Eat To Live: Alzheimer's and good diet
Published: April 19, 2006 at 3:53 PM
By JULIA WATSON
UPI Food Writer
WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- The infernal noise pollution from the weed whackers and lawn mowers of landscape companies -- the American way of gardening -- says it's spring again. Time to roll out the barbecue for a good clean-up.
If only grilling our fish, chicken and vegetables inspired the way we ate year round, we might cut the risk of Alzheimer's by up to 40 percent, a U.S. study has just reported.
Anyone who hasn't yet had it drummed into them that eating grilled fish, vegetables and fruits, along with whole grains, cereals, beans, legumes and olive oil, can defend us against some cancers, promote a longer life and less heart disease, has been living under a rock.
These are the common components of a Mediterranean diet. An online study that has been looking into its effectiveness has just reported that protection against Alzheimer's can be added to that cheering list.
Using a food questionnaire that looked at how much of their meals followed Mediterranean principles, the Annals of Neurology weighed the diets over four years of 2,258 elderly New Yorkers with zero dementia. They also carried out 18-month reassessments and interviews, looked at the participants' medical and neurological histories, and conducted regular physical and neurological exams.
It seems the more those involved stuck to a Mediterranean diet, the lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's became, according to the lead author of the study, Nikolaos Scarmeas of Columbia University Medical Center.
Diets were measured against a "Mediterranean Diet" score the researchers devised that determined how much of what they ate fell into that category. Every increasing point on the score, they found, corresponded with a 10-percent drop in the risk of Alzheimer's.
Even taking into account age, gender, ethnicity and smoking habits, those who stuck most to the diet had a 40-percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's.
The director of research for British Charity, the Alzheimer's Society, stressed to Foodnavigator.com that a healthy diet along with weight-watching and regular exercise could reduce the risk of developing dementia in later life.
Of this study, he said, "There have been a number of studies looking separately at the benefits of eating fruit, vegetables and oily fish for reducing your risk of Alzheimer's disease. This study supports the idea that eating a combined diet of plenty of fruit, vegetables and fish might help to prevent dementia."
Some 13 million people worldwide are affected by Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia. Caring for sufferers costs more than $100 billion in the U.S. alone.
Even setting aside a fear of Alzheimer's, the benefits of a Mediterranean diet are clear. The fast food culture of the U.S. has resulted in roughly 50 million Americans with metabolic syndrome. This is a combination of conditions including high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance and, of course, obesity.
Whether you're worried about developing Alzheimer's some time in the future or concerned about your general health, use this time of year to get into the habit of eating a Mediterranean diet year round. Just deciding to throw something onto the barbecue means you're about to cook Mediterranean.
Grilled Mediterranean Fish
-- 1 whole fish, like red snapper or mackerel per person, or 1 thick fish fillet
-- 1 clove of garlic, peeled, per serving
-- juice and zest of half a lemon per serving
-- tablespoon of oregano, finely chopped, per serving
-- 1 tablespoon olive oil per serving
-- Finely chop everything but the fish and put into a blender jug with the oil
-- Blitz till you have a paste.
-- Rub it over the fish, slashing it both sides not quite to the bone if you're using whole fish, and leave to marinate 30 minutes.
-- Grill till cooked through, then serve with whatever vegetables you have thrown onto the grill, too. Slices of red pepper, eggplant or zucchini are good companions.
--
E-mail: consumerhealth@upi.com
UPI Food Writer
WASHINGTON, April 19 (UPI) -- The infernal noise pollution from the weed whackers and lawn mowers of landscape companies -- the American way of gardening -- says it's spring again. Time to roll out the barbecue for a good clean-up.
If only grilling our fish, chicken and vegetables inspired the way we ate year round, we might cut the risk of Alzheimer's by up to 40 percent, a U.S. study has just reported.
Anyone who hasn't yet had it drummed into them that eating grilled fish, vegetables and fruits, along with whole grains, cereals, beans, legumes and olive oil, can defend us against some cancers, promote a longer life and less heart disease, has been living under a rock.
These are the common components of a Mediterranean diet. An online study that has been looking into its effectiveness has just reported that protection against Alzheimer's can be added to that cheering list.
Using a food questionnaire that looked at how much of their meals followed Mediterranean principles, the Annals of Neurology weighed the diets over four years of 2,258 elderly New Yorkers with zero dementia. They also carried out 18-month reassessments and interviews, looked at the participants' medical and neurological histories, and conducted regular physical and neurological exams.
It seems the more those involved stuck to a Mediterranean diet, the lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's became, according to the lead author of the study, Nikolaos Scarmeas of Columbia University Medical Center.
Diets were measured against a "Mediterranean Diet" score the researchers devised that determined how much of what they ate fell into that category. Every increasing point on the score, they found, corresponded with a 10-percent drop in the risk of Alzheimer's.
Even taking into account age, gender, ethnicity and smoking habits, those who stuck most to the diet had a 40-percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's.
The director of research for British Charity, the Alzheimer's Society, stressed to Foodnavigator.com that a healthy diet along with weight-watching and regular exercise could reduce the risk of developing dementia in later life.
Of this study, he said, "There have been a number of studies looking separately at the benefits of eating fruit, vegetables and oily fish for reducing your risk of Alzheimer's disease. This study supports the idea that eating a combined diet of plenty of fruit, vegetables and fish might help to prevent dementia."
Some 13 million people worldwide are affected by Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia. Caring for sufferers costs more than $100 billion in the U.S. alone.
Even setting aside a fear of Alzheimer's, the benefits of a Mediterranean diet are clear. The fast food culture of the U.S. has resulted in roughly 50 million Americans with metabolic syndrome. This is a combination of conditions including high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance and, of course, obesity.
Whether you're worried about developing Alzheimer's some time in the future or concerned about your general health, use this time of year to get into the habit of eating a Mediterranean diet year round. Just deciding to throw something onto the barbecue means you're about to cook Mediterranean.
Grilled Mediterranean Fish
-- 1 whole fish, like red snapper or mackerel per person, or 1 thick fish fillet
-- 1 clove of garlic, peeled, per serving
-- juice and zest of half a lemon per serving
-- tablespoon of oregano, finely chopped, per serving
-- 1 tablespoon olive oil per serving
-- Finely chop everything but the fish and put into a blender jug with the oil
-- Blitz till you have a paste.
-- Rub it over the fish, slashing it both sides not quite to the bone if you're using whole fish, and leave to marinate 30 minutes.
-- Grill till cooked through, then serve with whatever vegetables you have thrown onto the grill, too. Slices of red pepper, eggplant or zucchini are good companions.
--
E-mail: consumerhealth@upi.com
© 2006 United Press International. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
This material may not be reproduced, redistributed, or manipulated in any form.
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