http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/17/health/mediterranean-style-diet-prevents-dementia/index.html
(CNN)Meals
from the sunny Mediterranean have been linked to stronger bones, a
healthier heart and longer life, along with a reduced risk for diabetes
and high blood pressure.
Now
you can add lowering your risk for dementia to the ever growing list of
reasons to follow the Mediterranean diet or one of its dietary cousins.
New research being
presented at the Alzheimer's Association International conference in
London this week found healthy older adults who followed the
Mediterranean or the similar MIND diet lowered their risk of dementia by
a third.
"Eating
a healthy plant-based diet is associated with better cognitive function
and around 30% to 35% lower risk of cognitive impairment during aging,"
said lead author Claire McEvoy, of the University of California, San
Francisco's School of Medicine.
McEvoy
stressed that because the study was conducted in a nationally
representative older population "the findings are relevant to the
general public."
"While
35% is a greater than expected decrease for a lifestyle choice, I am
not surprised," said Rudolph Tanzi, who directs the Genetics and Aging
Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and recently co-authored
a book with Deepak Chopra on genes and aging called "Super Genes."
"The
activity of our genes is highly dependent on four main factors: diet,
exercise, sleep and stress management," said Tanzi, who was not involved
in the study. "Of these, perhaps diet is most important."
McEvoy's
study investigated at the eating habits of nearly 6,000 older Americans
with an average age of 68. After adjusting for age, gender, race, low
educational attainment and lifestyle and health issues -- such as
obesity, hypertension, diabetes, depression, smoking and physical
inactivity -- researchers found that those who followed the MIND or
Mediterranean diet had a 30% to 35% lower risk of cognitive impairment.
The more people stayed on those diets, said McEvoy, the better they functioned cognitively.
Those
who marginally followed the diet also benefited, but by a much smaller
margin. They were 18% less likely to exhibit signs of cognitive
impairment.
What are the Mediterranean and MIND diets?
Forget
lasagne, pizza, spanakopita and lamb souvlaki -- they are not on the
daily menu of those who live by the sunny Mediterranean seaside.
The
true diet is simple, plant-based cooking, with the majority of each
meal focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds,
with a few nuts and a heavy emphasis on extra virgin olive oil. Say
goodbye to refined sugar or flour and fats other than olive oil, such as
butter, are consumed rarely, if at all.
Meat
can make a rare appearance, but usually only to flavor a dish. Instead,
meals may include eggs, dairy and poultry, but in much smaller portions
than in the traditional Western diet. Fish, however, are a staple.
The
MIND diet takes the best brain foods of the Mediterranean diet and the
famous salt-reducing DASH diet, and puts them together. MIND encourages a
focus on eating from 10 healthy food groups while rejecting foods from
five unhealthy groups.
MIND stands
for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, with
DASH standing for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
MIND was developed by Martha Clare Morris, a nutritional epidemiologist at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center in the US.
Those
who follow MIND reject butter and stick margarine, red meats, cheeses,
fried or fast food and sweets. Instead, they eat at least six servings a
week of green leafy vegetables such as spinach or kale, and at least
one serving a day of another vegetable. Three servings a day of whole
grains are a must.
They also add
in at least three servings of beans, two or more servings of berries,
two servings of chicken or turkey, and once serving of fish each week.
Olive oil is their main cooking ingredient, and they drink a glass of
wine a day.
Morris has some powerful stats behind her diet.
In 2015, she studied 923
Chicago-area seniors and found those who say they followed the diet
religiously had a 53% lower chance of getting Alzheimer's, while those
who followed it moderately lowered their risk by about 35%. Follow-up
observational studies showed similar benefits.
Morris and her colleagues are currently recruiting volunteers for a three-year clinical study to try to prove the link.
Additional evidence
A
second study presented at the conference also examined the impact of
the MIND diet. Researchers from Wake Forest School of Medicine followed
7,057 women, average age 71, over almost 10 years and found those who
most closely followed the MIND diet had a 34% reduction in the risk of
developing Alzheimer's.
A
third study at the conference looked at the dietary habits of 2,223
dementia-free Swedish adults over six years who followed the Nordic
Prudent Dietary Pattern (NPDP) diet, which avoids sweets and fatty and
processed foods. Instead, the diet emphasizes eating non-root
vegetables, apple/pears/peaches, pasta/rice, poultry, fish, vegetable
oils, tea and water, and light to moderate wine intake.
Swedes
who stuck to the diet at a moderate or higher level preserved their
cognitive function better than those who ate more processed and fatty
foods.
Lastly, a fourth study
examined MRI brain scans of 330 cognitively normal adults, with an
average age of 79, and found eating foods that raise inflammation in the
body -- such as sweets, processed foods and fried and fatty foods --
raised the risk for a shrinking "aging" brain and lower cognitive
function.
That comes as no surprise to neurologist Rudy Tanzi.
"Foods
that keep blood pressure normal, provide us with antioxidants, and
maintain healthy bacteria in our gut, or microbiome, will serve to help
keep chronic inflammation in check in the brain and entire body," said
Tanzi.
Despite the similarities of
the results, experts point out that all of this research is
observational, meaning that it is based on reports by individuals as to
what they eat. To prove the connection between diet and dementia risk,
said McEvoy, researchers will need to move to scientifically controlled
experiments.
"I think the studies,
taken together, suggest a role for high quality dietary patterns in
brain health and for protection against cognitive decline during aging,"
said McEvoy. "Diet is modifiable, and in light of these studies we need
clinical trials to test whether changing diet can improve or maintain
cognition."
Until
that definite proof is available, say experts, there's no harm in using
this information to makes changes in your diet and lifestyle that could
help protect your brain.
"Although
the idea that a healthy diet can help protect against cognitive decline
as we age is not new, the size and length of these four studies
demonstrate how powerful good dietary practices may be in maintaining
brain health and function," said Keith Fargo, Alzheimer's Association
Director of Scientific Programs and Outreach.
Tanzi
agrees. "It's about time we started placing a greater emphasis on what
we eat as we strive to have our 'healthspan' keep up with our increasing
'lifespan'."
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