Mental Sharpness Preservation: Adopting the Mediterranean Diet and Leading an Active Lifestyle Could Provide Protection
Researchers are examining the potential shared benefits of a Mediterranean diet and regular walking as a means of reducing the risk of cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's dementia. A study known as the "MedWalk intervention" is investigating the combined effect of these lifestyle factors, holding the promise of improved brain health for those who adhere to the diet and exercise regimen.
Prevailing research has suggested links between both the Mediterranean diet and regular physical activity, such as walking, and better brain health. This investigation aims to confirm the benefits of the MedWalk intervention's combination of these factors. The study is jointly conducted by researchers from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom and is currently ongoing, despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The authors' primary concern is the 12-month change in visual memory and learning among participants, but they are also studying the effects on mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, and arterial stiffness. The study involves 60-to-90-year-old individuals living in South Australia and Victoria, with participants recruited from both independent living retirement communities and the general public due to pandemic-related disruptions.
The MedWalk intervention is a dietary modification and supervised walking regimen supported by psychosocial behavioral change techniques. Participants receive assistance for the first six months and ongoing support for the following six months, ensuring continued adherence to the program. To help participants understand the Mediterranean diet concept, researchers provide guidance on dietary differences between the Mediterranean diet and a typical Australian diet, and offer extra-virgin olive oil and other Mediterranean diet-friendly foods.
An assessment of baseline aerobic fitness precedes group walking sessions for the first six months, followed by monthly sessions for the remaining duration of the study. Conner Middelmann, a certified nutritionist specializing in the Mediterranean diet, not involved in the current study, has noted that previous research has suggested a connection between following a Mediterranean diet and a lower risk of dementia.
Walking regularly is also associated with slower cognitive decline. A study found that taking 10,000 steps a day may offer a 50% reduction in the risk of dementia, while others have found associations between walking speed, dementia, and aerobic exercise's ability to improve cognitive impairment. Brain health coach Ryan Glatt from the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, not connected to this study, added that walking could potentially improve brain health by increasing blood flow, boosting brain activity, and reducing stress while enhancing feelings of well-being.
With the data-collection period due for completion by the end of 2023, the study's findings concerning the combined effect of the Mediterranean diet and walking on cognitive health, specifically dementia and cognitive decline, remain to be seen.
- The combined effect of a Mediterranean diet and regular walking, as part of the MedWalk intervention, is being investigated as a potential means to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, including Alzheimer's dementia.
- Researchers from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom are conducting the MedWalk intervention study, which aims to confirm the benefits of this lifestyle approach on brain health.
- The study is focusing on the 12-month change in visual memory and learning among participants, but it also examines the effects on mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, and arterial stiffness.
- Participants, aged 60 to 90, living in South Australia and Victoria, are being recruited from both independent living retirement communities and the general public due to pandemic-related disruptions.
- The MedWalk intervention includes a dietary modification and supervised walking regimen, with participants receiving assistance for the first six months and ongoing support for the following six months.
- Previous research has suggested a connection between following a Mediterranean diet and a lower risk of dementia, and walking regularly is also associated with slower cognitive decline.
