Healthy diet and sustained exercise protects brain in later life

A healthy diet and moderate exercise seem to protect against mental decline and dementia, a major international conference was told yesterday.

Results presented at the Alzheimer’s Association 2009 Conference held in Vienna, Austria, suggest that a "heart healthy" diet and maintaining or increasing physical activity may help preserve memory and thinking abilities.

The research looked at the effects of the so-called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which consists of fruit, vegetables, nut/legumes, whole grains, low-fat dairy and fish.

The diet is often recommended for high blood pressure or pre-hypertension. A consequence of reducing blood pressure is a reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Researcher Dr Heidi Wengreen of Utah State University, USA, and colleagues followed 3,831 people 65 years of age or older. Greater adherence to the diet was linked with better cognitive functioning. After 11 years, those in the top fifth for adherence scored significantly higher than did those in the bottom fifth.

Dr William Thies of the Alzheimer’s Association commented: "We can’t do anything about aging or family history, but research continues to show us that there are lifestyle decisions we all can make to keep our brains healthier, and that also may lower our risk of memory decline as we age."

Also at the conference, Dr Deborah Barnes of the University of California, San Francisco, USA, and colleagues presented evidence based on 3,075 older adults that cognitive decline was slower in those whose physical activity levels remained constant or increased.

"Sedentary individuals should be encouraged to engage in physical activity at least occasionally," said Dr Barnes. "People who are currently active should be encouraged to maintain or increase their activity levels."

Wengreen, H. J. et al. DASH diet adherence scores and cognitive decline and dementia among aging men and women: Cache County study of Memory Health and Aging. Presented at the 2009 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD 2009) held in Vienna, Austria, from July 11-16, 2009.

Barnes, D. E. et al. The impact of changes in physical activity levels on rate of cognitive decline in a biracial cohort of non-demented elders. Presented at the 2009 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD 2009) held in Vienna, Austria, from July 11-16, 2009.