Preserving Mental Agility: Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Active Living Could Offer Protection
A Research Venture Unveiled: Exploring the Synergy of Diet and Exercise to Combat Cognitive Decline
Here's the lowdown on a fascinating study examining the combined impact of a Mediterranean diet and regular walking on dementia and cognitive decline.
Researchers are diving deep into the intriguing world of the "MedWalk" lifestyle, short for a Mediterranean diet and regular walking, to determine whether this duo can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and various types of dementia, including Alzheimer's.
Past studies have hinted at links between both the Mediterranean diet and walking, and brain health. Now, this investigative journey aims to confirm the benefits of the MedWalk lifestyle.
The research team hails from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and has published their work-in-progress in the revered Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the study's completion date is set for the end of 2023. The altered circumstances have necessitated changes, such as reducing the follow-up period to a single year and widening the participant pool.
In essence, the researchers are keeping a keen eye on a 12-month change in participants' visual memory and learning abilities. In addition to these primary outcomes, they aim to observe improvements in mood, quality of life, and health costs, as well as cardiovascular health and arterial stiffness.
The study participants are a diverse group of individuals aged 60 to 90, living in the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria. These participants come from independent living retirement communities and, due to the pandemic, they are being recruited from the broader community too.
Prioritizing indicators of cognitive decline, the study is monitoring biomarkers such as glucose regulation, inflammation, nutrients, and oxidative stress.
To take part in the trial, individuals were randomly assigned to either the MedWalk intervention group or a control group that maintained their usual diet and activity levels.
The MedWalk intervention encompasses a combination of dietary modifications and a supervised walking regimen, with a focus on psychosocial behavioral change techniques to support participants in sticking to their goals for six months, with further assistance available for the next six months.
Instructions on the Mediterranean diet's unique aspects are provided to participants to help them better understand the lifestyle change's principles. Free extra-virgin olive oil and other suitable foods are offered to participants to make the transition smoother.
After assessing each participant's baseline aerobic fitness, they participate in group walking sessions for the initial six months, followed by monthly sessions for the remainder of the trial year.
The Mediterranean Diet and Brain Power
Certified nutritionist Conner Middelmann, who specializes in the Mediterranean diet and is not involved in the study, offered her insights to Medical News Today. She noted that previous research has suggested that adhering to a Mediterranean diet may be associated with reduced dementia cases.
Other research, like a study in 2021, has found an association between a Mediterranean diet and lower rates of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.
Middelmann warned, however, that genetics, lifestyle, and overall health may all influence dementia risk, so a healthy diet such as the Mediterranean diet is just one piece of the puzzle.
"Following the Mediterranean diet may bolster brain health in several ways," Middelmann explained. The diet is rich in antioxidants that combat oxidative stress and inflammation, crucial factors in cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases; it contains omega-3 fatty acids, essential for brain health, particularly DHA; it is high in fiber, keeping the gut microbiome in balance; it is low in processed grains and sugars, reducing the risk of insulin resistance and inflammation; and it discourages ultra-processed foods linked to dementia.
Lastly, Middelmann emphasized that sharing meals with loved ones and regular exercise, two defining aspects of the Mediterranean lifestyle, have been associated with brain health as well.
Moving for the Mind
Regular walking has also been linked to slower cognitive decline. A study found a dose-dependent relationship between the number of steps taken daily and reducing the risk of dementia, with 10,000 steps per day lowering the risk by 50%.
Research in the United States and Australia found a connection between walking speed and dementia risk, while a 2017 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that aerobic exercise like walking can bolster cognitive function and lower the risk of cognitive decline.
Brain health coach Ryan Glatt from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, who is not affiliated with the study, explained that walking may boost brain health in various ways. It may increase brain blood flow, depending on the exercise's intensity, duration, and frequency; it may heighten brain activity, decrease feelings of overall stress, and enhance feelings of well-being; and it may incorporate social elements and exposure to nature, both of which may have additional benefits for brain function.
The study's data collection period wraps up by the end of 2023. Stay tuned for more exciting findings!
1. Researchers are investigating the MedWalk lifestyle (a combination of a Mediterranean diet and regular walking) to potentially reduce the risk of cognitive decline and various types of dementia, including Alzheimer's.
2. The study, led by a team from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, is monitoring 12-month changes in participants' visual memory and learning abilities, as well as improvements in mood, quality of life, and health costs, cardiovascular health, and arterial stiffness.
3. The Mediterranean diet, rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and low in processed grains and sugars, may potentially bolster brain health by combating oxidative stress and inflammation, supporting brain health, maintaining a balanced gut microbiome, reducing insulin resistance and inflammation, and discouraging ultra-processed foods linked to dementia.
4. Regular walking has been associated with slower cognitive decline, potentially reducing the risk of dementia by up to 50% with 10,000 steps per day.
5. Walking may boost brain health by increasing brain blood flow, enhancing brain activity, decreasing feelings of overall stress, and enhancing feelings of well-being.
6. The study's findings, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, may contribute significantly to the health-and-wellness, fitness-and-exercise, nutrition, and healthy-diets communities, offering valuable insights for individuals seeking to maintain their brain health.
