'Mediterranean' Diet May Cut Alzheimer's Risk

[Guest guest]

'Mediterranean' Diet May Cut Alzheimer's Risk

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements might also help, another study shows.

By Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

E-mail this article

Subscribe to news

Printer friendly version

MONDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat a " Mediterranean "

diet rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, cereals and

fish have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, U.S.

researchers report.

" We have confirmed the association of a Mediterranean diet with

Alzheimer's disease, " said lead researcher Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, an

assistant professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical

Center in New York.

This benefit does not appear to be due to the diet's effect on blood

vessels, Scarmeas added. " The diet could be helping avoid

Alzheimer's disease by protection from oxidative stress or by

reducing inflammation in the brain, " he said.

Another study finds that taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements slows

cognitive decline in some patients with very mild Alzheimer's

disease. However, supplements do not appear to affect people with

more advanced cases of the disease, according to a team of Swedish

researchers.

Both reports appear in the online October issue of the Archives of

Neurology.

For the diet study, Scarmeas's team collected data on almost 2,000

people averaging 76 years of age. Of these, 194 had developed

Alzheimer's. The researchers analyzed each person's diet during the

previous year and scored the diet based on how closely it followed

what's known as the Mediterranean diet, which also includes mild-to-

moderate drinking and little intake of red meat. Scores ranged from

zero to 9. Higher scores were given for closely following a

Mediterranean diet.

People who closely followed that regimen had a significantly lower

risk for Alzheimer's disease, the researchers found. For each

additional point on the diet score, risk for Alzheimer's was reduced

by 19 to 24 percent.

In fact, people in the top one-third of diet scores had 68 percent

lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, compared with people

in the bottom third. In addition, people in the middle third had a

53 percent lower risk of developing the disease.

While the jury is still out on whether a Mediterranean diet actually

protects people from developing Alzheimer's disease, Scarmeas

believes that the other health benefits of the diet are clear.

" It seems that this diet is [health] protective, " Scarmeas

said. " Taking into account that this diet is protective for other

conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, high blood

pressure, obesity and a series of cancers, it seems to make sense to

follow this diet anyway, and the diet may also protect from

Alzheimer's disease. "

In the second report, a team led by Dr. Freund-Levi from the

Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, looked at the effects of omega-3

fatty acids supplements on 204 patients with Alzheimer's disease.

After six months, among the 174 people who completed the trial, the

researchers found no difference in cognitive decline among people

taking omega-3 fatty acids supplements at different doses or placebo.

However, for a subgroup of 32 patients with very mild cognitive

impairment at the beginning of the study, those taking the

supplements experienced less cognitive decline compared with those

who took placebo, the researchers found.

And when patients who took placebo during the first six months were

given omega-3 fatty acids supplements, their cognitive decline

decreased during the second six months of the trial.

" The mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids could interfere in

Alzheimer's disease pathophysiologic features are not clear, but

since anti-inflammatory effects are an important part of the profile

of fish oils, they are conceivable also for Alzheimer's disease, "

the researchers write. " It is possible that when the disease is

clinically apparent, the neuropathologic involvement is too advanced

to be substantially attenuated by anti-inflammatory treatment. "

One expert said that, given the other health benefits of fish oil,

it certainly can't hurt patients to take supplements.

" I am happy to tell people that if they want to reduce their risk

for Alzheimer's, they should reduce their cardiovascular disease

risk factors and take fish oil, " said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist

at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, and the associate

director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA's

Geffen School of Medicine.

A second expert agreed that diet probably does influence the disease.

" The papers share a focus on the idea that diet plays a role in

Alzheimer's, a consensus that has been building for the past five or

six years, " said Dr. Sam Gandy, the chair of the Medical and

Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer's Association and

director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at

Jefferson University.

" The common thread is that both papers point toward intervention at

the earliest moment having a greater effect and the suggestion that

prevention may have the greatest effect of all, " Gandy said.

" Once the gooey amyloid material has accumulated and poisoned nerve

cells and the cells have died, it is very hard to think seriously

about repairing damage that severe, " he added.

More information

There's more on Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association.

(SOURCES: Nikolaos Scarmeas, M.D., M.Sc., assistant professor of

neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City; Sam

Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., chair, Medical and Scientific Advisory Council,

Alzheimer's Association, and director, Farber Institute for

Neurosciences, Jefferson University, Philadelphia; Greg M.

Cole, Ph.D., neuroscientist, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare

System, and associate director, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center,

UCLA Geffen School of Medicine; October 2006 Archives of

Neurology)

Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.

HealthDayNews articles are derived from various sources and do not

reflect federal policy. healthfinder® does not endorse opinions,

products, or services that may appear in news stories. For more

information on health topics in the news, visit the healthfinder®

health library.

[Guest guest]

'Mediterranean' Diet May Cut Alzheimer's Risk

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements might also help, another study shows.

By Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

E-mail this article

Subscribe to news

Printer friendly version

MONDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat a " Mediterranean "

diet rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, cereals and

fish have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, U.S.

researchers report.

" We have confirmed the association of a Mediterranean diet with

Alzheimer's disease, " said lead researcher Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, an

assistant professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical

Center in New York.

This benefit does not appear to be due to the diet's effect on blood

vessels, Scarmeas added. " The diet could be helping avoid

Alzheimer's disease by protection from oxidative stress or by

reducing inflammation in the brain, " he said.

Another study finds that taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements slows

cognitive decline in some patients with very mild Alzheimer's

disease. However, supplements do not appear to affect people with

more advanced cases of the disease, according to a team of Swedish

researchers.

Both reports appear in the online October issue of the Archives of

Neurology.

For the diet study, Scarmeas's team collected data on almost 2,000

people averaging 76 years of age. Of these, 194 had developed

Alzheimer's. The researchers analyzed each person's diet during the

previous year and scored the diet based on how closely it followed

what's known as the Mediterranean diet, which also includes mild-to-

moderate drinking and little intake of red meat. Scores ranged from

zero to 9. Higher scores were given for closely following a

Mediterranean diet.

People who closely followed that regimen had a significantly lower

risk for Alzheimer's disease, the researchers found. For each

additional point on the diet score, risk for Alzheimer's was reduced

by 19 to 24 percent.

In fact, people in the top one-third of diet scores had 68 percent

lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, compared with people

in the bottom third. In addition, people in the middle third had a

53 percent lower risk of developing the disease.

While the jury is still out on whether a Mediterranean diet actually

protects people from developing Alzheimer's disease, Scarmeas

believes that the other health benefits of the diet are clear.

" It seems that this diet is [health] protective, " Scarmeas

said. " Taking into account that this diet is protective for other

conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, high blood

pressure, obesity and a series of cancers, it seems to make sense to

follow this diet anyway, and the diet may also protect from

Alzheimer's disease. "

In the second report, a team led by Dr. Freund-Levi from the

Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, looked at the effects of omega-3

fatty acids supplements on 204 patients with Alzheimer's disease.

After six months, among the 174 people who completed the trial, the

researchers found no difference in cognitive decline among people

taking omega-3 fatty acids supplements at different doses or placebo.

However, for a subgroup of 32 patients with very mild cognitive

impairment at the beginning of the study, those taking the

supplements experienced less cognitive decline compared with those

who took placebo, the researchers found.

And when patients who took placebo during the first six months were

given omega-3 fatty acids supplements, their cognitive decline

decreased during the second six months of the trial.

" The mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids could interfere in

Alzheimer's disease pathophysiologic features are not clear, but

since anti-inflammatory effects are an important part of the profile

of fish oils, they are conceivable also for Alzheimer's disease, "

the researchers write. " It is possible that when the disease is

clinically apparent, the neuropathologic involvement is too advanced

to be substantially attenuated by anti-inflammatory treatment. "

One expert said that, given the other health benefits of fish oil,

it certainly can't hurt patients to take supplements.

" I am happy to tell people that if they want to reduce their risk

for Alzheimer's, they should reduce their cardiovascular disease

risk factors and take fish oil, " said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist

at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, and the associate

director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA's

Geffen School of Medicine.

A second expert agreed that diet probably does influence the disease.

" The papers share a focus on the idea that diet plays a role in

Alzheimer's, a consensus that has been building for the past five or

six years, " said Dr. Sam Gandy, the chair of the Medical and

Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer's Association and

director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at

Jefferson University.

" The common thread is that both papers point toward intervention at

the earliest moment having a greater effect and the suggestion that

prevention may have the greatest effect of all, " Gandy said.

" Once the gooey amyloid material has accumulated and poisoned nerve

cells and the cells have died, it is very hard to think seriously

about repairing damage that severe, " he added.

More information

There's more on Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association.

(SOURCES: Nikolaos Scarmeas, M.D., M.Sc., assistant professor of

neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City; Sam

Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., chair, Medical and Scientific Advisory Council,

Alzheimer's Association, and director, Farber Institute for

Neurosciences, Jefferson University, Philadelphia; Greg M.

Cole, Ph.D., neuroscientist, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare

System, and associate director, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center,

UCLA Geffen School of Medicine; October 2006 Archives of

Neurology)

Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.

HealthDayNews articles are derived from various sources and do not

reflect federal policy. healthfinder® does not endorse opinions,

products, or services that may appear in news stories. For more

information on health topics in the news, visit the healthfinder®

health library.

[Guest guest]

'Mediterranean' Diet May Cut Alzheimer's Risk

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements might also help, another study shows.

By Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

E-mail this article

Subscribe to news

Printer friendly version

MONDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat a " Mediterranean "

diet rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, cereals and

fish have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, U.S.

researchers report.

" We have confirmed the association of a Mediterranean diet with

Alzheimer's disease, " said lead researcher Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, an

assistant professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical

Center in New York.

This benefit does not appear to be due to the diet's effect on blood

vessels, Scarmeas added. " The diet could be helping avoid

Alzheimer's disease by protection from oxidative stress or by

reducing inflammation in the brain, " he said.

Another study finds that taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements slows

cognitive decline in some patients with very mild Alzheimer's

disease. However, supplements do not appear to affect people with

more advanced cases of the disease, according to a team of Swedish

researchers.

Both reports appear in the online October issue of the Archives of

Neurology.

For the diet study, Scarmeas's team collected data on almost 2,000

people averaging 76 years of age. Of these, 194 had developed

Alzheimer's. The researchers analyzed each person's diet during the

previous year and scored the diet based on how closely it followed

what's known as the Mediterranean diet, which also includes mild-to-

moderate drinking and little intake of red meat. Scores ranged from

zero to 9. Higher scores were given for closely following a

Mediterranean diet.

People who closely followed that regimen had a significantly lower

risk for Alzheimer's disease, the researchers found. For each

additional point on the diet score, risk for Alzheimer's was reduced

by 19 to 24 percent.

In fact, people in the top one-third of diet scores had 68 percent

lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, compared with people

in the bottom third. In addition, people in the middle third had a

53 percent lower risk of developing the disease.

While the jury is still out on whether a Mediterranean diet actually

protects people from developing Alzheimer's disease, Scarmeas

believes that the other health benefits of the diet are clear.

" It seems that this diet is [health] protective, " Scarmeas

said. " Taking into account that this diet is protective for other

conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, high blood

pressure, obesity and a series of cancers, it seems to make sense to

follow this diet anyway, and the diet may also protect from

Alzheimer's disease. "

In the second report, a team led by Dr. Freund-Levi from the

Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, looked at the effects of omega-3

fatty acids supplements on 204 patients with Alzheimer's disease.

After six months, among the 174 people who completed the trial, the

researchers found no difference in cognitive decline among people

taking omega-3 fatty acids supplements at different doses or placebo.

However, for a subgroup of 32 patients with very mild cognitive

impairment at the beginning of the study, those taking the

supplements experienced less cognitive decline compared with those

who took placebo, the researchers found.

And when patients who took placebo during the first six months were

given omega-3 fatty acids supplements, their cognitive decline

decreased during the second six months of the trial.

" The mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids could interfere in

Alzheimer's disease pathophysiologic features are not clear, but

since anti-inflammatory effects are an important part of the profile

of fish oils, they are conceivable also for Alzheimer's disease, "

the researchers write. " It is possible that when the disease is

clinically apparent, the neuropathologic involvement is too advanced

to be substantially attenuated by anti-inflammatory treatment. "

One expert said that, given the other health benefits of fish oil,

it certainly can't hurt patients to take supplements.

" I am happy to tell people that if they want to reduce their risk

for Alzheimer's, they should reduce their cardiovascular disease

risk factors and take fish oil, " said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist

at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, and the associate

director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA's

Geffen School of Medicine.

A second expert agreed that diet probably does influence the disease.

" The papers share a focus on the idea that diet plays a role in

Alzheimer's, a consensus that has been building for the past five or

six years, " said Dr. Sam Gandy, the chair of the Medical and

Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer's Association and

director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at

Jefferson University.

" The common thread is that both papers point toward intervention at

the earliest moment having a greater effect and the suggestion that

prevention may have the greatest effect of all, " Gandy said.

" Once the gooey amyloid material has accumulated and poisoned nerve

cells and the cells have died, it is very hard to think seriously

about repairing damage that severe, " he added.

More information

There's more on Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association.

(SOURCES: Nikolaos Scarmeas, M.D., M.Sc., assistant professor of

neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City; Sam

Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., chair, Medical and Scientific Advisory Council,

Alzheimer's Association, and director, Farber Institute for

Neurosciences, Jefferson University, Philadelphia; Greg M.

Cole, Ph.D., neuroscientist, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare

System, and associate director, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center,

UCLA Geffen School of Medicine; October 2006 Archives of

Neurology)

Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.

HealthDayNews articles are derived from various sources and do not

reflect federal policy. healthfinder® does not endorse opinions,

products, or services that may appear in news stories. For more

information on health topics in the news, visit the healthfinder®

health library.

[Guest guest]

'Mediterranean' Diet May Cut Alzheimer's Risk

Omega-3 fatty acid supplements might also help, another study shows.

By Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

E-mail this article

Subscribe to news

Printer friendly version

MONDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) -- People who eat a " Mediterranean "

diet rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, cereals and

fish have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, U.S.

researchers report.

" We have confirmed the association of a Mediterranean diet with

Alzheimer's disease, " said lead researcher Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, an

assistant professor of neurology at Columbia University Medical

Center in New York.

This benefit does not appear to be due to the diet's effect on blood

vessels, Scarmeas added. " The diet could be helping avoid

Alzheimer's disease by protection from oxidative stress or by

reducing inflammation in the brain, " he said.

Another study finds that taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements slows

cognitive decline in some patients with very mild Alzheimer's

disease. However, supplements do not appear to affect people with

more advanced cases of the disease, according to a team of Swedish

researchers.

Both reports appear in the online October issue of the Archives of

Neurology.

For the diet study, Scarmeas's team collected data on almost 2,000

people averaging 76 years of age. Of these, 194 had developed

Alzheimer's. The researchers analyzed each person's diet during the

previous year and scored the diet based on how closely it followed

what's known as the Mediterranean diet, which also includes mild-to-

moderate drinking and little intake of red meat. Scores ranged from

zero to 9. Higher scores were given for closely following a

Mediterranean diet.

People who closely followed that regimen had a significantly lower

risk for Alzheimer's disease, the researchers found. For each

additional point on the diet score, risk for Alzheimer's was reduced

by 19 to 24 percent.

In fact, people in the top one-third of diet scores had 68 percent

lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, compared with people

in the bottom third. In addition, people in the middle third had a

53 percent lower risk of developing the disease.

While the jury is still out on whether a Mediterranean diet actually

protects people from developing Alzheimer's disease, Scarmeas

believes that the other health benefits of the diet are clear.

" It seems that this diet is [health] protective, " Scarmeas

said. " Taking into account that this diet is protective for other

conditions such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, high blood

pressure, obesity and a series of cancers, it seems to make sense to

follow this diet anyway, and the diet may also protect from

Alzheimer's disease. "

In the second report, a team led by Dr. Freund-Levi from the

Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, looked at the effects of omega-3

fatty acids supplements on 204 patients with Alzheimer's disease.

After six months, among the 174 people who completed the trial, the

researchers found no difference in cognitive decline among people

taking omega-3 fatty acids supplements at different doses or placebo.

However, for a subgroup of 32 patients with very mild cognitive

impairment at the beginning of the study, those taking the

supplements experienced less cognitive decline compared with those

who took placebo, the researchers found.

And when patients who took placebo during the first six months were

given omega-3 fatty acids supplements, their cognitive decline

decreased during the second six months of the trial.

" The mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acids could interfere in

Alzheimer's disease pathophysiologic features are not clear, but

since anti-inflammatory effects are an important part of the profile

of fish oils, they are conceivable also for Alzheimer's disease, "

the researchers write. " It is possible that when the disease is

clinically apparent, the neuropathologic involvement is too advanced

to be substantially attenuated by anti-inflammatory treatment. "

One expert said that, given the other health benefits of fish oil,

it certainly can't hurt patients to take supplements.

" I am happy to tell people that if they want to reduce their risk

for Alzheimer's, they should reduce their cardiovascular disease

risk factors and take fish oil, " said Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist

at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, and the associate

director of the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at UCLA's

Geffen School of Medicine.

A second expert agreed that diet probably does influence the disease.

" The papers share a focus on the idea that diet plays a role in

Alzheimer's, a consensus that has been building for the past five or

six years, " said Dr. Sam Gandy, the chair of the Medical and

Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer's Association and

director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at

Jefferson University.

" The common thread is that both papers point toward intervention at

the earliest moment having a greater effect and the suggestion that

prevention may have the greatest effect of all, " Gandy said.

" Once the gooey amyloid material has accumulated and poisoned nerve

cells and the cells have died, it is very hard to think seriously

about repairing damage that severe, " he added.

More information

There's more on Alzheimer's disease at the Alzheimer's Association.

(SOURCES: Nikolaos Scarmeas, M.D., M.Sc., assistant professor of

neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York City; Sam

Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., chair, Medical and Scientific Advisory Council,

Alzheimer's Association, and director, Farber Institute for

Neurosciences, Jefferson University, Philadelphia; Greg M.

Cole, Ph.D., neuroscientist, Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare

System, and associate director, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center,

UCLA Geffen School of Medicine; October 2006 Archives of

Neurology)

Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.

HealthDayNews articles are derived from various sources and do not

reflect federal policy. healthfinder® does not endorse opinions,

products, or services that may appear in news stories. For more

information on health topics in the news, visit the healthfinder®

health library.