Dementia, which is feared as you get older, is this food a ‘prevention medicine’?

Older people’s fear of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, is serious. It’s much bigger than you think. Older people say, “I hope I don’t get dementia.” Dementia includes Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s disease), vascular dementia, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson’s dementia, and Lewy body dementia. Alzheimer’s dementia accounts for 60-70%, vascular dementia accounts for approximately 10%, and frontotemporal dementia accounts for approximately 10%. Vascular dementia is dementia caused by stroke (cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage). Frontotemporal dementia is caused by abnormalities in nerve cells in the frontal or temporal lobe and is characterized by changes in personality and behavior.

To lower the risk of dementia, you should exercise regularly, sleep well, relieve stress, eat healthy food, and try to prevent and treat various chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. What foods are good for preventing dementia? According to the American health media ‘WebMD’, the ‘MIND diet’, which is a combination of the ‘Mediterranean diet’ and the ‘DASH diet’, is effective in lowering the risk of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. MIND stands for ‘Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.’

According to the results of a study conducted by Rush University in the U.S. on the ‘MIND diet’, consistent adherence to this diet lowered the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 35-53%. The probability of lowering your risk of dementia depends on how thoroughly you follow this diet. The Russian research team revealed that this was the result of follow-up of 116 adults with normal cognitive function for 4 years and 6 months. The core of the MIND diet is to consume plenty of whole grains, berries, nuts, poultry, and fish, focusing on green leafy vegetables, replace butter or margarine with olive oil, and limit intake of refined sugar and saturated fatty acids. You cannot expect great effects within a short period of time. If you practice it consistently, it will greatly benefit your brain health in the long run.

Can you name five foods that are good for preventing dementia? According to previous research results, representative foods that lower the risk of dementia include fatty fish, olive oil, berries, nuts, and green leafy vegetables. Omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna protect brain cell membranes and suppress inflammation, lowering the risk of dementia. Research results published in the international journal Neurology showed that people who consumed fish more than once a week had a 36% lower risk of dementia compared to people who did not consume fish. This is thanks to the omega-3 fatty acids (DHA, EPA) in fish.

Olive oil has excellent antioxidant effects and is considered an essential element of the Mediterranean diet. Studies have shown that people who follow a Mediterranean diet lower their risk of dementia by up to 33%. The ‘polyphenol’ component in olive oil is good for preventing dementia. According to the results of a study at Boston University in the United States, people who consumed berries regularly had a 23% lower risk of developing dementia compared to people who did not consume berries. Berries such as blueberries contain a lot of flavonoids and antioxidants that are good for brain health.

According to research results from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Public Health, people who consumed nuts five or more times a week had a 20-26% lower risk of dementia compared to those who did not eat nuts. Nuts such as walnuts, almonds, and pistachios are rich in nutrients that are good for brain health, such as omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. According to research results from the American University of Washington, consuming green leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and kale at least once a day can delay the rate of decline in cognitive ability by about 11 years. Green leafy vegetables contain many ingredients that help brain function, such as vitamin K and folic acid.