Alzheimer's, Mediterranean Diet, & Mortality

Robert W. Griffith, MD

It's been previously found that the Mediterranean diet decreases the risk for someone to develop Alzheimer's. But the question of whether the diet helps in patients with Alzheimer's has been open - until now. Columbia University physicians have studied this problem, and reported in the journal Neurology.

Almost 200 people with Alzheimer's living in New York were examined every 18 months, at which time they were assessed for their adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet. Analysis of their mortality was made after an average of 4½ years. The subjects were classified into one of three groups, based on their adherence to the diet.

Higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with reduced mortality, even after allowing for possible factors that might influence the result (age, gender, ethnicity, education, genotype, calorie intake, smoking and body mass index). The patients in the highest third of adherence lived an average of 3.9 years longer than the 'non-adherent'.

The diet recommended was high in fruits, cereals, vegetables, fish, olive oil, and low in meat, chicken, dairy products, and saturated fats. The actual benefit on mortality amounted to a reduction to 75% of that for non-adherence. There's no reason to think that this benefit isn't available to everyone, not just those with Alzheimer's.

Source
HealthandAge Blog

Please take a moment to give us your comments. For questions about Health matters you may check our "Questions & Answers" Portal and Service.