Vegetables for Healthy Diet
IN PHOTO: Organic vegetables are shown at a Whole Foods Market in LaJolla, California in this May 13, 2008 file photo. REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE/FILES

A new research has revealed that a little bit of dietary changes can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's by up to 53 percent in the elderly. The researchers have claimed that lifestyle changes, especially those related to diet, can significantly delay the occurrence of dementia.

MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) is a diet which is a combination of Mediterranean and DASH diet. The former is used to prevent heart-related disorders, while the latter is claimed to prevent or reduce hypertension. The resultant combination diet claims to be not only simple, but have a positive effect on the overall health of the human brain.

The researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago studied the dietary habits of 923 people in the US aged between 58 and 98 years. A questionnaire was used to judge whether their eating habits resembled a DASH, Mediterranean or the MIND diet. The study was conducted over a period of 10 years.

The results revealed that the subjects whose diet closely resembled a MIND diet, had cut down their risk of developing Alzheimer's by a whooping 53 percent, as compared to those who did not follow the regime prescribed in the MIND diet.

The MIND diet emphasized on consumption of 15 dietary components, which include 10 food items that needs to be consumed on a daily basis and five food items that must be avoided. The food that must be avoided include cheese, fast food, red meat, pastries and butter. On the other hand, some of the items which must be consumed daily include green leafy vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, fish, nuts, beans and poultry.

Dementia is one the topmost reason for disability among the elderly population in Australia and is expected to affect around 1 million Aussies by the end of 2050.

The study has been published in the journal Alzheimer's and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

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