One of The Many Benefits of Mediterranean Diet: Reduced Alzheimer's Risk

The Mediterranean food and culture are well known throughout the world. Since the Roman times the Mediterranean people are known to have good food and a diet filled with vine, olives, garlic, wheat bread and olive oil. In addition there is little use of red meat. They, seemed, not to worry about weight loss at all.
Now the researchers are learning the specific effects of the Mediterranean diet such as the fact that this diet reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease or may even prevent it.
Earlier the research had concluded that the Mediterranean diet is good for heart, but the positive link to Alzheimer's disease was established in a recent study.
In a news release, published in this week's issue of JAMA, Nikolaos Scarmeas, M.D., and colleagues at Columbia University Medical Center, studied whether the Mediterranean diet could also help prevent Alzheimer's disease - a debilitating neurodegenerative disease - in a group of 1,984 adults with an average age of 76.3. The participants, 194 of whom already had Alzheimer's disease and 1,790 of whom did not, were given complete physical and neurological examinations and a series of tests of brain function. Their diet over the previous year was analyzed and scored based on how closely it adhered to the principles of the Mediterranean diet - scores ranged from zero to nine, with higher scores indicating eating patterns that aligned closely with the Mediterranean diet. The researchers obtained information about vascular disease diagnoses from the exams, participants' or relatives' reports and medical records.
The Mediterranean style food is a diet rich in vegetables and fruit and low in saturated fats.
John Tiniakos of Nulife-Weight Loss program writes: scientists have noted that the Mediterranean Diet of Crete is fairly high in fat, but has a low n-6 to n-3 ratio, and this is what makes the difference. Most of their cooking is done with olive oil. Cooking oils, other than olive oil (and canola) and their bi-products contain polyunsaturated oils that are high in n-6 fatty acid and are used in little if any amount. In comparison, the American diet has a much higher n-6 to n-3 ratio. Furthermore, compared to Americans, Cretans eat ten times more fish, much less red meat and use cheese at the expense of milk. While the Greek lifestyle is less stressful, it commands a significant amount of physical activity. Most neighborhoods in Greece are complimented with a "square." As a result, people go to the square mostly on foot to do their shopping or to socialize. For this reason, the town squares haven't been designed to accommodate automobile parking. Walking and cycling are the most practical means of transportation within these communities.
In an earlier release Susan L. Burke, registered and licensed dietitian and eDiets.com's Vice President of Nutrition Services says "The Mediterranean Diet plan allows people to derive pleasure from eating while maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle. This is a long-lasting guide to eating nutritiously, maintaining physical fitness, and ultimately reducing the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer."
"The Mediterranean diet has been associated with a lower risk for several diseases and risk factors, including cancer, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, problems with processing glucose that may lead to diabetes, coronary heart disease and overall death," says the JAMA release on the reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease in connection to the Mediterranean Diet.