Maintaining Brain Health: Mediterranean Diet and Active Lifestyle as Potential Protective Factors
Let's dive into the MedWalk intervention study:
This badass research project is all about determining if following the MedWalk lifestyle—a mix of a Mediterranean diet and regular walking—can bloody well reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's dementia. MedWalk is just a cool way of saying "Mediterranean diet" combined with "walking."
Previous research has shown that both the Mediterranean diet and jogging your soul out on foot have been linked to brain health. Now, this new study's aiming to confirm that the combined MedWalk intervention packs an even bigger punch in keeping your noggin sharp.
The study, led by researchers from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, is still ongoing, having faced a slight pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they've been keeping us in the loop, sharing their findings in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Originally, the research team was planning to evaluate cognition over a 2-year period. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic and financial constraints, they've had to reduce the follow-up period to a single year. But don't worry, they're still cranking along and recruiting a wider group of participants.
The researchers are particularly interested in one main outcome: a 12-month change in visual memory and learning for participants. They're also keeping a close eye on the intervention's effect on mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, and arterial stiffness.
Participants for this study are 60-to-90-year-old folks residing in South Australia and Victoria, Australia. The research team has actively recruited participants from independent living retirement communities, with some joining due to the pandemic's impact as well.
Since dementia's a sneaky asshole, the study pays special attention to biomarkers associated with cognitive decline, like glucose regulation, inflammation, nutrients, and oxidative stress.
Participants were divided into two groups: the MedWalk intervention group and a control group that maintains their current diet and activity level. The MedWalk intervention combines dietary modifications with a supervised walking regimen, fortified with psychosocial behavioral change techniques. Participants receive intensive support during the first six months, with additional help available for the next six months to help stay on track.
To ensure participants understand the gist of the Mediterranean diet, researchers are offering olive oil for free since it plays a crucial role in the diet, as well as other goodies. The researchers first assess participants' baseline aerobic fitness and then have them participate in group walking sessions for the first six months, followed by monthly sessions for the remainder of the test year.
Now, let's hear from an expert on the Mediterranean diet, Connor Middelmann, a certified nutritionist who ain't involved in this study. She shared some insights with Medial News Today that are too good not to mention:
- Studies suggest that following the Mediterranean diet is associated with fewer cases of dementia.
- Other research finds a connection between the Mediterranean diet and lower rates of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.
- However, she warned that many factors can influence dementia risk, including genetics, lifestyle, and overall health.
So, while the Mediterranean diet might help reduce the risk of dementia, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Maintaining a healthy diet is just one aspect of a comprehensive approach to brain health and dementia prevention.
The Mediterranean diet may contribute to brain health in various ways, including:
- Combat oxidative stress and inflammation, believed to contribute to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases
- Contain omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), vital for brain health, and omega-3s linked to improved cognitive function and lower risk of cognitive decline
- High in fiber, helping keep the gut microbiome in balance
- Low in processed grains and sugars, decreasing the risk of insulin resistance and inflammation
- Encourages a limited intake of ultra-processed foods, linked to dementia
Finally, Middelmann pointed out that sharing meals with loved ones and regular exercise, key aspects of the Mediterranean lifestyle, have also been associated with brain health.
Moving on, we've got walking's role in cognitive protection:
A study found a dose-dependent relationship between the number of steps taken and reducing the risk of dementia. That study suggested that taking 10,000 steps a day could lower the risk of dementia by 50%.
Other research has discovered a link between walking speed and dementia, while a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that aerobic exercise, like walking, can strengthen cognitive impairment.
Brain health coach Ryan Glatt from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, not involved in this study, explained that walking might benefit brain health in multiple ways:
- Increase brain blood flow, depending on the intensity, duration, and frequency of walking
- Improve levels of brain activity
- Reduce stress while enhancing feelings of well-being
- Incorporate social elements and exposure to nature, both of which may also have brain benefits
The current study's data-collection period will conclude by the end of 2023. Keep your fingers crossed for some groundbreaking results, folks!
- The MedWalk intervention, a combination of a Mediterranean diet and regular walking, is being studied to determine if it can reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's dementia.
- The study, ongoing despite a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, aims to confirm that the combined MedWalk intervention packs a bigger punch in keeping the brain sharp.
- Researchers are particularly interested in the 12-month change in visual memory and learning for participants, as well as the intervention's effects on mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, and arterial stiffness.
- Participants for this study are 60-to-90-year-old people residing in South Australia and Victoria, Australia, recruited from independent living retirement communities.
- Studies suggest that following the Mediterranean diet is associated with fewer cases of dementia and lower rates of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.
- A study found a dose-dependent relationship between the number of steps taken and reducing the risk of dementia, suggesting that taking 10,000 steps a day could lower the risk by 50%.
- Brain health coach Ryan Glatt explained that walking might benefit brain health by increasing brain blood flow, improving levels of brain activity, reducing stress, and incorporating social elements and exposure to nature.
- The study's data-collection period will conclude by the end of 2023, and researchers are keeping us in the loop, sharing their findings in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
