Maintaining Brain Health: Adopting Mediterranean Diet and Active Lifestyle as Preventive Measures
```You're diving into brain health with the "MedWalk" study, focusing on whether this combo of the Mediterranean diet and daily jogs could help battle dementia and cognitive decline. Here's the lowdown:
MedWalk is a blend of the wellness-boosting Mediterranean diet and regular strolls - and this study seeks to verify that this unique strategy is beneficial for brain health. While the Mediterranean diet and a steady walking routine have individually been linked to positive brain health outcomes, this research seeks to demonstrate the sum of their parts.
The study, orchestrated by a crew of scientists hailing from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, is underway—albeit with a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the setbacks, the researchers have poured their findings into the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, keeping us all in the loop.
Originally slated as a 2-year long exploration into cognition, current circumstances (hello, COVID-19!) have forced the team to cut the follow-up period to a year. However, the scientists remain optimistic that this alteration will still yield robust findings.
The researchers are mainly interested in seeing if a 12-month change in visual memory and learning skills is observable among participants. Besides this, they're keen to observe how MedWalk affects mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, arterial stiffness, and other key factors.
The participants in this study are a lively bunch aged 60 to 90, predominantly from independent living retirement communities in South Australia and Victoria. Owing to the pandemic, some participants have been recruited from wider communities, too.
The researchers are keeping a close eye on biomarkers known to play a part in cognitive decline, including glucose regulation, inflammation, nutrients, and oxidative stress.
Participants fall into two groups – the MedWalk intervention group and a control group maintaining their usual diet and exercise habits. The MedWalk intervention is a cocktail of dietary modifications paired with a supervised walking routine, all rolled up with psychosocial behavioral change techniques for added oomph. Participants receive strong support for the initial six months, with additional help available for the next six months.
The support crew shares insights on the Mediterranean diet's nuances, such as teaching the participants the differences between this way of eating and a typical Australian diet. As you might expect, extra-virgin olive oil is a staple for this study!
Following a baseline assessment of aerobic fitness, participants kick off group walking sessions for the first six months. These are then followed by monthly sessions for the remainder of the year.
The Mediterranean diet: a brain boost
Ask certified nutritionist Conner Middelmann, an expert on the Mediterranean diet, and she'll tell you studies have suggested that adhering to this diet Decreases the risk of dementia. Other studies, like those published in prestigious journals such as the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry and the British Journal of Nutrition in in 2023, have found an association between the Mediterranean diet and reduced rates of Alzheimer's disease (the most prevalent type of dementia).
However, Middelmann advises taking a holistic approach to dementia prevention, emphasizing that genetics, lifestyle, and overall health are crucial factors.
The Mediterranean diet offers several brain health benefits:
- It's chock-full of antioxidants that protect against oxidative stress and inflammation, which are thought to contribute significantly to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases
- It offers hefty doses of omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are essential for optimal brain health. Notably, omega-3s have been linked to improved cognitive function and a reduced risk of cognitive decline
- It supplies plenty of fiber to keep the gut microbiome balanced
- It reduces the risk of insulin resistance and inflammation by minimizing the consumption of processed grains and sugars
- Following this diet minimizes the consumption of ultra-processed foods, which have been connected to dementia
Finally, Middelmann highlights that sharing meals with friends and family and regular exercise are other facets of the Mediterranean diet that have been linked to improved brain health.
The Magic of Walking
Similarly, research suggests that walking regularly might cause slower cognitive decline.
A study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found a dose-dependent relationship between the number of steps taken daily and the reduced risk of dementia, stating that hitting 10,000 steps a day slashes the risk by 50%.
Another study, this time involving participants from the United States and Australia, discovered that walking speed was a predictor of dementia. A 2017 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that aerobic exercise like walking can help protect the brain from cognitive impairment.
Ryan Glatt, a brain health coach at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, explains that walking may boost brain health in various ways. It might increase brain blood flow, depending on the intensity, duration, and frequency of walking, potentially improving cognitive health by supporting neuroplasticity and reducing the risk of cognitive decline. Additionally, walking may boost levels of brain activity, lower overall stress, and enhance feelings of well-being.
The study's data-collection process is expected to wrap up by the end of 2023, so stay tuned for the final findings!
References:
- M. Verghese et al., Annual Review of Neuroscience 32, 1–19 (2009).
- C. Scarmeas et al., Journal of the American Medical Association 301, 9, 954–961 (2009).
- F. Grodstein et al., Archives of Neurology 65, 399–404 (2008).
- S. D. Harris et al., New England Journal of Medicine 372, 13, 1234–1240 (2015).
- AEPAC guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Alzheimer disease and other dementias. Alzheimers Dement, 12 Suppl 4, S255-S283, Nov-Dec 2016.
- A. S. Senzaki et al., Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 68, 2, 186–193 (2020).
- G. R. Rochester et al., British Journal of Sports Medicine 51, 3, 235-236 (2017).```
Keep up the intrigue and informality, but ensure the content remains concise and reader-friendly. You're not meant to educate or explain the topic in-depth to the user, but rather provide them with the key points so they can quickly grasp the crux of the matter.
- The MedWalk study combines the Mediterranean diet and daily walking, aiming to improve brain health and combat dementia and cognitive decline.
- Led by Australian, New Zealand, and UK scientists, the MedWalk study is investigating the benefits of this unique strategy, hoping to show that the sum of the Mediterranean diet and regular walking is greater than its parts.
- Despite setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the study initially planned for a 2-year exploration into cognition, but has been adjusted to a 1-year follow-up period.
- Researchers are eager to determine if a 12-month change in visual memory and learning skills is evident among participants, as well as its impact on mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, arterial stiffness, and other key factors.
- Participants, aged 60 to 90, primarily come from independent living retirement communities in South Australia and Victoria, but a few have been recruited from wider communities due to the pandemic.
- Researchers are monitoring biomarkers associated with cognitive decline, such as glucose regulation, inflammation, nutrients, and oxidative stress.
- Participants are divided into two groups: the MedWalk intervention group, which adheres to the Mediterranean diet and a supervised walking routine, and a control group that maintains its regular diet and exercise habits.
- The 2023 Journal of Alzheimer's Disease has published findings from this study, providing an update on its progress.
- Experts like certified nutritionist Conner Middelmann claim that the Mediterranean diet has been shown to decrease the risk of dementia, and can provide several benefits for brain health, including reduced oxidative stress, improved cognitive function, a balanced gut microbiome, and lower insulin resistance and inflammation.
