Eating a Mediterranean diet can help reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, suggests a study in the journal Annals of Neurology. According to the study, individuals who consume plenty of vegetables, fruits, cereals, legumes, some amount of alcohol and fish and little meat and dairy products have a lower risk of catching the disease as they get older.

Considering the beneficial effects of a Mediterranean diet in cardiovascular diseases, certain cancers and the overall mortality of persons, a team of researchers from the department of Neurology at Columbia University, New York, worked to see whether a Mediterranean diet has any role in Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers looked at 2,258 non-demented people in New York. They studied the subjects in terms of medical and neurological histories, physical examinations, interviews and questionnaires.

They said, “There were 262 cases of Alzheimer’s disease during the course of four years of follow-up. Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease.” The risk of Alzheimer’s disease was 39 to 40 per cent higher in individuals who adhered the least to the Mediterranean diet than those who had the highest adherence to the diet. “We conclude that a higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a reduction in risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” the researchers said.

According to them, when other studies have proved the benefits of a Mediterranean diet in non-neurological diseases, the current study examined the effect of a Mediterranean diet in terms of a neurological disease and in a multiethnic US community.

3 other factors that may prevent alzheimer’s

1: Painkillers: Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, except aspirin, help prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease in adults, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The intake of NSAIDS (other than aspirin) for two years or more could lower the risk of the disease by 80 per cent, the study suggests. The anti-inflammatory property of NSAIDS is thought to be responsible for its role in preventing Alzheimer’s disease.

2: Tea: A study in the European Journal of Neuroscience says that drinking tea can help protect brain cells from the toxic effects of beta-amyloid protein, the key factor that causes Alzheimer’s. Tea extracts contain epicatechin gallate and gallic acid, which inhibit the accumulation of amyloid proteins.

3: Exercise: Exercising the body and the brain help in fighting Alzheimer’s disease, says a study in the journal Cell. The study shows that exercise leads to an increased level of an enzyme that can prevent the deposition of amyloid protein in the brain.