Eating a traditional Mediterranean-type diet—rich in foods such as seafood, fruit, and nuts—may help reduce the risk of dementia(痴呆)by almost a quarter, a new study has revealed.
Experts at Newcastle University found that individuals who ate a Mediterranean-like diet had up to 23% lower risk for dementia than those who did not. This research, published today in the journal BMC Medicine, is one of the biggest studies of its kind.
Scientists analyzed data from 60, 298 individuals from the UK Biobank, including individuals from across the UK, who had completed a dietary assessment. The authors scored individuals based on how closely their diet matched the key features of a Mediterranean one. The participants were followed for almost a decade, during which time there were 882 cases of dementia.
The authors considered each individual's genetic risk for dementia by estimating what is known as their polygenic(多基因的) risk—a measure of all the different genes that are related to the risk of dementia. They found that there were similar associations between sticking to Mediterranean diet and dementia risk in individuals with higher and lower genetic risk for this condition, which may indicate that even for those with a higher genetic risk, having a better diet could reduce the likelihood of developing the condition.
Dr Janice Ranson, joint lead author on the paper, said: "Dementia impacts the lives of millions of individuals throughout the world, and there are currently limited options for treating this condition. Our study shows a Mediterranean diet that has a high intake of healthy plant-based foods may be important for future strategies to reduce dementia risk. For example, the dementia prevention efforts could go beyond general healthy diet advice and focus on choosing specific foods and nutrients. "
The authors caution that their analysis is limited to individuals who self-reported their ethnic background as white, British or Irish, as genetic data was only available based on European countries, and that further research is needed in a range of populations to determine the potential benefit.