News
Important Study Shows How Diet Can Cut Alzheimer’s Risk by One-Third
Editor’s Note:
This study is available in a free, full text from the editors of this journal. It is not for a lay audience. However, as most primary care physicians do not consult this journal, you may want to print it out. This study is very significant. You may want to talk to your doctor about this as it applies to you and your health history.
This is the diet generally called the Mediterranean diet, which has other proven health benefits.
There are many wicked diseases. Alzheimer’s certainly makes the list of the most cruel ones.
Anything as simple as making some dietary changes to cut the risk for this disease is worth everyone’s attention.
The Bloomberg News story explains to readers what this important study says.
Free full text.
“More than 2,000 Manhattan residents age 65 and older have given researchers one more reason to tell us to eat more greens.
“Those who adhered most to diets rich in dark, leafy vegetables, poultry, fish and nuts and low in red meat, butter and fatty dairy products had a 38 percent lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease than those who followed that plan the least, according to a report today in the Archives of Neurology. (Emphasis added)
“These foods may protect blood vessels in the brain, preventing tiny strokes that may contribute to Alzheimer’s, said Nikolaos Scarmeas, an associate professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York and author of this study. There’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, which causes memory loss that can devolve into severe cognitive decline. About 30 million people worldwide have the disease, according to London-based Alzheimer’s Disease International.
“We know that these foods are definitely helpful for other conditions and diseases, and now we have this hint that they may be helpful for brain diseases,” Scarmeas said in a telephone interview. “It makes sense to follow this diet.” (Emphasis added)
Source: Bloomberg News, April 12, 2010
Citation:Arch Neurol. 2010;67(6):(doi:10.1001/archneurol.2010.84).
