If you sometimes think that the whole world has gone crazy, you may not be too far off the mark. A study entitled “Global Prevalence of Dementia: A Delphi Consensus Study” (C.P. Ferri et al.) estimated that 24 million people worldwide have Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia, with one new case every seven seconds or 4.6 million new cases every year. And that is not the only bad news. It is estimated that the number of people affected may double every 20 years.

A major culprit in the rise of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia is the adoption of the Western lifestyle by developing countries. Our ubiquitous “fast” and “convenience” foods pop up around the world with increasing frequency; they are taking the place of natural, healthy native cuisines. The number of dementia cases occurring in their populations is forecasted to increase 100% by 2040, and to increase more than 300% in India, China, and their immediate neighbors.

Although longer life spans contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, many observers attribute the rapid worldwide rise in dementia rates to the increasing dominance of the standard Western diet, which is low in protective dietary factors such as fish, fiber and plant derived antioxidants. In place of these life and health benefits, Western foods are high in fat, sugar and calories. My goal with the Perricone diet is to raise awareness that food can be medicine and we absolutely can reverse these alarming trends by making wise food choices. Do you eat for health?