Slower aging and lower risk of dementia: All the benefits of eating a healthy diet, according to experts

It is no secret that a healthy, varied and balanced diet is synonymous with good health in general, as science has supported with all kinds of studies. The research involved Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia’s Robert Butler Aging Center, who discovered that wearing something healthy eating habits belongs to a Lower risk of developing dementia and a rhythm of Slow aging.

The study’s findings have been published History of Neurologywhich indicates that the relationship between diet and dementia is, at least partially, mediated by Multisystem aging processes, The study, led by Daniel Belsky, associate professor of epidemiology at both centers, explored the hypothesis that a healthy diet may protect against dementia by slowing the body’s overall biological aging process.

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The researchers used data from the second generation of the Framingham Heart Study, specifically the Offspring Cohort, which began in 1971. Participants in this group, who were over the age of 60 and free of dementia at the start of the study, provided information about their diet. , epigenetic data and undergo a regular monitoring, This follow-up included physical examinations, lifestyle questionnaires, blood samples, and, starting in 1991, neurocognitive testing.

Of the 1,644 participants included in the analysis, 140 developed dementia. To estimate the rate of aging, researchers used a epigenetic clock This is called DunedinPase, which is able to measure the rate at which the body experiences deterioration as it ages.

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Yiyan Gu, PhD, associate professor of neurological sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and another senior author of the study, said that although there is strong evidence that a healthy diet can protect against dementia, it is still Unable to understand completely How does this work This security system.

The findings of this study suggest that multisystem biological aging may be an underlying mechanism in the association between diet and dementia. found more adherence to Mediterranean diet was associated with a slower rate of aging, as measured by DunedinPace, and also hadreduced risk of dementia And mortality rate.

Aline Thomas, PhD, a postdoc in the department of neurology at Columbia, said that although the slower pace of aging explains the connection between a healthy diet and lower risk of dementia, there are still aspects that need to be explored. This underlines the need for constant check On specific brain mechanisms in the prevention of dementia.

For this reason, the team focuses on the need to conduct more observational studies to explore the direct relationship between Nutrients and brain aging, If these findings are confirmed in more diverse populations, monitoring biological aging could be a useful tool for dementia prevention.