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By Julie Steenhuysen Julie Steenhuysen Mon Apr 12, 5:38 pm ET
CHICAGO (Reuters) A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, fish, poultry and certain
fruits and vegetables may have a powerful effect at staving off Alzheimer's
disease, researchers reported on Monday.
People who ate nutrients specifically selected for brain health had a 40
percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease compared with others, Yian
Gu, an Alzheimer's disease researcher at Columbia University in New York and
colleagues found.
"Diet is probably the easiest way to modify disease risk," said Gu, whose study
appears in Archives of Neurology.
She said because there are no cures for Alzheimer's, prevention is key,
especially as the population ages.
"If we follow this diet, that means the risk of getting the disease will be
lowered for the population," Gu said in a telephone interview.
While other studies have looked at individual nutrients, Gu's team studied
groups of foods high in nutrients that have been shown to be associated with
Alzheimer's disease risk.
Some, such as saturated fatty acids in red meat and butter, need to be avoided.
Others, such as omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, vitamin E, vitamin
B12 and folate, benefit the brain.
To study this, the team collected information on the diets of 2,148 healthy
people over 65 for an average of 4 years. They were checked for Alzheimer's
disease every 18 months.
Of these, 253 developed Alzheimer's, which has no cure.
Those least likely to develop the disease ate more olive oil-based salad
dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, cruciferous vegetables such as
broccoli, fruits, and dark and green leafy vegetables and ate less red meat,
organ meat or high-fat dairy products.
"People who adhered mostly to this dietary pattern compared to others have
about a 40 percent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease," Gu
said.
She said the diet likely works in two ways. Because it is rich in heart-healthy
foods, it may be protecting the brain from strokes that could make it more
vulnerable to Alzheimer's disease.
But it also may be that the nutrients -- such as omega-3 fatty acids,
antioxidants and folate -- directly protect the brain.
Current treatments helps with some symptoms, but cannot reverse the course of
Alzheimer's, a mind-robbing form of dementia that affects more than 26 million
people globally.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)