Charlie Smith
SPAIN’S Mediterranen diet can help keep your brain in gear, as well as your waistline in the clear, scientists have found.
Frequently lauded by health gurus for its mixture of seafood, vegetables, nuts and olive oil, the Med way of eating can help fight dementia.
A study in the Alzheimer’s and Dementia journal found that people who eat more fish have slower rates of decline in their cognitive functions.
Those with a higher genetic risk of Alzheimer’s, who are carriers of the APOE gene, were found to benefit from this diet, researchers found.
The study, authored by Dr Emily Chew from the National Eye Institute in Maryland, US, comprised two trials of almost 8,000 elderly volunteers.
Participants were sufferers of AMD, an ‘age-related eye condition’, and were tested for their consumption of grains, fish, olive oil and fruit and veg.
AMD affects the retina, which causes the loss of central vision and can affect everyday tasks like reading and driving.
Chew said: “We do not always pay attention to our diets. We need to explore how nutrition affects the brain and the eye.”
