Exercise and diet may prevent Alzheimer's

Wednesday August 12th, 2009

Elderly people who keep physically active and eat a so-called Mediterranean diet may be helping themselves to stave off Alzheimer's disease, researchers claimed last night.

Studies from the USA and France suggest a good diet needs to be combined with regular activity to contribute to brain health.

The findings were reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

US researchers define a Mediterranean diet as being high in fruit, vegetables, cereal and fish with moderate consumption of alcohol.

A study conducted by Columbia University Medical Center, New York, studied some 1,880 elderly people over a 14-year period.

Some 282 developed Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers concluded that being physically active cut the risk of developing the disease by up to 41 per cent - with higher levels of activity halving the risk.

Good diet contributed to this, they report, boosting the effects of physical activity by about seven percentage points.

The second study conducted in Bordeaux, France, included about 1,400 people over the age of 65, found some benefits for mental agility in the Mediterranean diet. Some 99 developed dementia.

But the French researchers did not find it helped to stave off dementia.

Researcher Dr Catherine Féart, of the Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, Bordeaux, writes: "The Mediterranean diet pattern probably does not fully explain the better health of persons who adhere to it, but it may contribute directly."

Dr Nikos Scarmeas, who led the New York research, said: "This study is important because it shows that people may be able to alter their risk of developing Alzheimer's by modifying their lifestyles through diet and exercise."

He said the French study, with which he was involved, supported the US findings but had involved many fewer cases of dementia.

JAMA. 2009;302[6]:627-637, 638-648, 686-687

Tags: Brain & Neurology | Europe | Fitness | Geriatric Health | North America | Nutrition & Healthy Eating | Traveller Health

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