Dementia is a condition that has no cure. It is a terminal condition for which there are no treatments. It is likely that many of us will go on to develop some form of dementia in later life. Alzheimer’s disease is probably one that is most prominent (just at the moment with the number having to move into care homes).
As we age, the risk of developing this debilitating condition rises but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that particular combinations of foods increase that risk of development. We also know that some foods help reduce that risk too. Deciding how to adjust the diet accordingly would be the logical answer.
Dementia has many forms and a number of risk factors. They are:-
- age (actually the biggest risk factor of all and unavoidable)
- our genetic make-up (we cannot alter this either)
- lifestyle (something we can do to change for the better).
Food And Dementia
French scientists have found that particular combinations of food and indeed our diet are associated with increasing or reducing the risk of developing dementia. We have known for many years that snack foods and processed foods have a part to play in our general health and well-being. The trend is that that they are generally not that good for us. One of the major issues has been the association with an increased risk of cardiovascular or heart disease but there is developing evidence of a stronger link of food with increasing the risk of dementia.
The study published in the journal Neurology highlights how important and mixed, varied and diverse diet is in helping to reduce dementia. This study focused on not just the importance of individual foods but what the researchers termed a ‘network’. These are foods that are eaten in combinations.
Bringing in more healthy foods is certainly one route to adopt.
It may seem obvious but cutting severely down on processed meats and dairy whilst increasing the amount of fruit, vegetables, cereals, fibre, beans, fish, nuts and health fats such as olive oil will help us. This type of healthy diet fits with the Mediterranean Diet and the MIND diet.
The lead author, Cécilia Samieri, an epidemiologist from the University of Bordeaux in France, is quoted:-
“People with dementia were more likely, when they ate processed meat, to accompany it with potatoes, and people without dementia were more likely to accompany meat with more diverse foods, including fruit and vegetables and seafood.”
“We found that more diversity in diet, and greater inclusion of a variety of healthy foods, is related to less dementia.”
Other commentators on the study reason too that the food ‘network’ which is linked to increased risk of dementia has a ‘hub’ composed of foods just mentioned like deli meats, lost of starchy foods like potatoes as chips and fries, alcohol etc.
The Study
This study looked at the eating habits of 600 aging people in France. They were followed for 5 years and received medical checkups. By the end of the study period, 209 had some form of dementia. A diary of food intake was kept. There was not much difference in the various individual food choices but there was a significant difference in the grouping of their foods. This grouping had a bearing on whether dementia was present or not.
The people which showed no signs of cognitive decline grouped their foods into smaller and more diverse food ‘networks’. These networks included much healthier foods like fruit and vegetables with seafood.
Those people who did develop dementia had a less ‘positive’ network and included lost of processed meats including sausage, pate, starchy foods such as potato, snacks, cakes, cookies and alcohol.
This study relied on the subjects filling out a survey and there was no monitoring by an independent body of their food intake. These studies can be unreliable but it is more than likely that this aspect of the research is taken into account.
One conclusion is that more research is needed to establish whether a healthy diet as it is defined works in combination with a reduction of other risk factors such as increased levels of exercise, better sleep, less sedentary work etc. Is it a matter of eating only the right foods that count. probably not but understanding the extent of the benefit and the role of combinations might be one of the key questions to be answered.
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