Mediterranean Diet May Repel Alzheimer's
(New York, AP, 4/24/06)

Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas of the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, and team, tested a Mediterranean-style diet that emphasized vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, fish and monounsaturated fats (like those in olive oil); while minimizing meat and dairy products. The investigators queried 2,258 elderly Manhattan residents about their dietary habits and tracked them for an average of four years, re-evaluating them about every 18 months for signs of dementia. The researchers rated each subject from 0 to 9 on how well they adhered to the dietary protocol and found that the risk of developing Alzheimer’s was 40% lower for those with the highest scores compared with those showing the lowest compliance. These findings suggest that a Mediterranean diet may protect against Alzheimer’s Disease.

(Annals of Neurology)