Won the title of best diet for 6 consecutive years! Another benefit of the Mediterranean diet: 23% lower risk of dementia
The “Mediterranean Diet”, which has been ranked the best diet for six consecutive years, not only helps improve cardiovascular health, but also has certain benefits in delaying “dementia”? A study published in “BMC Medicine” pointed out that middle-aged and elderly people who adhere to a Mediterranean diet have a significantly lower risk of dementia by 23% than those who eat other diets, and they also have a protective effect against hereditary dementia.
A study of 60,000 people in the UK confirms that the “Mediterranean diet” can help reduce the risk of dementia by 23%
The characteristic of the Mediterranean diet is that it uses a large amount of olive oil, beans, natural whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and moderate amounts of fish and dairy products as its base, and emphasizes reducing the intake of red meat and processed products. The Newcastle University team analyzed data from a total of 60,298 people from the UK Biobank (UK biobank), including people over 60 years old from all over the UK. The subjects completed dietary assessments before being included in the study.
The research team used MEDAS scores and pyramid scores to conduct individual scores based on the subjects’ eating habits and compliance with the Mediterranean diet. The subjects were followed for about 10 years, during which time there were 882 cases of dementia. The team also incorporated a “polygenic risk score” to consider the genetic risk of dementia patients. The polygenic score helps measure all of the genes in a subject that are associated with dementia risk.
The results of the study showed that the higher the subject’s compliance with the Mediterranean diet, the lower the risk of continuous dementia by 4.2-6.9%. The absolute risks of dementia were 1.73%, 1.50% and 1.18% for the low, moderate and high adherence groups defined by MEDAS scores, respectively. The absolute risk of dementia in the medium-to-high compliance group was 23% lower than that in the low-compliance group.
The anti-inflammatory properties of the Mediterranean diet may benefit those with a genetic risk of dementia
When the research team explored the interaction between Mediterranean diet compliance and the genetic risk of “APOE genotype” (one of the risk factors for dementia), they found that both carriers and non-carriers of the APOE4 gene could benefit from high Mediterranean diet. Benefits from dietary compliance. Therefore, there is a similar association between Mediterranean diet compliance and dementia risk regardless of genetic risk for dementia.
“Research suggests that consuming a Mediterranean diet may be a strategy to help individuals reduce their risk of developing dementia.” Study author Oliver M. Shannon pointed out that the good news from this study is that even for those who are at higher genetic risk, For example, better eating habits can also reduce the likelihood of developing dementia. However, the discovery still has its limitations.
“Our analysis was limited to people from only white, British or Irish backgrounds, as the genetic data are based only on European ancestry, and further research including more ethnic groups and larger studies are needed to determine whether the Mediterranean diet Potential benefits.
Study co-author Dr. Janice Ranson said that regardless of an individual’s genetic risk, the protective effects of the Mediterranean diet on dementia are obvious, such as its benefits in improving cerebrovascular and cerebral blood flow. In addition, the Mediterranean diet contains foods that have a certain degree of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and avoids the risk of inflammation caused by processed products. Both of these can jointly promote brain health.
Not everyone can eat the Mediterranean diet? Long-term practitioners should be careful about insufficient intake of “2 nutrients”
In addition to better helping the elderly with dementia, the University of Edinburgh in the UK has also shown through research that the Mediterranean diet is related to the improvement of the elderly’s “thinking ability”. Studies have pointed out that elderly people who have been using the Mediterranean diet for a long time have better performance in cognitive function, memory, and integration ability than subjects who eat a normal diet.
The results of the study emphasize that the elders will show better thinking skills, which is related to the diet of “eating more green vegetables” and “reducing the intake of red meat”. However, the Mediterranean diet is not suitable for all ethnic groups. The website of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) points out that the food in the Mediterranean diet lacks two important substances, “calcium” and “iron”, and requires additional dairy products or iron-rich foods. Foods with high quality and vitamin C can help supplement.
In addition, if excessive intake of olive oil and nuts, the unsaturated fatty acids in them may cause weight gain. Wine is a common part of the Mediterranean diet, but for those who are pregnant, breast cancer patients, or have liver-related diseases, alcohol may worsen their condition. Relevant ethnic groups are reminded that if they want to practice the Mediterranean diet, alcoholic beverages should not be included in it, or they should seek professional medical advice first.
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