The connection between dementia and diet continues to increase, according to new research reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The findings, which were reported earlier this week, reveal that a diet called the Mediterranean diet could protect people from dementia, a health problem that currently has no cure.
As for the reasons why, it’s all that diabetes and dementia connection–those who have diabetes are significantly more likely to develop dementia, according to their research.
“Diabetes increased the risk of conversion to dementia,” write researchers in Psychiatry Online, a psychiatry journal and reference database. “Mediterranean diet decreased the risk of conversion to Alzheimer’s dementia. Dietary interventions and interventions to reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms, including depression, that increase risk of conversion to dementia may decrease new incidence of dementia. Other prognostic factors that are potentially manageable are prediabetes and the metabolic syndrome, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and low dietary folate.”
For their research, scientists scoured through study databases to locate any research which previously examined risk factors associated with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. MCI, if left untreated, often transitions to dementia later in life, making treating this condition vitally important to researchers.
Eventually they narrowed down their research to 76 studies, which included the effects of MCI on prediabetes, diabetes, and a type of dementia called Alzheimer’s.
From here, they looked at which risk factors increased the risk of MCI transitioning to dementia, and the news for diabetics didn’t fare well. Prediabetes, and more specifically, diabetes, increased the risk of dementia by nearly 65 percent, especially if these diseases were not controlled. Having psychiatric symptoms such as depression also increased this risk by nearly as much.
However, they did find something more positive, however: Those who ate a Mediterranean diet could reduce the likelihood of MCI converting into dementia, regardless of the diseases they currently had.
“Lifestyle changes to improve diet and mood might help people with MCI to avoid dementia, and bring many other health benefits,” says lead author Claudia Cooper, a researcher in the Mental Health Sciences Unit at the University College London. “This doesn’t necessarily mean that addressing diabetes, psychiatric symptoms and diet will reduce an individual’s risk, but our review provides the best evidence to date about what might help.”
What This Means For You
While further research is pending, this study proves two factors once again: Diabetes could increase your dementia risk while eating a healthy diet could reverse that. So, if you aren’t already, get healthy–and aiming to eat a Mediterranean-style diet could be key, especially if you have type 2 diabetes.
Readers: Have you tried the Mediterranean diet before? If so, what did you think about it?
Sources:
Mediterranean Diet Could Help Beat Dementia, Finds UCL Study – Independent.co.uk
Modifiable Predictors of Dementia in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Study) – PsychiatryOnline.org
Diabetes and Depression Predict Dementia Risk in People With Slowing Minds – MedicalXpress.com
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