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The health of your
brain depends on what you eat, and your risk of Alzheimer's
is reduced with the appropriate diet. That is the essential
message of six studies that researchers at Case Western Reserve
University are presenting at the world's largest gathering
of Alzheimer's
disease experts.
Alzheimer's has
long known to be both a genetic and environmental disease,
but the researchers, studying diet and lifestyle for over
ten years, are offering proof that the foods people consume
greatly influence their risk of developing the disease.
They recommend
a diet high in antioxidants -- at least five servings of fruit
and vegetables per day - and relatively low in fat. They also
recommend eating fish for its protective qualities and a vitamin
B supplement, because vitamin B lowers homocysteine levels
in the blood. This diet, they said, is particularly important
for people in their 40s and 50s to reduce the Alzheimer's
risk.
The researchers
studied the consumption of 29 different foods - including
dairy, red and processed meat, sugared drinks, fried foods
and more -- in a group of both healthy patients and those
with Alzheimer's. They also conducted genetic tests on both
groups of patients to determine if they were carrying one
of the three genes associated with Alzheimer's. Compared to
people with no genetic risk of Alzheimer's, people with the
gene were 4.5 times more likely to develop the disease. Carriers
who ate a high-fat diet, though, were 7 times more likely
to develop the disease.
Alzheimer's affects
4 million Americans, a number expected to climb ten million
higher by 2050. The researchers' basic advice: "know
your numbers -- blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose --
don't get too big, eat a healthy diet, and stay active."
Journal
American Diet Association June 2002;102(6):848-50
8th
International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease and Related
Disorders Stockholm, Sweden July 22, 2002
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