Adding one type of food to your diet could help to lower your risk of a devastating disease by almost a quarter. According to experts, eating this food “regularly” could be key in helping to prevent dementia.
As a condition that mainly affects people over the age of 65, dementia is often linked to getting older. While it is true that your chances of developing dementia increases as you age, there are a whole host of other factors at play.
In fact, according to research, around 40 percent of dementia cases are thought to be preventable through certain lifestyle changes.
It is believed diet can have an impact on your chances of getting dementia.
With this in mind, experts at the Alzheimer’s Society urged people to eat more oily fish.
The charity says: “Eat fish regularly – particularly oily types like salmon and mackerel.”
However, it adds: “Try to limit eating battered or breaded fish which is high in unhealthy fat.”
This is because oily fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to lower rates of cognitive decline.
They also make up part of a Mediterranean diet, a way of eating that has also been associated with a reduced risk of dementia.
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“For most people, following the Mediterranean diet is a good way to ensure a healthy diet, which may be important for maintaining good brain function,” the Alzheimer’s Society says.
It continues: “Studies looking specifically at dementia have been inconsistent. However, a recent large study suggested that sticking to a Mediterranean diet could reduce dementia risk by up to 23 percent.
“Mediterranean diets are high in fruits, vegetables and wholegrains with moderate consumption of oily fish and dairy, and low intake of meat, sugar and saturated fat.
“Most fat in this type of diet comes from olive oil, and alcohol is consumed in moderation with meals.”
One scientific study, conducted in the US in 2022, found that people who have higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood during midlife have better thinking skills than people who have lower levels of the fatty acid.
As part of the research, published in Neurology journal, scientists took blood samples from the study volunteers, and then measured the levels of two types of fatty acid.
The more than 2,000 participants also had brain scans and scientists measured the size of a brain region of the participants responsible for memory and thinking.
They then tested the volunteers’ cognitive abilities in a series of tasks.
It was concluded that people who had higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids had higher scores on a cognitive test as well as a larger hippocampus, an area of the brain that plays an important role in memory.
Commenting on the findings Dr Sara Imarisio, head of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “Of course, this doesn’t prove that high omega-3 is the reason for the differences in the scans.
“Research into omega-3 and brain health has produced mixed results, and while this study adds to the evidence base, it is exploratory and not conclusive. And because it only looked at people in middle age, this study only offers a snapshot of the full story – it did not look to see whether people went on to develop conditions like dementia.”
However, she continued: “What we do know is that a healthy brain in midlife is important for brain health in later life too, and that a healthy diet overall is important in reducing dementia risk.
“Our research has shown that only a third (33 percent) of people think it’s possible to reduce their risk of dementia. However, up to 40 percent of dementia cases could be avoidable through health and lifestyle choices we can influence.
“As well as having a balanced diet, the best current evidence to keeping your brain healthy as you age, include not smoking, staying mentally and physically active, only drinking in moderation and keeping blood pressure and cholesterol in check.”
The Alzheimer’s Society also recommends the following guidelines as part of a Mediterranean diet to lower the risk of dementia:
- Include wholegrain starchy foods in most meals
- Eat more fruits, vegetables, pulses (for example, beans, peas and lentils) and nuts and seeds
- Eat less red meat
- Try to choose lower-fat dairy foods where possible
- Use vegetable and plant oils for cooking and dressing
- Limit the amount of salt in your diet
- Try to make sugary foods only occasional treats
- Consume alcohol in moderation.