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| | | ![]() Mediterranean Diet Associated With Lower Risk of Cognitive Impairment CHICAGO -- February 9, 2009 -- Eating a Mediterranean diet appears to be associated with less risk of mild cognitive impairment or of transitioning from mild cognitive impairment into Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the February issue of Archives of Neurology. Previous studies have shown a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease among those who eat a Mediterranean diet, characterised by high intakes of fish, vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, and unsaturated fatty acids, low intakes of dairy products, meat and saturated fats and moderate alcohol consumption. Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, and colleagues calculated a score for adherence to the Mediterranean diet among 1,393 individuals with no cognitive problems and 482 patients with mild cognitive impairment. Participants were originally examined, interviewed, screened for cognitive impairments, and asked to complete a food frequency questionnaire between 1992 and 1999. Over an average of 4.5 years of follow-up, 275 of the 1,393 who did not have mild cognitive impairment developed the condition. Compared with the one-third who had the lowest scores for Mediterranean diet adherence, the one-third with the highest scores for Mediterranean diet adherence had a 28% lower risk of developing mild cognitive impairment and the one-third in the middle group for Mediterranean diet adherence had a 17% lower risk. Among the 482 with mild cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study, 106 developed Alzheimer's disease over an average 4.3 years of follow-up. Adhering to the Mediterranean diet also was associated with a lower risk for this transition. The one-third of participants with the highest scores for Mediterranean diet adherence had 48% less risk and those in the middle one-third of Mediterranean diet adherence had 45% less risk than the one-third with the lowest scores. SOURCE: Archives of Neurology
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