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St. Paul, Minn. Embargoed for release: 12-Nov-2007 16:00 Eastern US Time
Don't forget the fats
A diet rich in fish, omega-3 oils, fruit and vegetables may lower your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. But eating omega-6 oils could increase your chances of getting memory problems.
These are the conclusions of a study published in the November 13, 2007 issue of Neurology.
Researchers studied the diets of 8,085 men and women over the age of 65 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. Over the next four years, 183 of them developed Alzheimer’s disease. A further 98 developed another type of dementia.
The study found that people who regularly ate oils rich in omega-3 lowered their risk of dementia by 60%, compared to people who did not. Omega-3 rich oils include flaxseed and walnut oil.
People who ate fruits and vegetables daily, the study found, also lowered their risk of dementia, this time by 30% compared to those who did not.
The scientists also looked at the effects of fish. They found that people who ate fish at least once a week had a 35% lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease. They had a 40% lower risk of dementia.
But these figures were true only for people who did not carry the gene apolipoprotein E4 - which is also known as ApoE4. This is a gene that increases the risk of Alzheimer’s.
Most people do not carry the ApoE4 gene, said study author Pascale Barberger-Gateau of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, in Bordeaux. "So these results could have considerable implications in terms of public health."
More research is needed before nutritional recommendations can be produced, he added. This would "identify the optimal quantity and combination of nutrients which could be protective".
Another finding was about the effect of a diet that was unbalanced, in the sense that omega-6 rich oils were eaten regularly, but not omega-3 rich oils or fish. People with this kind of diet were found to be twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those who didn’t eat omega-6 rich oils. This was even if they did not carry the ApoE4 gene. Omega-6 rich oils include sunflower and grape seed oil.
The study did not find any association between consuming corn oil, peanut oil, lard, meat or wine and lowering the risk of dementia.
The study has uncovered eating patterns that seem to lower a person’s risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s, said Barberger-Gateau. But more research is needed to "understand the mechanisms of these nutrients involved in these apparently protective foods.”
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