Alzheimer's Risk Cut by a Third Eating Veggies, Fish, Poultry
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.
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.”
The study was done by observing the participants’ eating habits rather than as a controlled clinical trial that prescribed their food, so scientists can’t make recommendations based solely on this research, he said.
Food Habits Documented
The researchers tracked subjects for four years, checking in every 1.5 years to document dietary patterns and neurological status. No participant had dementia when the study began, and 253 developed Alzheimer’s disease throughout the four years.
The dietary pattern that was linked most to a lowered risk for Alzheimer’s also consisted of oil-and-vinegar salad dressing, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables including broccoli and cauliflower, and fruit, the researchers said.
Today’s study builds on previous research showing a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, red wine, fish and fresh produce may lower the odds of developing Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 68 percent. Scarmeas published a paper on that research, also done in northern Manhattan, in 2006.
“What they have done is try to look at dietary intake as more of a whole process,” said Claudia Kawas, a professor of neurology and neurobiology and behavior at the University of California in Irvine. “That’s really important. We don’t just take vitamin E alone; there are definitely a lot of reasons to assume these things interact in various ways.”
Exercise Not Studied
The study didn’t measure participants’ exercise, which is another factor that has been associated with lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, said Kawas, who is also a member of the Alzheimer’s Association’s medical advisory council.
“People with good diets are also more likely to exercise more,” which could have had an unmeasured impact on the study’s results, she said.
Further studies may focus more on the mechanisms by which these foods prevent Alzheimer’s, looking at changes in blood vessel health in the brain in relation to diet, Scarmeas said. Today’s research was funded by the National Institute on Aging.
“The best evidence is sort of the general things we’ve always known are useful for a healthy lifestyle: a good diet, exercise, engaging in social activities with friends and families, avoiding stress,” Kawas said. “Taking care of yourself is not a trivial thing.”
