Healthy Midlife Diet Staves Off Dementia
Medscape Medical News
May 15, 2014
Dr. Alan Jacobs:
A doctoral thesis published by the University of Eastern Finland has analyzed the ability of healthy dietary choices in midlife to prevent dementia in later life.[1] The researchers used a healthy diet index based on the consumption of a variety of healthy foods such as vegetables, berries and fruits, fish, and unsaturated fats from milk products and spreads.
Unhealthy foods included sausages, eggs, sweets, sugary drinks, salty fish, and saturated fats from milk products and spreads.
The results showed that those who ate the healthiest diets at the average age of 50 had an almost 90% lower risk for dementia in a 14-year follow-up study compared with those whose diets were least healthy. In a separate analysis, they found that a high baseline intake of saturated fats was associated with lower cognitive and memory functions and an increased risk of being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in a 21-year follow-up.
Even in ApoE-4 positive individuals, higher saturated fat intake caused an increased risk for dementia compared with those whose diets favored vegetable oils, oil-based spreads, and fatty fish. Finally, they found that consuming 3-5 cups of coffee daily reduced the risk for dementia compared with consuming less or more.
This study is considered the first in the world to investigate the relationship between a healthy diet as early as in midlife and the risk of developing dementia in later life. According to the study author, given the wide variety of foods in a person's diet and the likely interaction between nutrients, looking at the entire dietary pattern made sense.
Medscape Medical News
May 15, 2014
Dr. Alan Jacobs:
A doctoral thesis published by the University of Eastern Finland has analyzed the ability of healthy dietary choices in midlife to prevent dementia in later life.[1] The researchers used a healthy diet index based on the consumption of a variety of healthy foods such as vegetables, berries and fruits, fish, and unsaturated fats from milk products and spreads.
Unhealthy foods included sausages, eggs, sweets, sugary drinks, salty fish, and saturated fats from milk products and spreads.
The results showed that those who ate the healthiest diets at the average age of 50 had an almost 90% lower risk for dementia in a 14-year follow-up study compared with those whose diets were least healthy. In a separate analysis, they found that a high baseline intake of saturated fats was associated with lower cognitive and memory functions and an increased risk of being diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in a 21-year follow-up.
Even in ApoE-4 positive individuals, higher saturated fat intake caused an increased risk for dementia compared with those whose diets favored vegetable oils, oil-based spreads, and fatty fish. Finally, they found that consuming 3-5 cups of coffee daily reduced the risk for dementia compared with consuming less or more.
This study is considered the first in the world to investigate the relationship between a healthy diet as early as in midlife and the risk of developing dementia in later life. According to the study author, given the wide variety of foods in a person's diet and the likely interaction between nutrients, looking at the entire dietary pattern made sense.
