Better Living Staff Writer
Researchers at Rush
University Medical Center in Chicago have developed special diet that appears
to reduce the risk for developing Alzheimer’s. Rush nutritional epidemiologist
Martha Clare Morris, PhD, and her colleagues spent two years developing the
MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative
Delay)
diet, which
borrows from the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, which is
intended to help combat high blood pressure.
According to a paper published
online in March in the journal Alzheimer’s
& Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, the diet could
significantly lower a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s, even if the diet
is not meticulously followed. The Rush University study shows that the MIND
diet lowered the risk by as much as 53 percent in participants who strictly
adhered to the diet, and by about 35 percent in those who followed it
moderately. And it’s an easy diet to follow. It consists of realistic
guidelines, great food, and no guesswork.
It
consists of the following:
·
At
least three servings of whole grains per day (a serving is 1/2 cup cooked brown
rice, 1 slice whole grain bread, 1 cup prepared cereal, etc.)
·
A
salad and one other vegetable per day (1/2 cup vegetables, or 1 cup leafy
greens)
·
One
glass of wine per day
·
A
serving of nuts every day for a snack (about 1 ounce, 25 almonds= 1 ounce)
·
Beans
every other day or so (about ½ cup cooked)
·
Poultry
and berries at least twice a week (blueberries are great for the brain!)
·
Fish
at least once a week (the amount of protein you need is based on age, gender,
and activity level. Go to http://choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/protein-foods.html
for help deciding how much fish and poultry you need.)
·
Limited amounts of unhealthy foods like butter (less than
1 TBS per day), cheese, and fried or fast food (less than a serving a week for
any of the three)
According
to Murali Doraiswamy, a professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical
Center in Durham, NC, and an Alzheimer’s expert, the MIND diet may be a “triple
bonus”. He believes it reduces it reduces the risk for dementia, strokes, and
heart disease.
Research is
still be conducted with the MIND diet, so additional foods like coffee may be
allowed at some point. But even as is, the MIND diet is worth a shot.
For more
information on nutrition and your health, please contact Better Living at (734)
747-0123.
