Diet and exercise 'can help to ward off dementia'
Development of dementia can be fought by eating a healthy Mediterranean diet and taking exercise, it is claimed.
A Mediterranean diet low in saturated fats and full of fruit and vegetables can lower a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
This is according to an article in the American Medical Journal, which claims cognitive impairment later in life is significantly reduced by observing healthy nutrition and partaking in regular exercise.
The study followed 1,880 older people in Manhattan, monitoring their diet and lifestyle over a number of years.
Reacting to the news, the deputy chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust Harriet Millward says that research into the effect of lifestyle factors on dementia development is important, because it can give people easy cost-effective ways to fight the disease.
"Much more research is needed if we are to minimise dementia risk for everyone, as well as develop new treatments that are desperately needed now," she added.
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