You can have up to three times higher risk of dementia if you follow an unhealthy diet, new study found.
A major problem that comes alongside ageing is inflammation. As we age, inflammation within the immune system increases, causing damage to cells and tissues. Now, a new study shows that following a diet tailored to reduce inflammation can have significant benefits, lowering the risk of developing dementia later in life.
Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a group of conditions that lead to the gradual impairment of brain function. In Australia, there are currently nearly half a million people suffering from some form of dementia. Even children are affected, with about 1 in 2,800 children in Australia being born with a childhood dementia disorder.
According to lead author, Dr Nikolaos Scarmeas, from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Greece, a key to fight this disease could come down to consuming more fruits, vegetables, beans, and tea or coffee.
“There may be some potent nutritional tools in your home to help fight the inflammation that could contribute to brain ageing. Diet is a lifestyle factor you can modify, and it might play a role in combating inflammation, one of the biological pathways contributing to risk for dementia and cognitive impairment later in life,” Dr Scarmeas said in a press release.
The study followed the health of 1,059 people in Greece, who were, on average 73 years old and did not have dementia. Researchers followed the diet of these participants over the course of three years, through the use of questionnaires that participants completed about their eating habits.
Among the participants, those who ate a more anti-inflammatory diet reported eating an average of 20 servings of fruit, 19 of vegetables, four of beans or other legumes and 11 of coffee or tea per week. On the other end of the spectrum, those participants who consumed the least anti-inflammatory diet, ate an average per week of nine servings of fruit, 10 of vegetables, two of legumes and nine of coffee or tea.
After three years, a key finding of the study was that participants who followed a more anti-inflammatory diet were three times less likely to develop dementia, compared to people who consumed a less healthy diet.
“Our results are getting us closer to characterising and measuring the inflammatory potential of people’s diets,” Dr Scarmeas said. “That in turn could help inform more tailored and precise dietary recommendations and other strategies to maintain cognitive health,” he added.