Exercise and adherence to a Mediterranean diet has, once again, been linked to substantially better health outcomes. Results of a study published this week by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that a greater tendency to eat a Mediterranean diet and engage in some level of physical activity was associated with a substantially decreased risk for being diagnosed with Alzheimer Disease.

In a study examining the link between physical activity, adherence to a Mediterranean type diet, and Alzheimer Disease risk, researchers from Columbia University in New York -- led by Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD, studied 1880 elderly people over a 14-year period (individuals were 77 years old at final follow-up). During the study period extensive information was collected about diet and activity. In addition, standardized neurological and neuropsychological measures were administered to those in the sample approximately every 1.5 years.

Scarmeas and his colleagues found that individuals tending to adhere to a Mediterranean type diet whom also engaged in "some" level of physicial activity were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with AD during the study period compared to individuals engaging in very little or no physicial activity who were not adhering to a Mediterranean type diet.

For the study (and other like it), a Mediterranean diet was defined as being primarily composed of fruits, vegetables, legumes, cereals, and fish fresh combined with moderate consumption of alcohol. The researchers defined engaging in "some" level of activity as doing a small amount of vigorous (e.g. aerobic dancing, jogging, playing handball) or moderate (e.g. bicycling, swimming, hiking, playing tennis) activity per week (0.1 to 0.8 of an hour per week) or about an hour of light activity per week (e.g. walking, dancing, calisthenics, golfing, bowling, gardening, horseback riding for about 1.3 hours per week).

---

The Mediterranean Prescription: Meal Plans and Recipes to Help You Stay Slim and Healthy for the Rest of Your Life