Is it true that being vegan causes dementia?

No. For a while PETA (and later other outlets that probably sourced the claim from PETA) claimed that a diet with lots of meat could lead to dementia. read more

A Vegan diet - natural to human beings - is far LESS likely to cause dementia because the brain is receiving all the nutrients, enzymes and most importantly anti-oxidants it needs from plant foods. I am a long term Vegan advancing in years, know a lot of Vegans, studied and researched the Vegan diet and nutrition for decades, and not aware of a single case of dementia attributable to a Vegan diet. read more

Most vegan diet studies report weight loss and improved blood lipid profiles. No current studies have investigated whether the vegan diet may promote cognition or prevent Alzheimer's disease. Because of the similarities of the vegan diet to the vegetarian diet, the evidence discussed above would likely apply to vegan diets. read more

Dementia itself is not a disease, but a syndrome; its symptoms are common to several brain diseases. It will get worse over time. But medications might slow that decline and help with symptoms, such as behavior changes. read more

The vegan diet is a stricter form of the vegetarian diet. It excludes all meat and animal-derived products (e.g., eggs and dairy). Most vegan diet studies report weight loss and improved blood lipid profiles. No current studies have investigated whether the vegan diet may promote cognition or prevent Alzheimer's disease. read more

Written By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM on November 12th, 2015 The rates of dementia differ greatly around the world, from the lowest rates in Africa, India, and South Asia, to the highest rates in Western Europe and especially North America. read more