http://www.mdlinx.com/neurology/top-medical-news/article/2016/08/17/13
UCLA Health System
A
study by researchers at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and
Human Behavior has found that a healthy diet, regular physical activity
and a normal body mass index can reduce the incidence of protein
build–ups that are associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. In
the study, 44 adults ranging in age from 40 to 85 (mean age: 62.6) with
mild memory changes but no dementia underwent an experimental type of
PET scan to measure the level of plaque and tangles in the brain.
Researchers also collected information on participants’ body mass index,
levels of physical activity, diet and other lifestyle factors. Plaque,
deposits of a toxic protein called beta–amyloid in the spaces between
nerve cells in the brain; and tangles, knotted threads of the tau
protein found within brain cells, are considered the key indicators of
Alzheimer’s. The study found that each one of several lifestyle factors —
a healthy body mass index, physical activity and a Mediterranean diet —
were linked to lower levels of plaques and tangles on the brain scans.
“The fact that we could detect this influence of lifestyle at a
molecular level before the beginning of serious memory problems
surprised us,” said Dr. David Merrill, the lead author of the study,
which appeared in the September issue of the American Journal of
Geriatric Psychiatry.
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