People who follow the Mediterranean and MIND diets may have a lower risk The development of Alzheimer’s diseaseA recent study found.
Researchers at Rush University Medical Center In Chicago, Illinois, conducted the study, which was published in the journal Neurology.
Researchers analyzed autopsy results from 581 participants in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, who provided complete dietary information at the start of the study. People who followed a Mediterranean diet — especially green, leafy vegetables — showed fewer signs of Alzheimer’s in their brain tissue.
In an email to Fox News Digital, the study’s lead author called the results “encouraging.”
Understanding the Mediterranean, Diet of Mind
The Mediterranean diet is a plant-based nutrition plan that mimics the regional cuisine of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as Italy and Greece.
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According to the Mayo Clinic website, its staple foods include whole vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and herbs and spices. Olive oil is the main source of added fat.
People who followed a Mediterranean diet — especially green, leafy vegetables — showed fewer signs of Alzheimer’s in their brain tissue. (iStock)
Other foods – including fish, poultry and dairy – can be included in moderation. The diet limits red meat, sweets, butter and sugary drinks.
The MIND diet—a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH diets—is designed to promote Brain health in older adults. Dr. at Harvard Chan School of Public Health and Rush University Medical Center. It was first introduced in 2015 by Martha Clare Morris and colleagues.
Meanwhile, the DASH diet was introduced as a dietary approach by the American Heart Association in 1996 Lowering blood pressure. Its main foods are fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and low-fat milk.
The brains of those who ate the healthy diet showed fewer signs of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease occurs when substances called “plaques” and “tangles” build up in the brain.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association website, plaques are “deposits of protein fragments called beta-amyloid that form in the spaces between nerve cells.”
Tangles are “twisted fibers of another protein called tau that form inside cells.”
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Lead author of the study and assistant professor at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Chicago, Dr. “We had encouraging results that people who were eating a healthy diet had fewer plaques and tangles in their brains,” Puju Aggarwal told Fox News Digital in an email.
Following a Mediterranean-like diet may help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, a new study suggests. (iStock)
Participants who scored highest for Mediterranean diet consumption had about a 40% lower chance of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the doctor added.
“These results are encouraging because improving people’s diets in only one area — such as eating more than six servings of green, leafy vegetables per week or not eating fried foods — was associated with fewer amyloid plaques in the brain, such as having about four is similar to. Year short,” Dr. Agarwal said.
An expert says there is a link between a certain type of food and brain health.
Based on the study’s findings, doctors said that making simple food choices — such as green leafy vegetables, berries, fish, legumes and nuts — and limiting high-fat, high-sugar foods may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. can be reduced
History of health benefits
Linsday Allen, A Located in Largo, Florida A registered dietitian nutritionist who was not involved in the study believes the findings reinforce a strong link between specific dietary choices and brain health.
The Mediterranean diet was associated with a 40% lower chance of Alzheimer’s disease.
“We already knew that there are Mediterranean-style diets Protection against heart disease and other metabolic conditions because of the high amounts of antioxidants, phytochemicals, fiber and healthy fats,” he told Fox News Digital in an email.
“Now we can see that there is also a connection between this type of eating and brain health.”
Although more studies are needed, findings show a strong connection between dietary choices and brain health. (iStock)
“I think it really sends the message that people, especially in their wiser years, need to rethink eating a typical ‘Western diet’ that’s full of refined grains, sugar, fried foods and Full of unhealthy (refined) fats,” Allen added.
The study had some limitations
The study adjusted for factors viz Smoking habitsPhysical activity and history of heart disease.
Those with mild cognitive impairment or dementia were excluded.
However, there were some limitations.
Because most of the participants were white, non-Hispanic and older (an average age of 84 at the start of the study and 91 at death), Dr. Agarwal said the study’s findings cannot be extrapolated to other populations.
The Mediterranean diet is a plant-based diet that mimics the regional cuisine of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, such as Italy and Greece. (iStock)
Dr. Jared Brownstein, an internist at Manhattan Medical Offices, who reviewed the research but was not involved, is a proponent of the Mediterranean diet but treats the findings with caution.
“I believe the Mediterranean diet can provide health benefits — especially for diabetics — and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases,” he told Fox News Digital in an email.
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“However, due to the small sample size of the population tested, I cannot say with confidence that this diet is a game-changer in reducing Alzheimer’s symptoms.”
This is not the first study to suggest a link between the Mediterranean diet and Alzheimer’s prevention.
“This drives home the message that people, especially in their wiser years, need to rethink eating a typical ‘Western diet’ that is high in refined grains, sugar, fried foods,” said a registered dietitian. foods and are full of unhealthy (refined) fats,” said a registered dietitian. (iStock)
In 2021, another study published in the same journal evaluated 512 seniors with an average age of 69. About 343 were considered at high risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
Researchers found that people who followed the Mediterranean diet more closely performed better on cognitive tests, showed less brain shrinkage and had lower levels of two abnormal proteins linked to Alzheimer’s than those who strictly followed the diet. Not followed, ie Fox News Digital reported.
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Additional research is needed to further establish these findings, the researchers said.
