Interesting Read

A Diet Might Cut the Risk of Developing Alzheimer's By Sumathi Reddy Read in 04/21/15 The Wall Street Journal, the Personal Journal, Health & Wellness section In part, it reads: Researchers successfully tested a special diet they designed that appears to reduce the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease. The study compared the so-called MIND diet with the popular, heart-healthy Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, which is intended to help control high blood pressure. The MIND diet borrows significantly from the other two, and all are largely plant-based and low in high-fat foods. But the MIND diet places particular emphasis on eating "brain-healthy" foods such as green leafy vegetables and berries, among other recommendations. The study, conducted by researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, found strict adherence to any of the three diets lessened the chances of getting Alzheimer's. But only the MIND diet seemed to help counter the disease even when people followed only some of the diet's recommendations. The research was observational, not randomized or controlled, and therefore isn't evidence the MIND diet caused a reduced risk for Alzheimer's. Instead, the research shows there is an association between the two. Experts point to a growing awareness that lifestyle—not just genetics—plays a big roll in the disease. The MIND diet…stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for neurodegenerative Delay. Researchers modified the Mediterranean and DASH diets based on evidence from animal and human studies looking at nutrition and the brain. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. For example, fruits, a common recommendation in heart-healthy diets, haven't been shown to slow cognitive decline or prevent dementia, but berries, and especially blueberries, have. Dr. Morris said. The MIND diet calls fore eating berries at least 2x/week and doesn't include recommendations for other types of fruit. Research also has shown that green leafy vegetables protect the brain more than other vegetables. The MIND diet includes one serving of greens in addition to eating one or more other veggies a day. It is heavy on nuts and beans, whole grains and olive oil and recommends a glass of wine a day, all of which also are recommended by one or both of the other diets.