scholarly journals A Mediterranean Diet with Fresh, Lean Pork Improves Processing Speed and Mood: Cognitive Findings from the MedPork Randomised Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra T. Wade ◽  
Courtney R. Davis ◽  
Kathryn A. Dyer ◽  
Jonathan M. Hodgson ◽  
Richard J. Woodman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Red Meat ◽  
Mediterranean Population ◽  
Lean Pork

Abstract: Background: The Mediterranean diet may be capable of improving cognitive function. However, the red meat restrictions of the diet could impact long-term adherence in Western populations. The current study therefore examined the cognitive effects of a Mediterranean diet with additional red meat. Methods: A 24-week parallel crossover design compared a Mediterranean diet with 2–3 weekly servings of fresh, lean pork (MedPork) and a low-fat (LF) control diet. Thirty-five participants aged between 45 and 80 years and at risk of cardiovascular disease followed each intervention for 8 weeks, separated by an 8-week washout period. Cognitive function was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Psychological well-being was measured through the SF-36 Health Survey and mood was measured using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Results: During the MedPork intervention, participants consumed an average of 3 weekly servings of fresh pork. Compared to LF, the MedPork intervention led to higher processing speed performance (p = 0.01) and emotional role functioning (p = 0.03). No other significant differences were observed between diets. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that a Mediterranean diet inclusive of fresh, lean pork can be adhered to by an older non-Mediterranean population while leading to positive cognitive outcomes.

scholarly journals Brief psychotherapy in Alzheimer's disease

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alistair Burns ◽  
Else Guthrie ◽  
Federica Marino-Francis ◽  
Charlotte Busby ◽  
Julie Morris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Intervention ◽  
Interpersonal Therapy ◽  
Treatment As Usual ◽  
Affective Symptoms

BackgroundAlthough there is good evidence that interventions for carers of people with Alzheimer's disease can reduce stress, no systematic studies have investigated psychotherapeutic intervention for patients themselves. This may be important in the earlier stages of Alzheimer's disease, where insight is often preserved.AimsThe aim was to assess, in a randomised controlled trial, whether psychotherapeutic intervention could benefit cognitive function, affective symptoms and global well-being.MethodIndividuals were randomised to receive six sessions of psychodynamic interpersonal therapy or treatment as usual; cognitive function, activities of daily living, a global measure of change, and carer stress and coping were assessed prior to and after the intervention.ResultsNo improvement was found on the majority of outcome measures. There was a suggestion that therapy had improved the carers' reactions to some of the symptoms.ConclusionsThere is no evidence to support the widespread introduction of brief psychotherapeutic approaches for those with Alzheimer's disease. However, the technique was acceptable and helpful individually.

scholarly journals Effects of Mediterranean diet supplemented with lean pork on blood pressure and markers of cardiovascular risk: findings from the MedPork trial

2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (8) ◽  
pp. 873-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra T. Wade ◽  
Courtney R. Davis ◽  
Kathryn A. Dyer ◽  
Jonathan M. Hodgson ◽  
Richard J. Woodman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
High Adherence ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Lean Pork

AbstractThe Mediterranean diet offers a range of health benefits. However, previous studies indicate that the restricted consumption of red meat in the diet may affect long-term sustainability in non-Mediterranean countries. A 24-week randomised controlled parallel cross-over design compared a Mediterranean diet supplemented with 2–3 serves per week of fresh, lean pork (MedPork) with a low-fat control diet (LF). Thirty-three participants at risk of CVD followed each intervention for 8 weeks, with an 8-week washout period separating interventions. The primary outcome was home-measured systolic blood pressure. Secondary outcomes included diastolic blood pressure, fasting lipids, glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein (CRP), body composition and dietary adherence. During the MedPork intervention, participants achieved high adherence to dietary guidelines. Compared with the MedPork intervention, the LF intervention led to greater reductions in weight (Δ = −0·65; 95 % CI −0·04, −1·25 kg, P = 0·04), BMI (Δ = −0·25; 95 % CI −0·03, −0·47 kg/m2, P = 0·01) and waist circumference (Δ = −1·40; 95 % CI −0·45, −2·34 cm, P < 0·01). No significant differences were observed for blood pressure, lipids, glucose, insulin or CRP. These findings indicate that Australians are capable of adhering to a Mediterranean diet with 2–3 weekly serves of fresh, lean pork. Larger intervention studies are now required to demonstrate clinical efficacy of the diet in populations with elevated blood pressure.

The effect of cataract surgery on neuropsychological test performance: A randomized controlled trial

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 632-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAARIN J. ANSTEY ◽  
STEPHEN R. LORD ◽  
MICHAEL HENNESSY ◽  
PAUL MITCHELL ◽  
KATHERINE MILL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Cataract Surgery ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Test Performance ◽  
Visual Function ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Cross Sectional

Recent cross-sectional studies have reported strong associations between visual and cognitive function, and longitudinal studies have shown relationships between visual and cognitive decline in late life. Improvement in cognitive performance after cataract surgery has been reported in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment. We investigated whether improving visual function with cataract surgery would improve neuropsychological performance in healthy older adults. A randomized clinical trial of cataract surgery performed at acute hospitals was conducted on 56 patients (mean age 73) with bilateral cataract, after excluding a total of 54 patients at the screening stage, of whom 53 did not meet visual acuity criteria and one did not have cataract. In-home assessments included visual and neuropsychological function, computerized cognitive testing and health questionnaires. Results showed no cognitive benefits of cataract surgery in cognitively normal adults. We conclude that visual improvement following cataract surgery is not strongly associated with an improvement in neuropsychological test performance in otherwise healthy adults. Joint associations between visual and cognitive function in late life are likely to be due to central factors, and unlikely to be strongly related to eye disease. Short-term increased neural stimulation from improved visual function does not appear to affect cognitive performance. (JINS, 2006, 12, 632–639.)

scholarly journals The Mediterranean Diet and Cognitive Function among Healthy Older Adults in a 6-Month Randomised Controlled Trial: The MedLey Study

Nutrients ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alissa Knight ◽  
Janet Bryan ◽  
Carlene Wilson ◽  
Jonathan Hodgson ◽  
Courtney Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Randomised Controlled Trial ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Randomised Controlled

scholarly journals Development of a Questionnaire to Evaluate Older Adults’ Total Sedentary Time and Sedentary Time With Cognitive Activity

2021 ◽  
pp. 089198872110064
Author(s):  
Satoshi Kurita ◽  
Takehiko Doi ◽  
Kota Tsutsumimoto ◽  
Sho Nakakubo ◽  
Hideaki Ishii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Sedentary Time ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Measured Time ◽  
Validity Measures ◽  
Japanese Older Adults

This study aimed to develop a questionnaire for evaluating total sedentary time (ST) and ST with cognitive activity, and to examine the association between ST and cognitive function among Japanese older adults. The questionnaire to evaluate ST comprised 12 items regarding behavior in specific settings, including 8 items on ST with cognitive activity, in a usual week. Older adults aged ≥75 years who participated in a health check-up assessing cognitive function completed the developed questionnaire and subsequently wore an accelerometer and recorded a diary of ST with cognitive activity for a week as validity measures. Cognitive function was assessed with neuropsychological tests covering 4 domains: memory, attention, executive function, and processing speed. Fifty-two participants were included in the validity analysis. Spearman’s correlation coefficient indicated fair-to-good agreement between the questionnaire-measured and the diary-measured time for ST with cognitive activity (r = 0.59, p < 0.001), but this was not the case for total ST. Bland-Altman plots showed that the questionnaire-measured total ST contained proportional bias (r = 0.51, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis (n = 49) showed longer questionnaire-measured ST with cognitive activity was significantly associated with better neuropsychological test scores (attention: β = -0.38, p = 0.025; executive function: β = -0.46, p = 0.003; and processing speed: β = 0.31, p = 0.041), while total ST was not associated with better cognitive performance. The developed questionnaire showed acceptable validity to measure ST with cognitive activity, which was found to be protectively associated with cognitive function.

scholarly journals Mediterranean Diet Maintained Platelet Count within a Healthy Range and Decreased Thrombocytopenia-Related Mortality Risk: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 559
Author(s):  
Álvaro Hernáez ◽  
Camille Lassale ◽  
Sara Castro-Barquero ◽  
Emilio Ros ◽  
Anna Tresserra-Rimbau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Count ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Virgin Olive Oil ◽  
Hazard Ratio ◽  
High Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Related Mortality

There is little information on the dietary modulation of thrombosis-related risk factors such as platelet count. We aimed to assess the effects of Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) on platelet count and related outcomes in an older population at high cardiovascular risk. In participants of the PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) study, we assessed whether an intervention with a MedDiet enriched with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, relative to a low-fat control diet, modulated platelet count (n = 4189), the risk of developing thrombocytosis and thrombocytopenia (n = 3086), and the association between these alterations and all-cause mortality (median follow-up time: 3.0 years). Although platelet count increased over time (+0.98·109 units/L·year [95% confidence interval: 0.12; 1.84]), MedDiet interventions moderated this increase, particularly in individuals with near-high baseline count (both MedDiets combined: −3.20·109 units/L·year [−5.81; −0.59]). Thrombocytopenia incidence was lower in the MedDiet interventions (incidence rates: 2.23% in control diet, 0.91% in MedDiets combined; hazard ratio: 0.44 [0.23; 0.83]). Finally, thrombocytopenia was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 4.71 [2.69; 8.24]), but this relationship was attenuated in those allocated to MedDiet (p-interaction = 0.018). In brief, MedDiet maintained platelet counts within a healthy range and attenuated platelet-related mortality in older adults at high cardiovascular risk.

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