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Lowering the Risk of Memory
Problems
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A diet rich in fish, omega-3 oils, fruits and vegetables may lower your risk of
dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, whereas consuming omega-6 rich oils
could increase chances of developing memory problems, according to a
study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of
Neurology.
For the study, researchers examined the diets of 8,085 men and women over
the age of 65 who did not have dementia at the beginning of the study. Over
four years of follow-up, 183 of the participants developed Alzheimer’s disease
and 98 developed another type of dementia.
The study found people who regularly consumed omega-3 rich oils, such as
canola oil, flaxseed oil and walnut oil, reduced their risk of dementia by 60
percent compared to people who did not regularly eat such oils.
People who ate fruits and vegetables daily also reduced their risk of dementia
by 30 percent compared to those who didn’t regularly eat fruits and vegetables.
The study also found people who ate fish at least once a week had a 35-
percent lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and 40-percent lower risk of
dementia, but only if they did not carry the gene that increases the risk of
Alzheimer’s, called apolipoprotein E4, or ApoE4.
“Given that most people do not carry the ApoE4 gene, these results could
have considerable implications in terms of public health,” said study author
Pascale Barberger-Gateau of INSERM, the French National Institute for Health
and Medical Research, in Bordeaux, France.
But Barberger-Gateau said more research was needed to identify the optimal
quantity and combination of nutrients which could be protective before
implementing nutritional recommendations.
In addition, the study found people who did not carry the ApoE4 gene and
consumed an unbalanced diet characterized by regular use of omega-6 rich
oils, but not omega-3 rich oils or fish were twice as likely to develop dementia
compared to those who didn’t eat omega-6 rich oils, which include sunflower
or grape seed oil.
The study did not find any association between consuming corn oil, peanut
oil, lard, meat or wine and lowering risk of dementia.
“While we’ve identified dietary patterns associated with lowering a person’s
risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s, more research is needed to better
understand the mechanisms of these nutrients involved in these apparently
protective foods,” said Barberger-Gateau.
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