Smart snacking: A diet full of vegetables, fruit, and nuts seems to lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Can eating the right foods prevent Alzheimer's disease? A diet high in fruits, nuts, vegetables, and fish, and low in red meat and butter, has been shown to lower your risk of obesity, diabetes, certain cancers, heart disease, and stroke, among many other physical maladies. Now there’s increasing evidence that eating right can keep you mentally healthy, as well. A new study on diet and Alzheimer's risk finds that a healthy diet may lower your risk of this debilitating disease by nearly 40 percent.

THE DETAILS: As reported in the journal Archives of Neurology, researchers analyzed the dietary patterns of 2,148 people aged 65 and older, none of whom had Alzheimer's disease at the beginning of the study. Nearly four years later, subjects were analyzed again, at which point 253 of them had developed the disease. When the researchers compared subjects’ dietary habits, they found that a high intake of polyunsaturated fats, vitamin E, and folate, along with a low intake of saturated fat, seemed to coincide with a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. In terms of actual foods, subjects achieved this healthful mix of nutrients by eating adequate amounts of salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, fruits, cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and brussles sprouts), and dark-green leafy vegetables. Plus, they tended to consume lower amounts of high-fat dairy food, red meat, organ meat, and butter.

WHAT IT MEANS: Based on past research, any one of the identified nutrients may have contributed to the protective benefit, according to the researchers. For example, vitamin E may help prevent Alzheimer's because of its strong antioxidant effect. Or the polyunsaturated fats might have helped because of their positive effect on atherosclerosis or blood clotting, which can both affect brain function. Seeking a “magic bullet” effect of this or that nutrient may be missing the point, though, says lead researcher Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD, MS, of the Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.