Caregiver-Led Dietary Interventions for Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of Nursing Support Strategies and Therapeutic Outcomes

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent form of dementia worldwide, currently afflicts over 50 million people, and is characterized by cognitive decline, memory loss, and behavioural changes. Current pharmacological approaches, including cholinesterase inhibitors and NMDA receptor antagonists, generally relieve symptoms, but they are limited by side effects and do not modify the disease process. As a result, non-pharmacologic approaches like dietary changes have been investigated for neuroprotective properties. Recent research has indicated that antioxidant-rich diets, omega-3s and polyphenols may help limit oxidative stress, but that does not tell the entire story in this complex disease. The adoption of these dietary strategies necessitates caregiver engagement, which can be met by challenges related to patient resistance, knowledge deficits, and socio-economic challenges. Nurses are uniquely positioned to facilitate caregiver-led dietary interventions by providing education, establishing tailored care plans, and offering emotional support. Prominent dietary strategies are the Mediterranean diet, with its protective effect against cardiovascular and cognitive decline; the ketogenic diet, which induces ketosis to enhance neuronal metabolism; and antioxidant-rich diets that counteract oxidative damage. It has also been studied to reduce neuroinflammation and support synaptic function. These potential advantages notwithstanding, adherence remains a major hurdle, driven by cultural preferences, cost, and patient-specific barriers. Closest collaboration between health care providers is necessary to develop dietary plans based on individual characteristics, to make sure they are as nutritious as possible and ensure compliance. Preliminary studies suggest benefits, with improvements observed in cognitive function, behavioural symptoms and quality of life, but controlled trials would need to be done in order to clinical guidelines to be made for eating patterns. This biocentrism preliminary autonomy study preliminarily concluded that nursing support that ultimately ameliorates patients also has a positive influence on their caregivers, thereby reducing caregiver burden. Future studies to validate the efficacy of dietary interventions in AD management require long-term longitudinal studies, as well incorporation of dietary interventions as part of a holistic therapeutic umbrella that contains pharmacological management as well behavioural modifications.