Nikolaos Scarmeas, Ph.D., National University of Athens, Greece, and member of the American Academy of Neurology, the author of this study, said: “You may have some effective nutritional tools in your home that can help fight inflammation that may cause brain aging. Diet is a way you can. Changing lifestyles may play a role in combating inflammation, which is one of the biological pathways leading to the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment in later life.”
The study surveyed 1,059 people in Greece who had an average age of 73 and did not suffer from dementia.
Each person answered a food frequency questionnaire, which is usually used to determine the inflammatory potential in a person’s diet. The questionnaire asked for information on the main food categories consumed in the last month, including dairy products, grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, beans, added fats, alcoholic beverages, stimulants, and sweets. A possible dietary inflammation score can range from -8.87 to 7.98. The higher the score, the more severe the inflammation. The fruits, vegetables, beans and tea consumed by such peoplecoffeeThe serving size is less.
Scarmeas pointed out that the multiple nutrients in all foods contribute to the inflammatory nature of a person’s diet.
The researchers divided the participants into three equal groups: those with the lowest score for dietary inflammation, those with the middle score, and those with the highest score. Among them, the group with the lowest score is -1.76 points and lower. They eat more anti-inflammatory diets. They eat an average of 20 servings of fruits, 19 servings of vegetables, 4 servings of beans or other legumes, and 11 servings per week. Coffee or tea. The group with the highest score is 0.21 points and above. They eat more inflammatory diets and eat an average of 9 servings of fruit, 10 servings of vegetables, 2 servings of beans, and 9 servings of coffee or tea a week.
The researchers conducted an average follow-up survey of each person for three years. During the study, 62 people (6%) developed dementia. The average score for people with dementia is -0.06, while the average score for people without dementia is -0.70.
On age, gender andeducateAfter making adjustments, the researchers found that for every point increase in dietary inflammation scores, the risk of dementia increased by 21%. Compared with the lowest 1/3 of the participants who ate the least inflammatory diet, people in the top 1/3 were three times more likely to develop dementia.
Scarmeas said: “Our results bring us closer to describing and measuring the inflammatory potential of people’s diet. This in turn can help provide more targeted and precise dietary recommendations and other strategies to maintain cognitive health.”
However, this study has some limitations. First, it should be an observational study, not a clinical trial. It does not prove that eating an anti-inflammatory diet can prevent brain aging and dementia, it just shows an association. Another limitation is that the three-year follow-up time is very short. Researchers need longer studies to confirm and replicate these findings.