Brain Food

Zusammenfassung

Demenz zählt zu den häufigsten Erkrankungen im höheren Alter und belastet die Volkswirtschaft enorm. In der Schweiz leben zwischen 107 000 und 125 000 demenzkranke Menschen und die Zahl der Erkrankten steigt weiter. Niemand kann sich vollständig vor dieser Erkrankung schützen. Allerdings gibt es vielversprechende Hinweise, dass bestimmte Lifestylefaktoren das Risiko einer Demenzerkrankung verringern. Die Ernährung zählt zu den wichtigen, modifizierbaren Präventionsfaktoren. Beobachtungsstudien zeigen, dass gewisse Ernährungsmuster deutlich häufiger mit dem Auftreten einer Demenz einhergehen als andere. Die Supplementierung einzelner Nährstoffe erwies sich allerdings in klinischen kontrollierten randomisierten doppelblinden Studien gar nicht oder nur sehr begrenzt als wirksam. Vielversprechender bei der Prävention scheint ein ganzheitlicher und frühzeitiger Ansatz: Die mediterrane Ernährungsweise mit ihrer Kombination aller als potenziell präventiv angesehener Substanzen – Antioxidanzien, mehrfach ungesättigte Fettsäuren und Vitamine – hat sich in verschiedenen Studien als effektiv erwiesen. In einer amerikanischen Studie ergab sich ein um ein Drittel reduziertes Demenzrisiko mit dieser Ernährungsform. Übereinstimmend zeigten Studien mit einer frühzeitigen Behandlung (Patienten mit einer leichten kognitiven Beeinträchtigung) und einem ganzheitlichen Ansatz (Nährstoffcocktail) vorsichtig positive Ergebnisse.

Abstract

Dementia is one of the most common diseases in older age and has an enormous economic impact on health costs. In Switzerland, between 107,000 and 125,000 people live with dementia and the number of patients is continuously rising. The possibilities to prevent dementia are limited. However, there is promising evidence from research that certain life style factors reduce the risk of dementia. Diet is one of the major, modifiable preventive factors. Observational studies have shown that certain dietary patterns are more frequently associated with the development of dementia than others. In contrast, supplementation of individual nutrients in double-blind, randomized, controlled trials turned out to be of limited efficacy. More promising seems a holistic approach: Scientific evidence suggests that the Mediterranean diet, with its combination of all potentially preventive substances – antioxidants, polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins – effectively protects against dementia. Consistently, recent studies suggest a slight beneficial effect of a nutrient cocktail containing several potentially preventive nutrients in the early treatment of dementia (patients with mild cognitive impairment).

Schlüsselwörter

Demenz - Alzheimererkrankung - Omega-3-Fettsäuren - B-Vitamine - Antioxidanzien

Keywords

dementia - Alzheimer’s disease - omega-3 fatty acids - B-vitamins - antioxidants

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