Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist
New research shows that eating vegetables protects against dementia, while midlife obesity is a risk factor.
Three new studies highlight protective factors and risk factors for dementia, showing how a healthy lifestyle can do much to protect cognitive function in later life. A team at Harvard Medical School presents a new report from the Nurses Health Study, showing that a high consumption of green and leafy vegetables slows down cognitive decline. However, overall consumption of fruit and vegetables was not found to be protective.
Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have found that complex mental and physical activities have a positive impact on cognition. Involvement in political or social activity is protective as are physical pursuits like gardening or walking. And, finally, a study of middle-aged and elderly people in Finland shows that the classic heart disease risk factors - high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity - also put people at risk of dementia. Those who are obese had double the risk of developing dementia, while those who also had high cholesterol and high blood pressure had a six fold risk of dementia. This new research shows the powerful impact of a healthy lifestyle on the risk of developing dementia in later life.
Source
International Conference on Alzheimer's disease 19th July 2004