06/24
Did you know? The Mediterranean Diet Can Ward Off Dementia?
June is “Brain Awareness month” a movement meant to draw attention to brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. During this month, people are asked to wear the color purple to show their awareness of brain health, and to get screened for brain diseases if they’re over the age of 60 or think they have symptoms of a brain disorder.
Diseases that cause a mental decline are serious, and many of them have no cure. There are ways to reduce your risk of developing a disease such as Alzheimer’s, or slow its progression. As you can probably guess, a Mediterranean diet is one of those things.
A 2018 study looked at beta-amyloid deposits, a protein that collects in the brain of Alzheimer patients, and brain activity. In those who followed a Mediterranean diet, the protein deposits were much lower, and they also had more brain activity.
This study backed by the NIH (National Institute on Aging) found that eating a Mediterranean diet could delay onset of Alzheimer’s by as much as three and a half years. While it doesn’t outright prevent the disease, it means many more years without cognitive decline for those prone to brain diseases.
Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases that cause the broader term, dementia, are no joke. It can be devastating to watch a loved one slowly lose their cognitive abilities to a disease. Thankfully, this research really brings us hope because we know more about why these diseases are happening, and more importantly, it gives us a concrete thing we can do about it.
Dr. Lisa Mosconi from Weill Cornell Medicine, who lead the project, had this to say about the research. “We’re seeing these changes only in parts of the brain specifically affected by Alzheimer’s, and in relatively young adults. It all points to the way we eat putting us at risk for Alzheimer’s down the line. If your diet isn’t balanced, you really need to make an effort to fix it, if not for your body, then for your brain.”
What we eat has a profound effect on our brains. The saying goes, “You are what you eat.” Western diets have proven again and again to have unhealthy ramifications throughout our bodies, again and again.
We all know what it means to eat healthy. Fruits and vegetables should be eaten more often than meat. Healthy grains and fermented foods should have their place at the table. It can be overwhelming however, to try and put together a diet by yourself.
Fortunately, stopping by a Mediterranean restaurant can take some of the work out of making changes. The food is already cooked to perfection, and every single item on the menu is a healthy choice.
This June, for brain awareness month, making a change in how you eat is a great tribute. Mediterranean food tastes great, and is more a way of life than a real diet. It’s good for your heart, your weight, and best of all, your brain as well.