Researchers from Columbia University published results from a study in the most recent issue of Archives of Neurology that found that the adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet could cut the risk of Alzheimer's Disease by as much as 68 percent.1 So-called Mediterranean Diets are rich in fish, olive oil, wine, whole grains and nuts, and have been previously linked to longer lives, lower heart disease risks and lower risks of some cancers.
In this multi-ethnic study the researchers were able to compare semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires from 194 individuals with Alzheimer's Disease and 1790 individuals without Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. The researchers then adjusted for a wide range of factors including age, gender, education, body mass index, caloric intake, smoking status, and ethnicity. Taking these adjustments into account, the researchers found a 60% lower risk of Alzheimer's among those with the greatest adherence to the diet. When researchers then took into account a series of health history variables, such as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and plasma lipid levels, the researchers found a 68% reduction in the risk of Alzheimers.
The study's lead author Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas wrote, "Complex phenols and many other substances with important antioxidant properties such as olive oil, wine, fruits and vegetables, vitamins C and E, and carotenoids are found in high concentrations in the typical components of the Mediterranean Diet." It is believed that those components are what make the Mediterranean Diet of such great value.
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1. Scarmeas, N., Y. Stern, et al. (2006). "Mediterranean Diet, Alzheimer Disease, and Vascular Mediation." Arch Neurol.
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