Enhancing Brain Health: Mediterranean Diet and Regular Exercise as Potential Safeguards
Dive into the MedWalk Study: Unlocking Brain Power Through Diet and Exercise
Scientists are investigating whether integrating the Mediterranean diet and regular walking into a daily routine, known as the "MedWalk intervention", could help reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The study, currently in progress, was affected by the pandemic but continues, recruiting a broader sample.
Initiated by a collaboration between researchers in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, the MedWalk study took a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. While delaying its initial 2-year timeline, the study has been modified to observe the effects over a single year, and is ongoing.
Interested outcomes for the researchers revolve around a 12-month change in visual memory and learning for participants. Beyond that, they're studying the intervention's effects on mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, and arterial stiffness.
The 60-90-year-old participants hail from South Australia, Victoria, and (due to the pandemic) the wider community. They've been split into a MedWalk intervention group and a control group. The intervention consists of dietary modifications and a supervised walking program reinforced by psychosocial behavioral change techniques, accompanied by support for the first 6 months and ongoing assistance for the following 6.
Understanding the Mediterranean diet's key elements is crucial for participants, so researchers guide them through the guidelines, offering free extra-virgin olive oil, for instance, and other key foods indicative of the Mediterranean diet.
Regularly assessing participants' aerobic fitness, the study incorporates group walking sessions for the first 6 months, followed by monthly sessions for the rest of the year.
Connecting Dots: Mediterranean Diet and Brain Health
Certified nutritionist Conner Middelmann, who specializes in the Mediterranean diet, weighed in with Medical News Today, pointing to numerous studies linking the diet to fewer instances of dementia and lower rates of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.
However, Middelmann emphasized that factors like genetics, lifestyle, and overall health impact dementia risk, making maintaining a healthy diet a crucial, but not sole, aspect of a comprehensive approach to brain health and dementia prevention.
She detailed how the Mediterranean diet could bolster brain health by:
- offering antioxidants that counter oxidative stress and inflammation, key perpetrators of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases
- delivering crucial omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), vital for brain health
- providing fiber for balanced gut microbiomes
- minimizing processed grains and sugars to reduce inflammation and the risk of insulin resistance
- discouraging consumption of ultra-processed foods, previously linked to dementia
Finally, Middelmann highlighted the social and exercise aspects of the Mediterranean diet, known to contribute to brain health.
Step Forward: The Power of Walking
Like the Mediterranean diet, walking regularly is connected to slower cognitive decline. A study found a direct correlation between the number of steps taken and a dementia risk reduction of 50% with 10,000 steps daily. Other research has pointed to links between walking speed, dementia, and improvements in cognitive impairment.
Brain health coach Ryan Glatt, not involved in this study, explained how walking could benefit brain health by increasing blood flow, reducing stress and improving well-being, and incorporating social and natural elements that further support cognitive health.
The current study's data collection phase will be completed by the end of 2023, delivering insights on the potential combined benefits of the MedWalk intervention for older adults.
- The MedWalk study, investigating the impact of a Mediterranean diet and regular walking on cognitive decline and dementia, has been influenced by the pandemic but continues, recruiting a broader sample.
- Conner Middelmann, a certified nutritionist specializing in the Mediterranean diet, has highlighted numerous studies linking the diet to lower rates of Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.
- The Mediterranean diet, as proposed by the MedWalk study, offers antioxidants that counter oxidative stress and inflammation, key perpetrators of cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.
- Regular walking, like the Mediterranean diet, is connected to slower cognitive decline, with a study showing a 50% reduction in dementia risk with 10,000 steps daily.
- Brain health coach Ryan Glatt explains that walking could benefit brain health by increasing blood flow, reducing stress, and incorporating social and natural elements that further support cognitive health.
- The MedWalk study, currently in progress, aims to understand the combined benefits of the Mediterranean diet and regular walking on older adults, with data collection expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
