In his book How To Prevent Dementia, neurologist Dr Richard Restak wrote: “I strongly suggest that if you are 65 years old or older, that you completely and permanently eliminate alcohol from your diet”.
He said that’s because it’s a “direct neurotoxin” and could increase your risk of falls.
And according to America’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC), we should consider striking some foods off the list, too.
Here, we asked Dr Giuseppe Aragona, a GP and medical adviser for Prescription Doctor, about whether he agrees with the guidance here.
The CDC said that people aged 65+ are more likely to become hospitalised from bacteria like Salmonella and Listeria.
“Some foods are more likely to spread harmful germs, including undercooked meat and eggs, unpasteurised milk and cheese, and unwashed produce,” they wrote.
Therefore, they suggested people in that age group might want to consider that the following could pose a higher risk to them:
Dr Aragona said that mostly, the reasoning behind these entries stands.
“I would broadly agree with the principle behind the CDC list,” he said.
“As we get older, changes in the immune system mean that an infection which might cause a relatively short-lived episode of diarrhoea and vomiting in a younger adult can sometimes become much more significant in an older person, with a greater risk of dehydration, hospital admission and, with certain organisms such as Listeria, Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli, invasive or systemic infection”.
The doctor added that this might be especially relevant for people who are frail or have other health conditions, “although I would be careful not to imply that everyone becomes suddenly vulnerable on their 65th birthday, because the degree of risk varies considerably between individuals”.
He said that for him, the foods he’d be most concerned about include:
That’s because “these foods can become contaminated with organisms such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli and Listeria, and the important point is that some contamination cannot be detected by looking at, smelling or tasting the food”.
“I would also add an important UK-specific nuance around soft cheeses, because the advice can easily become over-simplified,” Dr Aragona told us.
“It is not accurate to say that someone over 65 needs to avoid all Brie, Camembert, blue cheese or other soft cheeses; the key distinction is whether the product is made from pasteurised milk and, in some circumstances, how it has been stored and handled.”
Source: Read the original article on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk