(18 Jul 2017) LEADIN:
A growing volume of studies is convincing scientists that eating healthily can postpone Alzheimer's disease, even though there is no concrete evidence to show diet can directly cause dementia.
An international conference of medical specialists is this week considering the results of three studies including the MIND diet which appears to delay cognitive decline by more than five years according to some researchers.
STORYLINE:
While scientists say they know a lot more about how different dementias affect our brains, a successful treatment has been elusive.
Pharma giants are still searching for a combination of drug treatments or therapies that can make a significant difference, but scientists are now considering we hold the key to good brain health ourselves.
A string of studies is now looking at the MIND diet.
It's a combination of the Mediterranean diet and another called Dietary Approach to Systolic Hypertension, or DASH which was designed to help patients lower, or control high blood pressure.
Dementia, particularly Alzheimer's, is a disease that nations around the world have woken up to belatedly according to doctors.
In many developed societies food has become plentiful, cheap and processed to fit lifestyles which are less active. People are also living considerably longer.
Globally 47 million people have dementia, and there are 9.9 million new cases every year, more than sixty per cent of them are Alzheimer's according to the World Health Organisation.
Margaret Rayman is Surrey University's professor of nutritional medicine.
Studies by other scientists and her own research have convinced her that diet can have a dramatic impact. However it's difficult to prove scientifically that the MIND diet delays dementia.
Today (July 17 2017) three studies on diet are being presented to the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in London, including one which claims the MIND diet was associated with 30 to 35 percent lower risk of cognitive damage in healthy elderly people.
Rayman explains its origin: "It's a modification of the Mediterranean diet and it takes on board the DASH diet as well which is: dietary approach to stopping hypertension, or some such words and so the features of both those diets were combined along with other evidence for other foods that seemed to be very specific to dementia."
The diet, widely followed by societies across the Mediterranean, puts an emphasis on leafy vegetables, berries, grains and one fish meal a week.
These are given a positive score while other foods like red meat and saturated fats are marked zero. Olive oil is marked positive when used in cooking.
The overall aim is to score high, or at least above fifteen.
Rayman says: "It's largely composed of plant foods and grains etcetera, but it differs in so far as specifically, rather than just having fruit to eat, it specifically concentrates on eating berries, for instance blueberries, or strawberries and it also specifically recommends not just all vegetables, but green leafy vegetables."
The main difference in the diet, according to Rayman, is the emphasis it places on berries.
Vitamin B12 is found in higher concentrations in meat, but the MIND diet advises against this especially for elderly people
Although there is a higher level of B12 in red meat and liver, the nutrients aren't easily absorbed by people's bodies as they get older. Milk and fortified cereals are recommended as a much better source of B12.
The Greek island of Ikaria is one of the five regions of the world that have the greatest percentage of people living above 90 years of age.
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