Mediterranean Diet & Lifestyle Associated With Reduced Alzheimer Dementia
Alzheimer disease is a progressive brain disorder resulting in memory loss, personality change, functional impairments, and a decline in various types of thinking (e.g., math ability, problem-solving, spatial orientation). It is the most common form of dementia in the eldery, causing about 70% of cases and afflicting four million people in the U.S.
TheBostonChannel.com recently published a news release from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on how to prevent Alzheimers Disease. It is a Q&A interview with Dr. Daniel Press, neurologist and Alzheimer specialist.
Dr. Press made favorable comments about the Mediterraean diet and pointed out that avoidance of obesity and diabetes may also help prevent Alzheimer disease. Regular aerobic exercise, 30 minutes daily, also seems to be protective. The potential protective effect of alcohol consumption was not mentioned.
For details on how to accomplish all this, see the Do-It-Yourself Mediterranean Diet, the Alzheimer disease prevention article at WebMD.com, or The Advanced Mediterranean Diet book.
December 23rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Yes, I read that a while back about the decrease in Alzheimer disease. If this positive news were a new pill, or avoiding something like aluminum, people would be flocking.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 pm
I heard Michael Savage on the radio on my way to the hospital last night mention that the Aluminum/Alzheimers hypothesis has never been disproved, implying he believes there is a real connection.
[I don’t consider Savage an infallible medical authority by any means.]
The national Alzheimer Association website indicates, unequivacally, no connection between dietary/environmental aluminum and the disease:
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_myths_about_alzheimers.asp
A quick search at PubMed.gov suggests that Savage may be right. People have been investigating and debating for years. The connection, if real, can’t be very strong.
-Steve