Physical Activity, Diet, and Risk of Alzheimer Disease

Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD; Jose A. Luchsinger, MD; Nicole Schupf, PhD; Adam M. Brickman, PhD; Stephanie Cosentino, PhD; Ming X. Tang, PhD; Yaakov Stern, PhD

JAMA. 2009;302(6):627-637. http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/302/6/627

Context Both higher adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet and more physical activity have been independently associated with lower Alzheimer disease (AD) risk but their combined association has not been investigated.

Objective To investigate the combined association of diet and physical activity with AD risk.

Design, Setting, and Patients Prospective cohort study of 2 cohorts comprising 1880 community-dwelling elders without dementia living in New York, New York, with both diet and physical activity information available. Standardized neurological and neuropsychological measures were administered approximately every 1.5 years from 1992 through 2006. Adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet (scale of 0-9; trichotomized into low, middle, or high; and dichotomized into low or high) and physical activity (sum of weekly participation in various physical activities, weighted by the type of physical activity ; trichotomized into no physical activity, some, or much; and dichotomized into low or high), separately and combined, were the main predictors in Cox models. Models were adjusted for cohort, age, sex, ethnicity, education, apolipoprotein E genotype, caloric intake, body mass index, smoking status, depression, leisure activities, a comorbidity index, and baseline Clinical Dementia Rating score.

Main Outcome Measure Time to incident AD.

Results A total of 282 incident AD cases occurred during a mean (SD) of 5.4 (3.3) years of follow-up. When considered simultaneously, both Mediterranean-type diet adherence (compared with low diet score, hazard ratio (HR) for middle diet score was 0.98 <95% confidence interval {CI}, 0.72-1.33>; the HR for high diet score was 0.60 <95% CI, 0.42-0.87>; P = .008 for trend) and physical activity (compared with no physical activity, the HR for some physical activity was 0.75 <95% CI, 0.54-1.04>; the HR for much physical activity was 0.67 <95% CI, 0.47-0.95>; P = .03 for trend) were associated with lower AD risk. Compared with individuals neither adhering to the diet nor participating in physical activity (low diet score and no physical activity; absolute AD risk of 19%), those both adhering to the diet and participating in physical activity (high diet score and high physical activity) had a lower risk of AD (absolute risk, 12%; HR, 0.65 <95% CI, 0.44-0.96>; P = .03 for trend).

Conclusion In this study, both higher Mediterranean-type diet adherence and higher physical activity were independently associated with reduced risk for AD.

Author Affiliations: Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain (Drs Scarmeas, Luchsinger, Schupf, Brickman, Cosentino, and Stern), Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center (Drs Scarmeas, Schupf, Brickman, Cosentino, Tang, and Stern), and Departments of Neurology (Drs Scarmeas, Brickman, Cosentino, and Stern) and Medicine (Dr Luchsinger), Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York.

lots of pasta and red wine?

nt

White bread is your enemy.

:D
(just being a smartass)

:P

I think food tastes better when cooked with Olive oil as opposed to other kinds, and it seems to do the job of providing oil, but it feels thinner than most oils. I think that helps it distributes the oil, with its taste and texture, while using less of it, which is better for both keeping one's weight reasonable and keeping one's fat intake under control.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/CL00011

Key components of the Mediterranean diet include:

Getting plenty of exercise and eating your meals with family and friends
Eating a generous amount of fruits and vegetables
Consuming healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
Eating small portions of nuts
Drinking red wine, in moderation, for some
Consuming very little red meat
Eating fish or shellfish at least twice a week

More information at the link.

I am convinced that there is Italian cooking out there that does not rely on tomatoes and bell peppers, but I have yet to find it.

eggplant, artichokes, garlic, kalamata olives, capers, fennel, greens dressed w/ olive oil, vinegar & lemon juice, garbanzo beans (chick peas), feta, basil, mint, rosemary, broccoli, pasta (whole wheat is healthier), grilled white fish, shell fish, oranges (good in salads), melons, other fruits, other legumes.

Lots of good combos available. :hi:

Turkish food is delightful! Greek, too.

From the Houston Chronicle's cartoonist:

Bell peppers can be added to about anything. Too bad you can't eat those.

It's also about pace. Many Americans tend to make eating a race they have with their mouth, while doing something to occupy their minds.

modest portions of meat

eating at a pace that is not rushed

Get ready for to be attacked by The Cinnabon Posse.

You're talking about taking ... (shudder) PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!

discrepancies cropping up in how well some of my peers remember things. I'm very thankful to have good mental acuity, but in conversations with friends have noticed that some have trouble remembering things that we spoke about only a day or two ago. It's quite remarkable and a little worrisome.

The brain runs on blood, and the arterial system is greatly impacted by exercise, or lack thereof, and good diet. If your body is running properly, it is more probable your brain functions will run better.