Mediterranean diet 'may help people with Alzheimer's disease live longer'
Publication Date:20/09/2007
Eating a Mediterranean diet, with plenty of fruit and vegetables, may help people with Alzheimer's disease live longer, claims a new study. But the results aren't certain. The study doesn't say if the diet can help improve the lives of people with Alzheimer's or help with their symptoms.
What do we know already?
There has been a lot of research into the effects of the Mediterranean diet. Previous studies have suggested that it reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer and helps people live longer.
Following a Mediterranean diet means eating lots of these foods:
- Fruit and vegetables
- Beans, peas, beans and lentils (legumes)
- Cereals (wheat, rice, barley, corn, oats, rye)
- Fish
- Unsaturated fats (mostly in the form of olive oil).
You also eat some dairy products (mostly cheese or yoghurt) and a small amount of meat and poultry. Regularly drinking some alcohol (mostly wine taken with meals) is also part of the diet.
Previous studies by the same researchers have suggested that eating a Mediterranean diet reduces the chances of getting Alzheimer's disease. The latest study looked at whether the diet had any effects on people who were already diagnosed with the condition.
Alzheimer's is a brain condition where people become forgetful and confused and the symptoms get worse over time. At present there is no cure.
What does the new study say?
The study looked at the diets of 192 people with early stage Alzheimer's, who were living in New York. The researchers tracked the people to see what happened to them. People were followed for an average of four and half years, although some people in the study were followed for more than 13 years. During the study 85 people died.
The researchers worked out that people who followed the Mediterranean diet to some degree lived an average 1.3 years longer than those who ate a more traditional Western diet (with higher levels of saturated fat and meat). And those who followed the diet most strictly lived an average four years longer.
Where does the study come from?
The study was done by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York. It was published in a journal called Neurology.
How reliable are the findings?
This was a small study and not the best type of research for finding out whether following a diet can affect how long someone lives. Bigger and better studies need to be done to see if the findings are correct.
Also there are some important things this study does not tell us. It would be useful to know whether eating a Mediterranean diet changed the lives of people with Alzheimer's disease in any way. For example, does the Mediterranean diet help to keep people's memory working better or help them to look after themselves more?
The study was done quite well. For example, the researchers made allowances for other things which might affect how long people lived, like their age or whether they smoked. And they still found that the Mediterranean diet seemed to help people live longer. On the other hand, the researchers relied on people remembering correctly what their diet was, but having Alzheimer's affects the memory.
What does this mean for me?
You may be interested in this study if you have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, or if you are looking after someone with Alzheimer's. The study suggests that in people with Alzheimer's disease there might be a link between eating a Mediterranean diet and living longer. But it's a small study, and the results need to be confirmed by other, bigger studies. It can't tell you whether the diet helps with the symptoms.
What should I do now?
Eating a healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet, which is low in saturated fats and high in fruits and vegetables, is a good idea for your health generally. But it's too soon to say if someone with Alzheimer's disease could benefit from switching to the Mediterranean diet.
For more on Alzheimer's disease see our information on Dementia.
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This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
