A diet rich in certain foods such as nuts, fish, and vegetables and low in high-fat dairy foods and red meat appears exert a preventive effect on the development of Alzheimer's disease, a study shows.
“Our findings provide support for further exploration of food-combination–based dietary behavior for the prevention of this important public health problem,” wrote Yian Gu, Ph.D., of the Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University, New York, and associates.
The researchers sought to assess food combinations rather than individual nutrients in relation to Alzheimer's risk, so they studied dietary data obtained by food frequency questionnaires in two multiethnic cohorts: elderly subjects participating in the 1992 and the 1999 Washington Heights–Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP). Their study included 2,148 individuals who underwent serial batteries of neuropsychological tests, assessments of social and occupational function, and specific testing for cognitive deficits and dementia.
During an average follow-up of about 4 years, 253 of these subjects developed Alzheimer's disease. Subjects were diagnosed for dementia using the criteria developed by the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer Disease and Related Disorders Association.
The investigators calculated dietary patterns based on variations in the content of seven key nutrients that have been most consistently related to dementia risk in the literature. Only one dietary pattern was found to be strongly associated with AD prevention: a diet rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, and folate and poor in saturated fatty acids and vitamin B12.
Disclosures: This study was funded by the National Institute on Aging.
No financial conflicts of interest were reported.
The protective diet was rich in cruciferous and dark green vegetables.
Source ©Elenathewise/Fotolia.com