Study Says Mediterranean Diet Helps Beat Dementia

A Mediterranean diet packed with fish, olive oil, low on fatty dairy products and meat can reduce the risk of memory problems later in life, finds US study.

But the beneficial effects of eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids do not extend to people with diabetes, according to the research published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Mediterranean diet has long been considered one of the healthiest diets on the planet. This diet plan discourages the use of saturated fats and hydrogenated oils while cooking meals.

The findings, described as the largest study of its kind to date, were based on dietary information from 17,478 African-American and Caucasian people with an average age of 64.

In healthy people, those who regularly ate a Mediterranean-type diet were 19 percent less likely to develop problems in their thinking and memory skills than people who did not eat that way.

There were no major difference in cognitive decline seen between blacks and whites.

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Alzheimer's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and thinking and making the person increasingly dependent on others.

"Diet is an important modifiable activity that could help in preserving cognitive functioning in late life," said Georgios Tsivgoulis, a doctor with the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Athens, Greece.

"However, it is only one of several important lifestyle activities that might play a role in late-life mental functioning."

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New research reveals that people who participated in a six-week cooking programme and chose from simple plant-based recipes, decreased their total food expenditure and purchased much healthier foods.

"Exercise, avoiding obesity, not smoking cigarettes and taking medications for conditions like diabetes and hypertension are also important."

The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health, and by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Diabetics May Benefit From Mediterranean Diet
People suffering from diabetes may benefit from Mediterranean-style diet.

Source-AFP