Over $3 billion is granted annually to researchers studying Alzheimer’s disease, making it one of the most funded disease research areas in the United States. By 2050, this number is predicted to exceed $1 trillion. Dr. Demetrius Maraganore, chair of neurology at Tulane University School of Medicine, is a leading figure in researching this neurodegenerative disease.
Maraganore, a medical doctor and fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, has dedicated his life to the study of neurodegeneration — the deterioration of the brain — with an emphasis on disease prevention through a combination of traditional and holistic medicine in the early stages of the disease with an empirical approach.
Although his initial career focus was Parkinson’s disease, his new projects revolve around the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. Maraganore said use of electronic medical records to assess a patient’s risk of disease development, taking into account genetics, race, ethnicity, income level and other factors, has enabled his patients to prevent and delay disease progression. Maraganore wants to enhance electronic medical records technology, or EMR, by offering insights into additional socioeconomic factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
In the clinic, Maraganore has developed a four-pillared program of prevention, treatment, research and support for people predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease.
“We have to take care of patients who, sadly, are developing cognitive impairments due to Alzheimer’s disease or other related disorders,” Maraganore said. “We have to provide them with the care they need to function at their best, disclose progression of their disease and give them the best quality of life we can, despite the poor diagnosis.”
This job, which he describes as a passion, stems from his father, grandmother and great-grandmother’s diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease. Maraganore focuses on lifestyle switches, like the Mediterranean diet, to improve quality of life rather than find a “miracle drug” for the condition.
“I always say, begrudgingly, that my day job is treating Alzheimer’s disease, but my aspirational job, or my night job, is preventing it,” Maraganore said.
Maraganore’s prescription of the Mediterranean diet, a lifestyle that emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables and a reduced red meat intake, has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other related diseases by half.
When asked about his emphasis on a dietary approach in combating neurological diseases, Maraganore cited Hippocrates.
“Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food,” Maraganore said. “So, we’ve kind of lost our way, and we forgot about the fact that nutrition is really important to preserving and improving health.”
For New Orleans college students, disease prevention can begin now.
Maragnore offered college students a way to start their prevention pillar by incorporating seasonal fresh fruits, vegetables and fish into their diets for protein. Doctors at the Tulane Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine have developed recipes for popular foods made with ingredients that follow the anti-inflammatory Mediterranean diet, which are provided on the center’s website.
At Tulane University School of Medicine, Maraganore is conducting research projects to study the impact of diet on rodent test subjects.
One of his current studies involves comparing rats fed the Mediterranean diet to ones fed the Western diet. The study reveals that rats fed the Mediterranean diet not only have longer lifespans and reduced risks of neurological disease development, but also exhibit higher levels of cognitive function compared to those fed the Western diet.