April 20, 2006
The "Mediterranean Diet" has become popular for its health and weight
control properties. Now, health researchers say it may have other
benefits as well.
Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center say their four year study of more than two thousand subjects shows the more people stuck to a Mediterranean-style diet, with its emphasis on fish, fruits and vegetables, the less likely they were to develop Alzheimer's Disease.
They say it's the latest bit of evidence to suggest that a healthy diet can have a protective effect.
The study was published in the Annals of Neurology.
Subjects in the study were rated on a scale in accordance with their adherence to the Mediterranean diet and were assigned a score between zero and nine.
For each point achieved on the Mediterranean diet scale, the study shows the risk of Alzheimer's dropped by nearly ten percent. Those in the top third of the rankings had a 40 percent less risk of developing dementia.
Health experts specializing in Alzheimer's Disease say the results are not all that surprising. It has been accepted as fact for years that a healthy diet is an important contributor to cognitive health.
