Old age is the main cause of dementia dementia" is what we sometimes hear. There is of course a link, but neurodegenerative diseases neurodegenerative diseases also affect relatively young people (before 60 years old). years old).
In France, it is estimated that there are 33,000 patients under the age of 60 with Alzheimer's disease1.
But if we are powerless against the passing of time, we can nevertheless time, we can nevertheless act on one point in particular: diet, and this, from a very young age.
Dementia: why focus on on diet in particular?
One statistic in particular speaks volumes when looking at the numbers of dementia. Currently, more than 55 million people worldwide have dementia, and more than 60% live in low- and middle-income countries2.
However, what characterizes these populations is limited access to a healthy and balanced diet.
This is a parameter to be taken into consideration when trying to understand how and why degenerative diseases develop.
In fact, numerous studies attest that that diet plays a major role in the prevention of dementia.
Beyond the hereditary risk factor, we know that know that :
- chronic inflammation,
- cardiovascular diseases, obesity,
- diabetes,
- and depression,
promote the development of cognitive diseases3,4.
Knowing this, the deduction is simple: all these risk factors can be corrected by a healthy diet.
these risk factors can be corrected by a healthy diet.
What exactly is dementia exactly?
Dementia is the main symptom of various diseases and various diseases and injuries that affect the brain. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia dementia, but other pathologies, such as Huntington's disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, multiple sclerosis or stroke, are also associated with associated with it.
A state of dementia is characterized by an impairment of cognitive function. Memory, reasoning, orientation, comprehension understanding, calculation, learning ability, language and judgment are judgment are impaired.
We can also see emotional and/or behavioural emotional and/or behavioral problems. When dementia appears without any particular reason, it is often reason, it is oftenage that is blamed.
There is, in this idea, a kind of fatalism that disturbs me, because it is quite possible to escape from it, even when the weight of the weight of the years starts to be felt.
Dementia: the Mediterranean diet is the ultimate anti-dementia diet
There is a growing body of research that confirms that the confirm that the Mediterranean diet is the anti-dementia diet par excellence. diet par excellence.
The most recent one is particularly interesting because it is one of the interesting because it is one of the most extensive and comprehensive on the subject5.
Nearly 60,300 people were included in the study, which study, which represents a large cohort in the research community.
Throughout the nine-year follow-up, participants completed participants completed questionnaires to determine how well their diets matched the the extent to which their diet corresponded to the main characteristics of a of a Mediterranean diet.
At the end of the study, those whose eating habits were close to the Mediterranean diet had a 23% lower risk of developing dementia compared to the other dietary other dietary profiles.
How does the Mediterranean Mediterranean diet postpone dementia?
The Mediterranean diet is not limited to thefeeding.
It is above all based on a global lifestyle, which combines moderate physical activity and a certain philosophy of life, which removes the stress of daily life.
But if you look at diet alone, this type of diet works to prevent almost all of the factors that lead to dementia.
This is probably the reason why it is so effective.
1. The Mediterranean diet against chronic inflammation
Diet can influence cognitive aging via several cognitive aging via several inflammatory pathways. With its richness in quality fatty acids, including omega-3the Mediterranean diet fights against the phenomena inflammatory phenomena.
Olive oil, fatty fishthe oleaginous plants, all these foods are real "alicaments". protectors6.
2. Lhe Mediterranean diet against oxidative stress
Fruits and vegetables are the basis of the of the Mediterranean diet. They are consumed in a wide variety, raw or cooked. cooked.
This major source of antioxidants (with the added bonus of bonus herbs and spices) repels cellular aging and preserves cognitive functions.
3. Lhe Mediterranean diet againstcardiovascular diseases
The Mediterranean diet, abundant in minimally processed plant foods, rich in monounsaturated fats from olive oil, and low in saturated oil, and low in saturated fats, meat and dairy products, is an ideal nutritional model for cardiovascular health.
The many studies that have been carried out over the years for years confirm that following this diet significantly reduces significantly reduce thecardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke atherosclerosis, thrombosis, etc.)7.
4. The Mediterranean diet againstobesity
The Mediterranean diet is particularly suitable for people suitable for people suffering from obesity. It restores a healthy intestinal microbiota, improves the immune system, thus considerably reducing inflammatory inflammatory mediators and ultimately leads to weight loss8,9.
5. The Mediterranean diet against diabetes
The Mediterranean diet would allow to reduce by 30%. the risk of diabetes10. Once again, this protective effect could be related to the presence of antioxidants, but also to the low presence of be related to the presence of antioxidants, but also to the low presence of and processed products.
6. The Mediterranean diet to fight againsta depression
In a meta-analysis, researchers from researchers from Inserm and the University of Montpellier showed that adopting the Mediterranean diet Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of depression by 33%11.
This beneficial effect on mental health would be on the intestinal microbiota, the composition of which has an impact on the composition has an impact on the relationship between the brain and the intestine.
We all want to grow old in good health. To achieve this, it seems that the Mediterranean the Mediterranean diet is indeed part of the miracle recipe.
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Sources
[1] francealzheimer.org/seineetmarne/2022/11/23/jeunes-alzheimer/
[2] who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia
[3] frm.org/recherches-maladies-neurologiques/maladie-d-alzheimer/alzheimer-facteurs-risques-et-protecteurs
[4] sante.lefigaro.fr/article/neuf-facteurs-identifies-pour-diminuer-les-risques-de-demence/
[5] Shannon OM, et al. Mediterranean diet adherence is associated with lower dementia risk, independent of genetic predisposition: findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study. BMC Med. 2023
[6] McGrattan AM, et al. Diet and Inflammation in Cognitive Ageing and Alzheimer’s Disease. Curr Nutr Rep. 2019
[7] Martínez-González et al. The Mediterranean Diet and Cardiovascular Health. Circ Res. 2019
[8] Muscogiuri G, et al. Mediterranean Diet and Obesity-related Disorders: What is the Evidence? Curr Obes Rep. 2022 Dec;11(4):287-304. doi: 10.1007/s13679-022-00481-1. Epub 2022
[9] Estruch R, et al. The role of the Mediterranean diet on weight loss and obesity-related diseases. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2020
[10] Ahmad S, et al. Association of the Mediterranean Diet With Onset of Diabetes in the Women’s Health Study. JAMA Netw Open. 2020
[11] Lassale C,et al. Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Mol Psychiatry. 2019
