Dementia: The fruit snack you should eat every week to protect against Alzheimer’s disease

Dementia is the name given to a group of symptoms linked to an ongoing decline in brain function. You could lower your risk of the neurodegenerative condition by regularly eating berries, it’s been revealed.

There are a number of different types of dementia, and the most common in the UK is Alzheimer’s disease.

Diagnosing the condition early could help to slow down the condition’s progress.

Making some small lifestyle changes could lower your chances of developing Alzheimer’s in later life.

One of the easiest ways to protect against the neurodegenerative condition is to eat at least two portions of berries every week.

Berries are a great snack to protect against a whole host of medical conditions.

It forms part of the MIND diet – which is short for the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.

The MIND diet has been claimed to keep the brain sharp beyond its years, and could even delay the onset of dementia.

Eating berries at least twice a week makes up a small proportion of the MIND diet.

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“This eating pattern goes big on natural plant-based foods while limiting red meat, saturated fat and sweets,” said dietitian Angela Murad.

She wrote for the Mayo Clinic: “Observational studies suggest the diet can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 53 percent as well as slow cognitive decline and improve verbal memory.

“While both the MIND and Mediterranean diets yield similar reductions in Alzheimer’s risk, the MIND diet is more flexible.

“Consider targeting just one or two of the [eating] habits to improve your brain health.”

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The MIND diet also includes eating at least three servings of wholegrain each day, and eating at least six portions of green leafy vegetables every week.

Olive oil should be the primary cooking oil in your diet, and it’s important to avoid eating more than a single serving of cheese every week.

The diet also includes eating fish at least once a week, poultry at least twice a week, and red meat less than four times a week.

Alcohol should be limited to a single glass of wine or similar drink every day.

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There’s no certain way to prevent dementia from developing, but there are ways to lower your risk, said the NHS.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet should help to lower your chances of developing dementia.

It’s also important to do enough exercise. Everyone should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week.

There are around 850,000 people in the UK with dementia, and the condition affects one in every six people over 80 years old.

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