Maintaining Brain Health: Mediterranean Diet and active lifestyle potentially offer shield
Let's dive into the latest on the MedWalk intervention study, a fascinating research project exploring the potential benefits of pairing a Mediterranean diet with regular walking for cognitive health and dementia prevention. Researchers from down under and across the pond are throwing their hats in the ring to examine the combined impact of these two healthy habits on brain health.
Though the study was initially designed to track participants over a two-year period, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated adjustments. The researchers reduced the follow-up to a single year and cast a wider net for participants, recruiting individuals from retirement communities and the larger community alike.
The primary outcome the researchers are keen on exploring is the change in visual memory and learning over the course of 12 months for participants. But they're not stopping there. They're also keeping a close eye on mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, arterial stiffness, and even markers associated with cognitive decline (like glucose regulation, inflammation, nutrients, and oxidative stress).
split hairs on the matter, noting that past research suggests a Mediterranean diet may be linked to lower incidences of dementia. Studies published in reputable journals, such as the Diabetes Care in 2015 and the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease in 2019, have found similar associations. However, Conner Middelmann, a certified nutritionist specializing in the Mediterranean diet, warns against putting all our eggs in one basket.
"It's essential to remember that multiple factors, including genetics, lifestyle, and overall health, can influence dementia risk," Middelmann said. "Maintaining a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, is just one aspect of a comprehensive approach to brain health and dementia prevention."
Middelmann suggests that the Mediterranean diet may boost brain health in several ways, from combating oxidative stress and inflammation to improving cognitive function and gut microbiome balance. Walking, too, has been tied to a slower decline in cognitive function. A study published in Neurology in 2019 found a dose-dependent relationship between daily steps taken and reduced dementia risk.
This study hopes to add to the growing body of evidence pointing towards the brain-boosting power of the MedWalk lifestyle. Keep your fingers crossed for some exciting findings by the end of 2023!
- This study focuses on exploring the potential benefits of a MedWalk intervention, which combines a Mediterranean diet with regular walking, for cognitive health and dementia prevention.
- Researchers involved in this project are studying the combined impact of these healthy habits on brain health, monitoring changes in visual memory and learning, mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, and markers associated with cognitive decline.
- Though the MedWalk lifestyle is thought to be linked to lower incidences of dementia, Conner Middelmann, a certified nutritionist, urges caution, as multiple factors can influence a person's dementia risk.
- Middelmann suggests that the Mediterranean diet may improve brain health by combating oxidative stress, inflammation, and enhancing cognitive function and gut microbiome balance, while walking may slow down a person's cognitive decline.
- A study published in Neurology in 2019 supported this claim, revealing a dose-dependent relationship between daily steps taken and reduced dementia risk.
- The findings from this study could contribute to the growing evidence on the brain-boosting potential of the MedWalk lifestyle, offering insights into effective health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, and mental-health strategies, as well as the role of nutrition in supporting a healthy diet.
