HealthTalk
Doctor ’ s notes
Dr Rik Heymans is a general practitioner in Nerja and writes on developments in the world of medicine
Mediterranean diet
Advising your patients to switch to a Mediterranean diet could dramatically decrease their risk for cardiovascular disease . While this may not seem like a new message , a new study has been published which shows these benefits .
The study followed nearly 24,000 individuals for an average of 12 years and looked at the health benefits of adherence to a Mediterranean diet . This diet is rich in fruits , vegetables , legumes , cereals , and olive oil , low in red meats , and includes moderate amounts of fish and dairy .
Healthy individuals following this diet lowered their risk for both cardiovascular events and mortality , and the results were ( obviously ) stronger in those who were more diligent in adhering to the diet . Researchers project that almost 4 % of all new cardiovascular cases and 12.5 % of all cardiacrelated deaths could be avoided if the population adhered to the Mediterranean diet .
The Alzheimer ’ s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative looked at more than 1300 men and women divided into three groups : One group comprised patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment ; The second group included patients with Alzheimer ’ s dementia ; and The final group included healthy controls .
The researchers measured glucose metabolic rates with PET scans , which is a marker for the brains ’ activity . Participants were then given various types of verbal recall tests .
The study found that women with either no , mild , or moderate problems with brain metabolism still performed better than men on these ( verbal ) memory tests . In those with advanced Alzheimer ’ s , there was no difference found . Because verbal memory scores are part of the criteria for diagnosing Alzheimer ’ s , some women may be further along in their disease before they are finally diagnosed . This suggests that we may need to have an increased index of suspicion when evaluating women with memory problems .
© Dr RIK HEYMANS c / Angustias 24 , Nerja .
Tel : 95 252 6775
We know that this diet is good for patients with heart disease . This new evidence lends support to it as a primary prevention strategy also .
Alzheimer ’ s disease
Women have far superior verbal skills than men , this is quite well known . But , this given could actually work against them when it comes to identifying Alzheimer ’ s disease . A new analysis shows that women known to have mild memory impairment were still able to maintain their verbal skills , and thus - through their ability to effectively communicate - could mask any early symptoms they might have for Alzheimer ’ s .
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