Following the simple guidelines – from cutting out fats, eating more fruit and vegetables to exercising regularly – can be crucial in preventing the brain disease.
Specialists believe the impact of a strong diet and exercise on dementia is so vastly underestimated that money would be better spent encouraging healthy lifestyles instead of researching costly drug treatments.
Dr Neal Barnard, a leading researcher on nutrition and its impact on human health, claimed last night the seven-step plan could stave off the condition on a genetic level.
He said: “Alzheimer’s disease isn’t a natural part of ageing.
"By staying active and moving plant-based foods to the centre of our plates, we have a fair shot at rewriting our genetic code for this heart-wrenching disease.”
People need to minimise their intake of “bad” saturated and trans fats found in cakes and biscuits, pack their meals with vegetables and fruits and switch meat and dairy products for whole grains.
They also need to get plenty of vitamin E from foods such as fish, spinach and nuts each day as well as take a vitamin B12 supplement.
The guidelines also advise people to cut out heavy metals such as iron and copper from the diet as well as cook with aluminium-free products.
By staying active and moving plant-based foods to the centre of our plates, we have a fair shot at rewriting our genetic code for this heart-wrenching disease
You also need to take a brisk walk for 40 minutes three times a week.
This latest advice comes amid stark warnings that rates of the incurable brain disease will triple in the next 40 years if more is not done to prevent it from striking in the first place.
Dr Barnard, an adjunct professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine in the US, said brain health can be boosted by other measures, for example getting seven hours sleep each night and doing 30 to 40 minutes of mental activity most days, such as crosswords and reading newspapers.
Susan Levin, director of nutrition education for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington DC, whose research into the findings is being published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, said: “We spend trillions of dollars each year on failed drug trials.
“Let’s take a portion of these funds and invest in educational programmes to help people learn about foods that are now clinically proven to be more effective in fighting this epidemic.”
The research states: “Substantial evidence suggests that a combination of healthful diet steps and regular physical exercise may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.”
THE SEVEN STEPS TO HEALTH
1 Slash intake of saturated fats and the trans fats found in pastries and fried foods
2 Main diet staples should be vegetables, legumes, fruits and whole grains
3 Eat lots of nuts or seeds per day as a health-boosting source of vitamin E
4 Get a daily dose of vitamin B12 from meat, salmon, cod, milk cheese or eggs
5 When selecting multi-vitamins, choose those without iron or copper
6 Avoid using cookware, antacids, baking powder or other products that contribute to dietary aluminium
7 Include aerobic exercise in your routine, equivalent to 40 minutes of brisk walking three times a week