Diet That Protects Brain
October 13th 2006
Consuming a so-called Mediterranean diet massively reduces the risk of contracting Alzheimer’s disease, researchers reported last night. 
Those people with the most Mediterranean-style diet enjoy a two thirds reduced risk of developing the brain illness, according to the report in the Archives of Neurology.
US researchers studied nearly 2,000 people, trying to match their normal diets to the typical Greek, Italian or southern French diet, which has been shown repeatedly to have health benefits.
This, supposedly, includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals and fish with small amounts of red meat and dairy products. It also includes "mild to moderate" amounts of alcohol, usually based on wine, and extensive use of olive oil.
Some 194 of the New Yorkers in the research already had Alzheimer’s disease.
The researchers said they eliminated other factors that could influence risk - an important factor in a study in New York where eating habits may be influenced by class and background.
This showed that the one third of people with a diet closest to the Mediterranean menu enjoyed a 68 per cent reduced risk of developing the disease.
The third with the least Mediterranean diet suffered from a doubled risk compared with the middle group.
The researchers, led by Dr Nikolaos Scarmeas, of Columbia University Medical Center, say it is possible that the way the diet enhances the health of blood vessels may be a key factor.
A second study in the same journal suggests that fish oil alone may offer some help to people with early Alzheimer’s disease.
The Swedish study involved some 200 patients and found that oil helped only those with the mildest disease.
The researchers, from the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, say it is possible the oil has an anti-inflammatory effect in the early stages of disease.
They write: "These findings cannot serve as a basis for general recommendations for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with dietary DHA-rich fish oil preparations.
"However, studies in larger cohorts with mild cognitive impairment, including those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, are needed."
Arch Neurol. 2006;63:
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