The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Mediterranean diet to delay dementia

    Elderly individuals who follow a Mediterranean diet are less likely to develop mild cognitive impairment (dementia) and to convert from it to Alzheimer’s disease, according to researchers at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.

    First, the details.

    • 1393 normal adults, 275 of whom developed mild cognitive impairment over an average of 4.5 years (range, 0.9-16.4 years) were studied.
    • Their adherence to the Mediterranean diet was ranked (0 to 9 [highest]).
    • The incidence of mild cognitive impairment and progression to Alzheimer’s disease were recorded.
    • The results were adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, education, apolipoprotein E genotype, caloric intake, body mass index, and duration between the first dietary assessment and diagnosis.
      • ApoE genotyping helps confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

    And, the results.
    Mild cognitive impairment

    • Compared with the poorest adherence to the Mediterranean diet, those with highest adherence had a significant 28% less risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.
    • There was no difference between the poorest and middle level of adherence to the diet.

    Alzheimer’s disease

    • Compared with the participants with the lowest adherence to the Mediterranean diet, those with a middle level of adherence had a significant 45% less risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
    • Those in the highest adherence had a significant 48% less risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

    The bottom line?
    The authors concluded, “Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet is associated with a trend for reduced risk of developing mild cognitive impairment, and with reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment conversion to Alzheimer’s disease.”

    “Based on this single study,” said Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas, “we cannot make dietary recommendations, but it adds to accumulating evidence that in addition to affecting cardiovascular and other diseases, diet also affects brain function.”

    2/21/09 20:57 JR

    Leave a Comment

    You must be logged in to post a comment.