First the good news from ZeroHedge:
The best way to decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease could be a Mediterranean diet that is rich in fish, vegetables, and olive oil, according to a new study.
The research, titled "Mediterranean Diet, Alzheimer Disease Biomarkers and Brain Atrophy in Old Age," was published in the online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, and found a Mediterranean rich diet may "protect" the brain from protein build-up and shrinkage that can lead to the debilitating neurological disease.
The study examines abnormal proteins called amyloid and tau. The amyloid-beta precursor protein plays a vital role in neural growth and repair. However, later in life, a corrupted version can destroy nerve cells, leading to memory loss, while tau is a protein that forms into a tangle. Both are found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease but may also be found in the brains of older adults with healthy brain function.
While there is no single definition of the Mediterranean diet, it is typically high in fish, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, and olive oil. The diet has a low intake of saturated fatty acids, dairy products, and red meat.
"Our study suggests that eating a diet that's high in unsaturated fats, fish, fruits and vegetables, and low in dairy and red meat may actually protect your brain from the protein build-up that can lead to memory loss and dementia," said study author Tommaso Ballarini, Ph.D., of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany. "These results add to the body of evidence that shows what you eat may influence your memory skills later on." ....
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And the bad news for the poor, from EurekAlert:
Health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are confirmed, but just for the upper class
Only the most advantaged people actually benefit from the Mediterranean diet, Italian study says
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Istituto Neurologico Mediterraneo Neuromed I.R.C.C.S.
The Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease but only if you are rich or highly educated. This is the surprising finding by researchers from the Italian I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed, who performed a study on over 18,000 subjects recruited within the Moli-sani study and published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Cardiovascular advantages associated with the Mediterranean diet are well-known but now the Italian study, conducted by a team of researchers at the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention led by Giovanni de Gaetano, reveals that such benefits are strongly influenced by the socioeconomic position of people. Basically, given a comparable adherence to this eating pattern, the study has shown that the reduction in cardiovascular risk is observed only in people with higher educational level and/or greater household income. No actual benefits were observed for the less advantaged groups....
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