Mental health upkeep: Adhering to Mediterranean diet and active lifestyle could potentially offer protection
Chillin' with MedWalk: Combining the Mediterranean Diet and Walking for Better Brain Health
Researchers are exploring whether a MedWalk routine - a combo of a Mediterranean diet and regular walks - can lower the risk of cognitive decline and dementias, including Alzheimer's. Short for a "Mediterranean diet" and "walking," this intervention draws on two healthy habits known to support brain health.
What's the Dealio with MedWalk?
Previous research shows that both a Mediterranean diet and walking regularly may be linked to improved brain health, and this study aims to confirm this benefit by assessing their combined effect.
In collaboration with researchers from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, the WALK project, as it's called, is ongoing despite COVID-19 setbacks. Having originally aimed to last two years, the study's follow-up period was reduced to a single year due to timeline and financial constraints caused by the pandemic.
The researchers' primary focus is on measuring changes in participants' visual memory and learning over a 12-month period, but they're also interested in observing impacts on mood, quality of life, and health costs, as well as cardiovascular health and arterial stiffness.
Participants range in age from 60 to 90, hailing from South Australia and Victoria, with some also drawn from independent living retirement communities and the wider community due to pandemic restrictions. Additional attention is being paid to biomarkers linked to cognitive decline, such as glucose regulation, inflammation, nutrients, and oxidative stress.
The MedWalk group follows a combination of dietary alterations and a guided walking regimen fortified with behavioral change techniques. Participants receive support for six months, with further help available for the following six months to help them stay on track. To aid participants, the researchers provide education on the Mediterranean diet and offer free extra-virgin olive oil, a key element of the diet.
Why Is Everyone Going Nuts Over a Mediterranean Diet?
Conner Middelmann, a certified nutritionist specializing in the Mediterranean diet, explains that studies have linked following this diet to fewer cases of dementia. Research from 2018, 2019, and this year's findings show an association between a Mediterranean diet and lower rates of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia. However, it's essential to remember that numerous factors can influence dementia risk, including genetics, lifestyle, and overall health.
A Mediterranean diet may contribute to brain health by providing antioxidants that combat oxidative stress and inflammation, omega-3 fatty acids for brain health, fiber for a healthy gut microbiome, and minimum processed grains, sugars, and ultra-processed foods. Sharing meals and regular exercise, also part of the Mediterranean lifestyle, are also associated with better brain health.
Here's Where Walking Takes the Cake
Multiple studies have found that regular walking is linked to slower cognitive decline. One study discovered a dose-dependent relationship where taking 10,000 steps a day lowered dementia risk by 50%. Other research has connected walking speed with dementia, while a 2017 study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that aerobic exercises, like walking, can boost cognitive function.
Walking may improve brain health in various ways, such as increasing blood flow, strengthening cognitive impairment, reducing stress, improving well-being, and incorporating social elements and exposure to nature.
The study's data collection period will be completed by the end of 2023. The researchers hope to develop strategies to integrate the MedWalk intervention into public health initiatives and community programs in the future. Stay tuned for more exciting updates on this promising approach to brain health!
The WALK project, a collaboration between researchers from different countries, is investigating the combined effect of a Mediterranean diet and regular walking on cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer's.
Participants, aged 60 to 90, are being monitored for changes in visual memory and learning, mood, quality of life, health costs, cardiovascular health, arterial stiffness, and biomarkers related to cognitive decline.
Researchers are also looking into the influence of a Mediterranean diet on mental health, nutrition, and the gut microbiome, as well as its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Conner Middelmann, a certified nutritionist, explains that studies have linked the Mediterranean diet to lower rates of Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, though genetic, lifestyle, and overall health factors also play a role.
Regular walking, shown to lower dementia risk by up to 50% in some studies, may improve brain health by increasing blood flow, reducing stress, enhancing well-being, and integrating social elements and exposure to nature.
The study's data collection period is set to conclude by the end of 2023, with the researchers planning to develop strategies for integrating the MedWalk intervention into public health initiatives and community programs in the future.
