INTERVIEW WITH EXPERT PROF. DR. MICHAEL HENEKA
Professor Michael Heneka has been Director of the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg since 2022. Prior to this, he was Director of the Department of Neurodegenerative Disease and Geriatric Psychiatry at the University of Bonn and headed up a research group at the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). With extensive experience in neurodegenerative diseases, he is a leading expert in the field. In an interview with KACHEN, Professor Heneka shared insights into the current state of research on the correlation between neurodegenerative diseases and diet.
What exactly is a neurodegenerative disease?
A neurodegenerative disease affects selective areas of the brain in which nerve cells die. This leads to symptoms that can affect the motor system, cognitive function, memory and behaviour. [Editor’s note: The best- known examples are Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease.]
How does our diet affect the risk of developing a neurodegenerative disease?
The best data available here is for Alzheimer’s disease. It shows that certain types of diet offer moderate protection against the disease. ‘Moderate protection’ means that the risk of developing the disease is reduced, but not completely absent. It is possible to delay the onset and progression of the disease, or to reduce the risk of developing it in the first place.
What diet is best?
We know from various studies that a Mediterranean diet* can provide protection. Studies in the US have investigated the onset of Alzheimer’s in immigrants from the Mediterranean region. Those who had continued eating their traditional diet were found to be significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who had adapted to US eating habits. In fact, the data was so good that it was possible to identify two key contributors: the consumption of fish and the moderate consumption of redwine. However, it’s important to emphasise that excessive consumption of red wine can have a significantly detrimental effect.
* Editorial note: There are 16 Mediterranean countries and, of course, dietary habits differ from country to country. But there are also some clear similarities, particularly in the traditional diets of Greece
and southern Italy. The Mediterranean diet is predominately high in soluble and insoluble fibre and healthy fatty acids, with frequent consumption of fruit, vegetables, pulses, fish and olive oil.
It is currently regarded as the healthiest dietary model in terms of nutrition physiology.
Are there any dietary habits or certain foods that can have an unfavourable effect on the development of a neurodegenerative disease?
It’s a well-known fact that excessive alcohol consump- tion is generally harmful to the nervous system. But alcohol aside, there are no specific foods or nutrients that I know of that are of concern in relation to neurodegeneration. There’s not really been much research into this. What we do know has a dramatic impact on the risk of develop- ing Alzheimer’s in old age, though, is diabetes and obesity, both of which are also known to be linked to diet. The brain is not an isolated organ, but interacts with other organs in the body. Vascular changes caused by diabetes can also affect the smallest vessels in the brain, which can restrict the supply of important nutrients to nerve cells. This alone can upset the balance. The situation is even more serious if you’re overweight: Men who suffer from obesity between the ages of 40 and 45 are up to four times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease three decades later.
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What about other lifestyle factors, such as exercise and sleep?
Daily or regular exercise is probably the biggest factor in protecting against the onset of a neurodegenerative disease. Numerous studies have proven that regularly practicing endurance sport in particular provides a high level of protection against such diseases. You can literally outrun the risk of disease! Even if you already have Alzheimer’s, being physically active can still have a protective, stabilising effect. Sleep is also vital, because this is when disease causing proteins are removed from the brain. In my opinion, though, the best form of prevention is a combination of a Mediterranean diet and enough exercise (ideally four hours of endurance sport a week) and sleep.
What advice can you give our readers, and where can they find further information?
The key thing to understand is that none of these diseases start at the age at which the symptoms first begin to appear, but rather far earlier. So, it’s no use waiting until you’re 75 and starting to have problems with your memory to switch to a Mediterranean diet. It’s important to start taking the right precautions at the very latest when you hit middle age, because this is when they’ll be most effective. In the past, I’d have recommended asking your GP or attending talks on the subject to find out more about it, but these days, you can also find a wealth of reputable sources on the Internet, including on websites of professional organisations such as the American Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) and Alzheimer Europe (alzheimer-europe.org).
Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB)
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L-4367 Belvaux
Luxembourg
Website: www.lcsb.uni.lu
