Due to the continuous aging of the population and consequent increase in dementia, focus on its prevention is of growing importance for public health. Since effective pharmacological treatments are not yet available, other determinants of cognitive decline have become fundamental. Several studies have indicated that the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is associated with reduced incident cognitive decline and dementia, but few studies have been conducted in persons already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We age-matched 73 patients with mild–moderate AD with 73 controls (mean age for the whole group = 76.5 ± 6.5; 67.5% women). The cases had a significantly lower adherence to the MedDiet and lower physical activity vs. controls, where only one participant (1.4%) had a high adherence to the MedDiet among cases compared to 5.5% among controls, while 52.5% of the cases had a moderate adherence to the MedDiet vs. 82.2% in controls. In multivariate analysis, only the presence of AD was significantly associated with a lower adherence to the MedDiet vs. controls. Other factors examined (gender, age, physical activity level, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy) were not significantly associated with adherence to the MedDiet. Thus, AD patients had a low adherence to the MedDiet and very low physical activity. Public health strategies aimed at promoting the Mediterranean diet and physical activity for older people should be a priority.

Dominguez, L.J., Veronese, N., Parisi, A., Seminara, F., Vernuccio, L., Catanese, G., et al. (2024). Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle in Persons with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease. NUTRIENTS, 16(19) [10.3390/nu16193421].

Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle in Persons with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease

Dominguez, Ligia J.
;
Veronese, Nicola;Parisi, Angela;Seminara, Flavia;Vernuccio, Laura;Catanese, Giuseppina;Barbagallo, Mario
2024-10-09

Abstract

Due to the continuous aging of the population and consequent increase in dementia, focus on its prevention is of growing importance for public health. Since effective pharmacological treatments are not yet available, other determinants of cognitive decline have become fundamental. Several studies have indicated that the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is associated with reduced incident cognitive decline and dementia, but few studies have been conducted in persons already diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We age-matched 73 patients with mild–moderate AD with 73 controls (mean age for the whole group = 76.5 ± 6.5; 67.5% women). The cases had a significantly lower adherence to the MedDiet and lower physical activity vs. controls, where only one participant (1.4%) had a high adherence to the MedDiet among cases compared to 5.5% among controls, while 52.5% of the cases had a moderate adherence to the MedDiet vs. 82.2% in controls. In multivariate analysis, only the presence of AD was significantly associated with a lower adherence to the MedDiet vs. controls. Other factors examined (gender, age, physical activity level, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy) were not significantly associated with adherence to the MedDiet. Thus, AD patients had a low adherence to the MedDiet and very low physical activity. Public health strategies aimed at promoting the Mediterranean diet and physical activity for older people should be a priority.
9-ott-2024
Dominguez, L.J., Veronese, N., Parisi, A., Seminara, F., Vernuccio, L., Catanese, G., et al. (2024). Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle in Persons with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease. NUTRIENTS, 16(19) [10.3390/nu16193421].
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
nutrients-16-03421-v2.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Versione Editoriale
Dimensione 1.39 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.39 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/665518
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 0
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact