Growing evidence shows that dietary interventions can be effective at treating or delaying some diseases, but further trials are needed for wider adoption.
The concept that diet and nutrition can directly affect human health and disease is undergoing a renaissance. A suboptimal, unhealthy diet is known to substantially increase the risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases, such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes, but unhealthy diets can also increase the risk of other health conditions, such as cancer, osteoporosis and cognitive disorders.
Healthy eating could also reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fracture in older and menopausal women. A review of studies found that bone health and mineral status benefited from diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products. By contrast, bone health was worse in people who follow ‘Western’ dietary patterns, such as consuming soft drinks, fried foods, sugar and processed meat.
However, experts are not yet convinced that diet is an appropriate treatment for dementia. “Currently, diet is not prescribed as a first-line treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s in most academic medical centers,” says Yassine. However, he argues that although “there is not enough evidence to support the role of diet in treatment, high-quality epidemiology studies support a role for diet in prevention.” As for general cognitive health, the role of diet is unclear.
Another challenge is the lack of under-represented groups in trials of dietary interventions. In the DiRECT trial of type 2 diabetes, most participants were white, despite the fact that the risk of type 2 diabetes is higher in other ethnic groups, such as people of South Asian ancestry.
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