Mediterranean Diet May Keep Your Mind Healthy
You hear a lot about the Mediterranean Diet, and how it keeps those Greeks and Italians looking olive-toned and healthy.
Now, despite the Mediterranean's feisty reputation, eating a Mediterranean diet, rich in beans, fruits and vegetables, may keep your mind healthy, specifically preventing Alzheimer's and dementia
In an experiment, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers aimed to learn how participants following a Mediterranean-type diet and exercising, faired against Alzheimer's and dementia.
The team studied 1,880 men and women, with an average age of 77, and found after roughly 5.4 years, 282 developed Alzheimer's disease. This prompted to claim there is an association between a healthy diet, Alzheimer's and dementia.
Kind of a no-brainer! But I've read reports that the Mediterranean Diet is losing ground to Western food in places like Greece. Any Mediterranean-types out there care to comment?
Via HealthDay News.
9 Comments
Add Your Comment
ADVERTISING
New
- FROM DIET BLOG
- On-Off Fasting: Does It Work?
- 400 Calorie Fix
- 5 Factor World Diet
- Quick Giveaway: Powerhouse Weight Loss Game
- FORUM
- Low Carb Atkins Diet- Tips to Cut the Carbs.
- How Can I Gain a Healthy Weight and Keep it?
- How Do I Eat Healthy at University?
- Starving Myself and Exercising, But Not Losing an Ounce?
Categories
| Body Image Celebrities Diet Pills Diets Exercise |
Fast Food Funny Stuff Success Stories Teens and Kids Tips and Tools |
RSS Feed
Follow @DietBlog on Twitter
Not only it's healthy but it tastes great too! I eat heaping portions of gyros every day!
Replyheaping portions of gyros? heh
ReplyWell I wish I could eat heaping portions of gyros every day. I'm lucky if I can eat it once in a blue moon!
ReplyIn August, 2008, the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organisation reported rates of overweight and obesity in various countries in the European Union.
Greece won honors as the fattest EU country - 75% of adult Greeks are overweight or obese. Hooray for Greece! Over the 40 years preceeding 2002, the Greeks increased their average caloric intake by 30%, compared to a 20% increase in the rest of the EU. And you can bet they are expending fewer calories in physical activity than did the Greeks of 40 years ago.
Although outdone by the Greeks, over half of the adult populations in Italy, Spain, and Portugal are overweight, too. Better luck next year, guys!
The authors of the UN report suggest reasons for Greece’s decisive capture of first place:
-more sedentary lifestyles
-less home cooking
-supermarkets and fast-food restaurants offering convenient, processed foods high in sugar, animal fat, and salt. [Salt should have nothing to do with weight gain.]
-less fruit and vegetable consumption
In other words, they have been moving away from the traditional Mediterranean diet and lifestyle of the mid-20th century. Recent observational studies in Greece and Spain showed less obesity in current residents who had higher adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet.
How do North American adult overweight and obesity rates compare?
United States - 67%
Mexico - 63%
Canada - 59%
-Steve
ReplyInteresting stuff there Doc. Thanks for that bit of info.
And also, thanks to Gerry for this blog entry.
ReplyGreat info Steve! It seems to be unfortunately a common story that older traditional diets were healthier than the diets eaten now. We are on a downhill slide. :( I live in Australia and I am sure our obesity and overweight rates would be similiar to the US.
ReplyYes Doc - indeed very interesting info! I wonder what it is about Greece vs. the other countries that has made them specifically increase caloric consumption.
It would really be intersting to see the data on items such as fast food places per capita, average activity levels, urban planning, etc.
Again, thanks!
ReplyI'm not sure how accurate this is, but it seems to me that Alzheimer's disease is mostly found in cultures that eat a very Western-type diet. It seems to me that in cultures where people eat a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruits, veggies, olive oil, fish, etc., people tend to stay sharp long into old age. It makes sense to me...avoiding a diet rich in refined carbs, saturated fats, etc. has already been proven to keep your heart/arteries flexible and healthy...it probably keeps your brain healthy as well.
ReplyThere is no evidence that consuming saturated fats leads to atherosclerosis. Stop it with the lies.
Reply