body Dementia
- Secondary Dementia
1. Early-Stage Dementia Symptoms (Years 1-2)
- Loss of short-term memory
- Difficulty expressing or understanding abstract things (e.g., describing physical discomfort, feelings)
- Mood or behavioral swings
- Difficulty learning new things and following complex instructions
- Impaired judgment; basic self-care activities are still manageable but may require reminders
2. Middle-Stage Dementia Symptoms (Years 2-5)
As the condition progresses, early difficulties become more pronounced.
- Confusion between long-term memory and reality; occasional inability to find the right words
- Changes in behavior and personality; may become easily emotionally unstable
- Requires assistance with daily self-care activities
3. Late-Stage Dementia Symptoms (After Year 5)
Patients become almost entirely dependent on others and cannot care for themselves.
- Significant memory impairment, forgetting familiar people and things
- Decline in physical activity and mental state
- Inability to express oneself and communicate effectively
- Inability to handle daily life; requires long-term care
- Disrupted body clock (sleep-wake cycle)
