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Journalism of Courage
A diet rich in olive oil,nuts,fish,poultry and certain fruits and vegetables may have a powerful effect at staving off Alzheimers disease,researchers reported on Monday.
People who ate nutrients specifically selected for brain health had a 40 per cent lower risk of developing Alzheimers disease compared with others,Yian Gu,an Alzheimers disease researcher at Columbia University in New York and colleagues found. Diet is probably the easiest way to modify disease risk, said Gu,whose study appears in Archives of Neurology.
If we follow this diet,that means the risk of getting the disease will be lowered for the population, Gu said. Gus team studied groups of foods high in nutrients that have been shown to be associated with Alzheimers disease risk. Some,such as saturated fatty acids in red meat and butter,need to be avoided. Others,such as omega-3 fatty acids,omega-6 fatty acids,vitamin E,vitamin B12 and folate,benefit the brain.
The team collected information on the diets of 2,148 healthy people over 65 for an average of 4 years. They were checked for Alzheimers disease every 18 months. Of these,253 developed Alzheimers.
Those least likely to develop the disease ate more olive oil-based salad dressing,nuts,fish,tomatoes,poultry,vegetables such as broccoli,fruits,and dark and green leafy vegetables. People who adhered mostly to this dietary pattern compared to others have about a 40 per cent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimers disease, Gu said.
She said the diet,rich in heart-healthy foods,may be protecting the brain from strokes which makes it vulnerable to the disease. But it also may be that the nutrients directly protect the brain.
