Lower Your Dementia Risk with a Healthy Diet

A recent study released by Columbia University has concluded that a healthier diet is related to a lower risk of dementia. Eating a more nutrient-rich diet can decrease the possible risk of dementia as well as slow the body’s aging process. Dementia is an age-related condition and the older you are, the more likely you are to develop the condition, so slowing the body’s aging process is essential to preventing the condition. Your body’s age doesn’t necessarily reflect how many years you have been alive, and scientists can calculate your bodily age with the DunedinPACE test. This test essentially measures how fast a person’s body is deteriorating and functions “like a speedometer for the biological processes of aging,” said one researcher. This study measured age markers over the course of 20 years and researchers determined that those who adhered closest to the Mediterranean DASH diet saw the most significant improvement in bodily age, dementia risks, and mortality rates. Studies found that a slower pace of aging and tracking the rate at which people age could help determine which dementia treatments are more successful than others. That said, there are still portions of the dementia-diet correlation that remain unexplained and research still needs to be done on exactly which nutrients are associated with brain aging, but this conclusion is a definite step in the right direction.