- According to nutritionists and other experts, a heart-healthy diet has a positive effect on the brain and helps prevent cognitive decline.
- The Brain Diet combines the Mediterranean diet with the DASH diet, which is high in potassium, calcium and magnesium and lowers blood pressure.
Debilitating diseases that lifestyle changes can reverse or prevent have been a long-standing interest of Dr. Thomas Holland.
An assistant professor at the Rush Institute for Health Geriatrics at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, she became aware of the issue when her grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a year after earning her medical degree.
He wanted to learn all about how lifestyle interventions could prevent cognitive decline.
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At Rush, he hired nutritional epidemiologist Martha Clare Morris, the inventor of the brain diet, as a medical scientist, allowing him to experiment with the brain diet while conducting research.
© Provided by South China Morning Post Nutrients in brain nutrition foods also have anti-inflammatory properties. Inflammation is a natural process, but long-term use or an overactive immune system can cause damage, says Thomas Holland. Photo: Thomas HollandMind is an acronym for a combined approach to nutrition: a Mediterranean-DASH intervention for neurodegenerative disabilities.
DASH refers to a dietary approach to stopping high blood pressure. Dash Diet foods are rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium.
The Dash Diet focuses on vegetables, fruits and whole grains and includes fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans and nuts.
Limit foods high in salt, added sugar and saturated fat, such as fatty meats and whole milk products.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes plant-based foods and healthy fats. Eat mostly vegetables, fruits and grains. Olive oil is the main source of fat.
Sports grandmas set records and set the gold standard for aging well.
Dr Oliver Shannon is Professor of Nutrition and Aging at the University of Newcastle, England. Their latest research found that following a more Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of dementia by 23%.
Of the 1,000 participants who followed the Mediterranean diet, 17 developed dementia during the nine-year follow-up period. Only 12 out of 1,000 people who followed the Mediterranean diet at the highest level suffered from dementia.
In many Western countries, including the UK, people are generally not committed to eating this way, he said.
© Provided by South China Morning Post Cardiovascular benefits of the Mediterranean diet may help brain health, says Oliver Shannon. Photo: Oliver ShannonAccording to Shannon, the Mediterranean diet has cardiovascular benefits that contribute to mental health benefits. What is good for the heart is good for the mind.
Holland's discovery of additional benefits, particularly the Dash element of the Mind, and high blood pressure as a risk factor for mental illness, was listed in the medical journal The Lancet.
But there is another thing, the biochemical processes in our body cause damage to the cells and eventually to the organs.
"We call this cellular damage oxidative stress. Antioxidants (such as vitamins A, C, E, and flavonoids), especially when we use foods found in the brain diet, reduce the antioxidant agents and essentially "destroy" them. Free and prevent further cell damage.
©Supplied by South China Morning Post A recent study found that following a more Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of dementia by 23 percent. Photo: Getty ImagesAdditionally, nutrients in brain nutrition foods also have anti-inflammatory properties.
"Although inflammation is a natural process necessary for many immune responses in the body, persistent or overactive immune systems can also cause damage to the brain," Holland explains.
Consuming foods that contain substances with anti-inflammatory properties can prevent overstimulation or the constant response of cells that cause inflammation and prevent cell damage.
Suitable foods include dark green leafy vegetables and other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, and extra virgin olive oil or equivalent oil.
In Mediterranean countries, people who follow the traditional Mediterranean diet have lower rates of dementia.
Dr Oliver Shannon, Lecturer in Nutrition and Aging at Newcastle University
Foods to avoid - and definitely avoid too much - are red and processed meat, butter or margarine, high-fat cheeses, fried foods and fast foods, pastries and sweets.
It's not just about eating the right things, it's also about avoiding the wrong foods.
An important part of this diet is reducing trans fatty acids, which can eventually lead to fat deposits, and more importantly, fatty deposits that can reduce blood flow and, in the worst case, cause ruptures and heart attacks, Holland said. . Problems. attacks or assaults. Any cardiovascular event is also a threat to mental health.
Holland's advice: Do your best to avoid bad foods while eating more of the good ones. Indeed, good nutrition, like brain nutrition, can reduce the rate of cognitive decline, the incidence of Alzheimer's dementia, and the burden of Alzheimer's-type neuropathology.
A poor diet, like many western diets based on fast food, can lead to the opposite: more cognitive decline, more Alzheimer's dementia and more neuropathological burden.
How to prevent heart disease: Check your health, be active and don't smoke
While it's best to embrace positive health changes early in life, Shannon adds that it's never too late to make changes.
Healthy change shouldn't be seen as a form of punishment, she says. The Mediterranean diet is "very tasty" and fun, "so it brings two health benefits and the joy of trying new foods."
The good news is that even small changes, like using olive oil as a cooking fat or adding a few more vegetables to meals, can make a big difference in the Mediterranean diet, she says.
But remember, Holland says, while diet is certainly key, it's only one part of a healthy lifestyle.
Eat, sleep, feel and exercise for a long and healthy life
"Lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of cognitive decline or Alzheimer's dementia...moderate to vigorous exercise, an active social life, cognitive stimulation such as visiting museums, reading books or starting a new hobby, getting good quality and quantity, and reducing stress." He says.
"Adequate blood sugar and blood pressure control is also important for mental health, as is seeing your primary care physician once a year for a medical evaluation."
Speaking about his thoughts on mental health, Holland said, “I work really hard to do what I say, I work out four to six times a week and I eat well, although I believe I could do a little more cardio and eat more vegetables.
Do Mediterraneans have a lower incidence of age-related cognitive decline?
Comparing dementia rates between countries can be difficult, says Shannon. But "in Mediterranean countries, people who follow a traditional Mediterranean diet have a lower risk of dementia."
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