Frontline: Green foods; Slowing Parkinson’s Disease; Reduce lung cancer deaths
Eating More Green Foods May Help Protect Your Brain
Age-related brain atrophy can be slowed with a “green” Mediterranean diet, according to a study published Jan. 11, 2022 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers divided 284 participants into three groups that followed a healthy diet, a Mediterranean diet, or a “green” Mediterranean diet, which included three to four cups of green tea daily and a shake made of Mankai, a type of aquatic plant. All of the diets also were low in red and processed meats. When researchers reviewed the participants’ brain MRIs taken before and after the diets were followed, they found less age-related brain atrophy among those who adhered to either form of the Mediterranean diet, with the least atrophy observed among the green diet group. The least atrophy was seen in the brains of participants over age 50. The researchers suggested the benefits of the green diet were due to its high content of polyphenols, micronutrients that are plentiful in green plant foods.
Exercise Slows the Progression of Parkinson’s Disease
People with early Parkinson’s disease who exercised regularly during a five-year study period performed better on cognitive testing and had slower disease progression, according to a study published Jan. 12, 2022, in the journal Neurology. Study participants who engaged in four or more hours a week of moderate to vigorous exercise had slower instability and gait decline, and those who performed at least 15.5 hours a week of paid or volunteer work that included physical activity had better processing speed scores. “Although medications can provide people with Parkinson’s some symptom relief, they haven’t been shown to slow the progression of the disease,” says Kazuto Tsukita, MD, one of the researchers. “We found that regular physical activity, including household tasks and moderate exercise, may actually improve the course of the disease over the long run.”
Earlier Diagnosis, Better Treatments Reduce Lung Cancer Deaths
According to the American Cancer Society’s annual report, the overall cancer death rate in the U.S. decreased 32 percent from 1991 to 2019. The rise in cancer survival was driven in part by increases in the number of lung cancer patients who are living longer due to earlier diagnosis and better treatments. The researchers, who published their findings in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, discovered that 28 percent of patients with lung cancers were diagnosed at a localized stage in 2018, compared with 17 percent in 2004. (Cancer at a localized stage is easier to treat successfully than cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.) The five-year survival rate for all cancers combined has increased from 49 percent in the mid-1970s to 68 percent. The report also noted some areas of concern. For example, thousands of U.S. women die from cervical cancer every year, even though this disease is almost completely preventable. In the effort to reduce the number of cancer deaths, the importance of screening tests such as PAP smears, mammographies, and colonoscopies cannot be overstated.
The post Frontline: Green foods; Slowing Parkinson’s Disease; Reduce lung cancer deaths appeared first on University Health News.
