Alzheimer’s Disease: The Diet That Slows Down The Aging Of The Brain
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and is responsible, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), for 60–70% of all dementia cases.
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are currently incurable. That is why scientists are focusing on possible ways to prevent and delay its onset. In this context, a healthy and balanced diet is recommended to maintain good brain health.
A scientific study conducted by researchers at Cornell University’s Will College of Medicine in New York concluded that the Mediterranean diet can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by up to three and a half years. The researchers studied 70 volunteers aged 30 to 60 years who did not show symptoms of mental retardation at the beginning of the study.
Participants completed detailed questionnaires to assess how close their diet was to the Mediterranean standard, and underwent tests to determine if they had biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains at the beginning of the study and over three years. Of the total number of volunteers, 34 seemed to comply very closely with the requirements of the Mediterranean diet, while the remaining 36 did not.
The researchers’ analysis showed that participants who did not follow the Mediterranean diet showed a stronger Alzheimer’s biological “imprint” on their brains both at the beginning of the study and after the three years, compared to those who adhered to this diet. The accumulation of beta-amyloid protein is considered as a biological “imprint” of Alzheimer’s disease in the brain, but also the deregulation of glucose metabolism in the brain.
Based on their findings, the researchers estimated that the Mediterranean diet could delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by 1.5 to 3.5 years. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes the following foods:
Fresh fruits and vegetables
Fish
Nuts
Seeds
Olive oil
Fresh herbs and spices instead of salt in cooking
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