Healthy lifestyle may improve dementia

Basket with vegetables © Blotty | Dreamstime.com

Two studies related to the benefits of a healthy lifestyle for dementia and diseases such as Alzheimer's,  were published this week  at the Journal of the American Medical Association.  

As Carrie Porter reports, "The first study, a long-term look at 1,880 elderly people in New York City, found that a Mediterranean-type diet and physical activity each were linked to less risk for Alzheimer's disease.

The second study, a shorter-term observation of 1,410 patients in France, found some correlation between a Mediterranean-type diet and slower cognitive damage. The French study found that subjects who adhered to the Mediterranean-type diet experienced a slower rate of mental decline than those who did not eat the diet, but did not prove a link for dementia, which requires a clinical assessment of a variety of mental and social functions."

Based on these results, doctors and other experts in the field suggest that a long term healthy way of living, including proper diet and exercise,  may improve older age ailments such as decreased cognitive function and dementia. Nevertheless, previous research done on the effects of the mediterranean diet has shown that  such a diet leads to protection against a variety of conditions, "including hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers, and is related to a reduction in all-cause mortality in the general population."

In my upcoming article I will be discussing what the  Mediterranean diet consists of as well as its unique characteristics that promote long term health and longevity.  

If you would like to be notified when this article will be published, you may click on the subscribe icon at the top of this page.

Other articles you may enjoy on Healthy Lifestyle: 

Breathing is the foundation of physical health

Breathing is the foundation of emotional and mental health

Improve breathing by using the neti pot