“I know they say there is no cure for Alzheimer’s… But I was wondering if there’s any development in a cure you know about?” I was asked after my lecture on PET imaging of dementia this past summer. A number of technologists gathered around me, far more eager to hear my response to this question than they were to hear me speak on the continuing education topics.
A study by US scientists found that elderly people who eat fish at least once a week are three to five times less likely to develop the conditions than people who did not.But it is essential that the fish is cooked in a manner that preserves the vital Omega-3 fatty acids which help protect the brain, researchers said.
In a finding sure to fuel the debate over the harms of saturated fat, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital published a study Friday suggesting that saturated fats — found in red meat and full-fat dairy products — causes the brain to age more rapidly than other kinds of fat. Olive oil, avocado, and other monounsaturated fats appear to slow brain aging.
If nuts can help stave off Alzheimer’s, what else is good for your mind. Here are some ways to boost your brain.
It is the ticking time-bomb that will affect 1.7 million of us in just 40 years. But can you stave off Alzheimer’s with a healthy diet. This week scientists said eating chicken, oily fish and nuts may help stop it developing. So what do the experts say about the other claimed methods of beating the disease.
A diet high in omega-3, found in fish and some oils, can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60 per cent, a study has claimed.
Even eating oily fish once a week can cut the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by a third, while eating fruit and vegetables every day reduces the chances of getting dementia in old age by almost 30 per cent.
US researchers linked to Harvard University found older women who ate lots of food high in saturated fats had worse memories than others.
By contrast, those who ate more monounsaturated fats – found in olive oil, sunflower oil, seeds, nuts and avocados – had better memories.
Dr Oliva Okereke, from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass., which is affiliated to Harvard Medical School, said: “When looking at changes in cognitive function, what we found is that the total amount of fat intake did not really matter, but the type of fat did.”