Two Diets May Reduce Plaque Formation in Alzheimer’s, Science Says

by time news

More than 55 million people worldwide have dementia, with an estimated 10 million new cases each year. Among the diseases included in this category, the most important is Alzheimer’s.

Although the cause of the disease is not entirely clear, one of the most prominent features of the condition is the appearance of plaques and tangles of misfolded proteins in the brain.

Now, a group of researchers from Rush University (Chicago) has found a link between the monitoring of two dietary patterns, the MIND diet and the Mediterranean diet with less development of these pathological elements.

Two similar diets

The Mediterranean diet Broadly, it is defined by a high intake of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, and nuts, and moderate amounts of chicken, seafood, and red wine.

By your side, on the MIND diet It consists of a combination between the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, which seeks to reduce hypertension. Thus, it focuses on the consumption of vegetables (especially green leafy ones), berries, nuts, olive oil, fish and chicken, legumes, whole grains and wine in moderate amounts; and in avoiding butter and margarine, cheese, red meat, sugary and processed desserts, and fried food.

According to the authors of this study, the findings result from monitoring a sample of 581 older adults, from enrollment in the study to their death, based on what they ate and, postmortem, the amount of beta-amyloid plaques and tau tangles that were present in their brains. Within this sample, 39% had received a diagnosis of dementia near death and 66% met criteria for Alzheimer’s disease after death.


Moderate Alcohol Consumption Linked to Faster Alzheimer's Progression

When carrying out this analysis, indeed those who had followed one of the two diets tended to present less characteristic plates of Alzheimer’s, which contributes to the notion that diet is a fundamental area of ​​intervention against dementia and Alzheimer’s.

References

Puja Agarwal, Sue E. Leurgans, Sonal Agrawal, Neelum Aggarwal, Laurel J Cherian, Bryan D James, Klodian Dhana, Lisa L. Barnes, David A. Bennett, Julie A. Schneider. Association of Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay and Mediterranean Diets With Alzheimer Disease Pathology. Neurology (2023) DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000207176

You may also like

Leave a Comment