A DIET which includes a daily glass of wine that could halve the risk of Alzheimer’s has been hailed as the easiest to follow.
A Mediterranean diet including red wine can help in the fight against dementia
The eating plan, called MIND, combines an established Mediterranean diet with DASH – Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes).
It beat off established rivals such as Weight Watchers in the list of the best diets for 2016.
Unlike other weight-loss fads and trends, the MIND diet was specifically devised by epidemiologists from a leading medical school in a bid to ward off dementia symptoms in later life.
It combines superfoods such as whole grains, nuts and berries, while encouraging meals packed with large doses of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
You’ll be healthier if you’ve been doing the right thing for a long time
Professor Martha Clare Morris
Each plate should be rich in vegetables, poultry, fish and olive oil – all washed down with a glass of red wine for maximum effect.In the initial studies, patients who followed the diet rigorously reduced their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by a staggering 53 per cent.The annual US News & World Report rankings named DASH as the best overall diet for 2016, followed by MIND – but nominated MIND as the easiest to follow.
The diet combines many superfoods
Professor Martha Clare Morris, an epidemiologist who led the research into the diet at Rush University, Chicago, said: “One of the more exciting things about this is that people who adhered even moderately to the MIND diet were found to have reduced their risk of Alzheimer’s.”Britain has 850,000 Alzheimer’s sufferers, with a further 225,000 set to fall prey to the disease this year.Dementia already costs the economy £26billion a year. Charities and research groups concentrating on dementia in the UK have welcomed the formulation of the diet.A spokesman for the Alzheimer’s Society said: “Research suggests eating a diet high in vegetables, grains and oily fish and limiting foods such as sugar and red meat can reduce the risk of developing dementia. This study adds to that growing body of evidence.”
Initial studies showed the diet could reduce the risk of developing the condition by over 50%
Researchers at Rush University found that even following the diet moderately can reduce the risk by 35 per cent.Professor Morris said the longer a person ate the MIND diet, the less risk he or she would have of developing Alzheimer’s. However, as is the case with many health-related habits, including physical exercise, she said: “You’ll be healthier if you’ve been doing the right thing for a long time.”Every year a panel of medical experts, specialist journalists, nutritionists and other experts give awards to diets that genuinely aid health or weight loss with no dangerous side-effects.Each of 38 leading diets are tested on various factors – the claims they make, how easy they are to follow and whether medical evidence backs up the benefits for those who follow it.
Olives and olive oil are an important part of most mediterranean diets
The MIND diet was also named third best in the healthy eating category of this year’s awards and fourth best for combating diabetes and heart disease.The MIND diet is made up of foods specifically found to help to protect and enhance the health of the brain. The regime includes a daily glass of wine, a daily serving of a green, leafy vegetable and regular whole grains.It recommends nuts and beans every other day, poultry and berries – particularly blueberries and strawberries – twice a week and fish once a week.But it also calls for strict limits on butter and margarine – less than a tablespoon a day, a total ban on red meat, sweets or pastries and just one treat a week of either cheese, fried food or fast food.
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