Dietary Pattern Protective for Alzheimer Disease

Recent research has uncovered a dietary pattern associated with reduced risk of Alzheimer disease.  The traditional approach to studying the association of foods with illnesses is to take one or two foods or nutrients, and determine whether they are individually associated with the condition.  The same group at Columbia University in New York that showed that the Mediterranean diet (consisting of a high intake of fish, legumes, vegetables, cereals, fruits, mostly olive oil for fat, a low to moderate amount of regular alcohol consumption, and low intake of dairy products, meat, and saturated fatty acids) protected against Alzheimer disease, conducted a new analysis trying to understand how dietary patterns that might be more relevant to multiethnic populations influenced Alzheimer disease risk.  They found that a diet that was low in intake of high-fat dairy products, butter, red and organ meat, and high in dark and green leafy vegetables, cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, brussel sprouts, bok choy, etc.), tomatoes, poultry, fish, fruits and nuts, and salad dressing was associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer disease.  Specifically, people who consumed this diet had about a 40% lower chance of developing Alzheimer disease.  If you could cut your risk of Alzheimer almost in half by adhering to a healthier diet, wouldn’t you do it?  The data suggests that this is a good possibility.  Check it out for yourself!