On September 21st, the world observes World Alzheimer’s Day. This day serves as a moment to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, which collectively affect over 55 million people worldwide, and could include the impact on families and caregivers: Dementia does not just touch individuals; it reshapes families, communities, and entire health systems. It is one of the fastest-growing global health challenges of our time, carrying immense medical, social, and economic costs. (World Health Organization, 2023). As life expectancy increases, dementia has become one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time. While there is currently no cure, research suggests that lifestyle interventions, including diet, play a critical role in prevention and management.
Recent studies have shown that insulin resistance and poor metabolic health are significant and could include mechanisms, e.g., Alzheimer’s disease is sometimes called “type 3 diabetes”, because in many patients the brain loses its ability to use glucose, its primary fuel source (de la Monte, 2017). This impaired energy supply contributes to memory problems, cognitive decline, and ultimately, dementia. Poor metabolic health, driven by diets high in refined carbohydrates and sugar, accelerates this process. The good news? By improving insulin sensitivity and stabilising blood sugar, it may be possible to protect the brain for longer. accelerate cognitive decline. In fact, Alzheimer’s is often referred to as “type 3 diabetes” due to the brain’s impaired ability to use glucose effectively (de la Monte, 2017). Here, nutritional approaches that improve insulin sensitivity, like those championed by The Noakes Foundation (TNF), can make a real difference.
For example, emerging evidence indicates that low-carb, nutrient-dense diets may support brain function, reduce inflammation, which plays a major role in Alzheimer’s progression, stabilise blood sugar, all of which are protective against dementia, and provide ketones as an alternative energy source for the brain when glucose use is impaired (Broom et al., 2021).
TNF’s Eat Better South Africa (EBSA) initiative exhibits research findings that are exciting, but they only make a difference if they reach people who can put them into action.
EBSA works in underserved communities where rates of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension are among the highest. By providing practical, culturally relevant nutrition education, EBSA empowers individuals to make changes that improve not only physical health but also reduce the long-term risk of cognitive decline.
This work demonstrates that dietary interventions are not just for the privileged few; they can and must be adapted for everyone. Preventing Alzheimer’s begins with accessible, affordable, and sustainable nutrition education. which takes nutrition education into underserved communities, also provides a practical model for promoting healthier eating patterns that could reduce dementia risk in the long term.
On World Alzheimer’s Day, we are reminded that prevention is as important as care. By promoting metabolic health through accessible, science-driven dietary interventions. Alzheimer’s is not only a medical issue, it is a social and economic one too. By supporting initiatives that focus on nutrition, education, and lifestyle change, we can give people the tools to take control of their health and protect their most valuable asset: the brain.
Food is a powerful medicine. And when it comes to Alzheimer’s, it may be one of our best defences.
References
Broom, G.M., Shaw, I.C. and Rucklidge, J.J., 2021. The ketogenic diet as a potential treatment and prevention strategy for Alzheimer’s disease. Nutrition, 83, p.111023.
de la Monte, S.M., 2017. Insulin resistance and neurodegeneration: progress towards the development of new therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease. Drugs, 77(1), pp.47–65.
Livingston, G., Huntley, J., Sommerlad, A., Ames, D., Ballard, C., Banerjee, S., Brayne, C., Burns, A., Cohen-Mansfield, J., Cooper, C. and Costafreda, S.G., 2020. Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission. The Lancet, 396(10248), pp.413–446.
Noakes, T.D., Sboros, M. and Kendrick, M., 2021. Real food on trial: How the diet dictators tried to destroy a top scientist. London: Columbus Publishing.
World Health Organization, 2023. Dementia. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia [Accessed 22 Sept 2025].
