Red Wine and Cheese May Cut Alzheimer's Risk
A study from Iowa State University has found that wine and cheese parties might actually be good for you. In fact, regularly having red wine and cheese may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, looked at almost 1,800 people in the UK aged 46 to 77.
Participants completed a Fluid Intelligence Test (FIT) and answered questions about their diet at the start of the study and twice more over the next decade.
Fluid intelligence refers to people's ability to solve problems in new situations. A greater decline in fluid intelligence as people age increases their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
After adjusting for lifestyle factors such as education, body mass index and whether people smoked, the researchers found that consuming certain foods and drinks was associated with better FIT scores over time.
Eating cheese and drinking alcohol — especially red wine — every day was associated with better FIT scores. For some people, eating lamb once a week was also associated with better scores.
Eating too much salt, however, was linked to a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, but only in those with a family history or a greater genetic risk of developing the disease.
Principal investigator Auriel Willette said she was "pleasantly surprised" by the results.
"I believe the right food choices can prevent the disease and cognitive decline altogether," said another researcher, Brandon Klinedinst. He said that changing how we eat could reduce the number of people who develop the disease.
As well as diet, studies have shown that other lifestyle changes may help to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. These include maintaining close relationships with others and staying mentally active. People can stay mentally active by doing things such as learning a language, playing a musical instrument or doing puzzles.
