Mediterranean Diet Lowers Alzheimer's and PVD Risk

Category: Diet and Nutrition

The Mediterranean diet - rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, olive oil, and whole grains - has been shown to prevent heart disease, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Studies have also found that the Mediterranean diet is linked to a longer life. Now research reports that the Mediterranean diet may also prevent the risk of Alzheimer's disease and peripheral vascular disease (PVD).

Alzheimer's disease occurs in older adults and causes memory loss, confusion and eventually death. Alzheimer's disease affects more than 13 million people worldwide. PVD, caused by hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and inflammation, chronically obstructs the blood vessels in the elderly. PVD affects more than one in five people over the age of 56.

In a study published in the Annals of Neurology, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York evaluated more than 2,258 men and women over age 65, with no signs of dementia, every one and a half years. The researchers found that participants with the highest adherence to a Mediterranean diet lowered their risk of developing Alzheimer's by about 40 percent. "We conclude that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduction in risk for Alzheimer's disease," the study authors write.

In another study, published in Atherosclerosis, researchers in Rome, Italy obtained food frequency questionnaires from 1,251 seniors participating in the InCHIANTI study. The participants' ankle-brachial index measurements were also obtained to determine PVD risk. The researchers found that participants who consumed 34 grams or more of monounsaturated fats from olive oil reduced the risk of PVD by more than 60 percent. Those who had a vitamin E intake of more than 7.7 milligrams daily also reduced the risk of PVD by 63 percent. Furthermore, every 10 milligrams per deciliter increase of HDL "good" cholesterol was linked with a 24 percent lower risk of PVD.

"A higher intake of vegetable lipids, Vitamin E and higher concentrations of serum HDL cholesterol characterize subjects free from peripheral arterial disease," write the study authors. "Prospective studies are needed to verify whether this dietary pattern and/or interventions aimed at increasing HDL cholesterol exert some protective effect against peripheral arterial disease."


REFERENCES:
1. Scarmeas N et al. Mediterranean diet and risk for Alzheimer's disease. Ann Neurol 2006 Jun;59(6):912-21.

2. Antonelli-Incalzi R et al. Association between nutrient intake and peripheral artery disease: results from the InCHIANTI study. Atherosclerosis 2006 May;186(1):200-6. Epub 2005 Aug 19

Posted by Elaine Gavalas on January 1, 2014 10:00 AM