Diet rich in omega-3 oils, fruit, veggies and fish protects against dementia

According to a new study by French researchers a diet which is rich in omega-3 oils, fruit and vegetables as well as fish may reduce the risk of dementia in elderly people.

The researchers at the National Institute for Health and Medical Research in France carried out a four-year study involving 8,085 men and women all residents of Montpellier, Dijon and Bordeaux.

They were examined for signs of dementia and asked to complete a questionnaire about their eating habits and the psychiatric examination was repeated every two years.

At the start of the study all the participants were over 65 and did not have dementia; over the four-year period, 183 people developed Alzheimer's disease, while another 98 developed a type of dementia.

The researchers then took a closer look at the dietary patterns of the participants.

The team found that a diet rich in omega-3 oils which most of the participants got through salad dressing, were associated with a 60% drop in dementia risk ; there was also a 30% drop in dementia risk among regular fruit and vegetable eaters.

The researchers also found that regular fish consumption reduced the risk of Alzheimer's by 35%, but only if subjects did not have a known genetic risk factor for the disease.

In the UK alone around 500,000 people are believed to suffer from Alzheimer's and women are slightly more at risk than men.

The risk increases markedly with age, before 65 only 1 in 1,000 are affected but around 1 in 20 of over-65s are affected and after 80 nearly half have the disease.

The study appears in the November 13, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.