Mental sharpness: Adopting Mediterranean diet and regular exercise could offer protection
Unveiling the Combo Against Dementia: MedWalk Study 🧠🌐🥑🏃
Researchers worldwide are cracking the code on cognitive health with a groundbreaking study — dubbed the 'MedWalk intervention.' This study investigates the joint effect of following a Mediterranean diet and regular walks on preventing dementia and cognitive decline, targeting diseases like Alzheimer's dementia.
Both the Mediterranean diet and walking have shown a positive impact on brain health, raising eyebrows to see their combined effect. This ongoing study, initially designed for a 2-year period, is adjusting its course due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now aiming for a single-year follow-up.
The research team, hailing from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, is determined to find out how a balanced MedWalk lifestyle influences a person's cognitive health.
The study's primary focus lies on assessing a 12-month change in participants' visual memory and learning abilities. They will also monitor the intervention's impact on mood, quality of life, and cardiovascular health, arterial stiffness, and health costs.
Participants aged 60-90 years old come from retirement communities in the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria. The pandemic has expanded the recruitment pool to include participants from the larger community as well.
Keen attention is focused on biomarkers like glucose regulation, inflammation, nutrients, and oxidative stress, which have a connection to cognitive decline.
The MedWalk lifestyle involves both dietary modifications and supervised walking sessions. Participants stay committed with intensive support for the first 6 months, followed by additional help for the ensuing 6 months. The researchers ensure understanding of the Mediterranean diet concept by providing extra-virgin olive oil and other dietary essentials.
Researchers believe that the altered shape of the study will still yield powerful findings despite the pandemic-related delays.
Nutrition expert, Conner Middelmann, tells us that prior studies have hinted at a link between the Mediterranean diet and fewer dementia cases. Other studies have revealed a connection between a Mediterranean diet and lower rates of Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia.
Though intriguing, Middelmann reminds us that various factors affect dementia risk, such as genetics, lifestyle, and overall health. thereby maintaining a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, is part of a broader strategy for brain health and dementia prevention.
The Mediterranean diet may contribute to improved brain health in several ways, by:
- releasing antioxidants that fight oxidative stress and inflammation, considered harmful to cognitive health and neurodegenerative diseases
- incorporating omega-3 fatty acids, like docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), vital for brain health, and linked to enhanced cognitive function and reduced cognitive decline risk
- supplying fiber that maintains a balanced gut microbiome
- reducing intake of processed grains, sugars, and ultra-processed foods, thus decreasing the risk of insulin resistance and inflammation.
In addition, sharing meals with loved ones and regular exercise, frequent components of the Mediterranean lifestyle, have also been associated with brain health.
A walk a day keeps the dementia at bay — well, almost. Regular walking has been linked to slower cognitive decline. A study that found a proportionate relationship between step count and reduced risk of dementia proved that taking 10,000 steps daily could slash dementia risk by half.
Other studies confirmed the link between walking speed and dementia, while a 2017 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that aerobic exercise like walking strengthens cognitive impairment.
Brain health coach, Ryan Glatt, from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, notes that walking might improve cognitive health in various ways:
- increasing brain blood flow calculated by the intensity, length, and frequency of walking
- influencing brain activity levels
- reducing overall stress and enhancing feelings of well-being
- incorporating social connections and exposure to nature, both of which may improve cognitive function.
In conclusion, the 'MedWalk intervention study,' slated to end by 2023, is a promising path leading us closer to understanding the effects of a combined Mediterranean diet and walking on cognitive health, potentially opening new doors for combating dementia.
- The MedWalk intervention study, designed initially for a 2-year period, is adjusting its course due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now aiming for a single-year follow-up.
- Researchers worldwide believe that the altered shape of the study will still yield powerful findings despite the pandemic-related delays.
- Nutrition expert, Conner Middelmann, tells us that prior studies have hinted at a link between the Mediterranean diet and fewer dementia cases.
- Though intriguing, Middelmann reminds us that various factors affect dementia risk, such as genetics, lifestyle, and overall health.
- Regular walking has been linked to slower cognitive decline, and a study that found a proportional relationship between step count and reduced risk of dementia proved that taking 10,000 steps daily could slash dementia risk by half.
- Brain health coach, Ryan Glatt, from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, notes that walking might improve cognitive health in various ways, such as increasing brain blood flow, influencing brain activity levels, reducing overall stress, and enhancing feelings of well-being.
