Thousands of people adopt a vegetarian diet in the hope that it will improve them Health They.
But giving up meat and fish could prove harmful in later life, particularly in relation to the risk of dementia, new US research suggests.
Study on the nutrition of people over 65 years of age
Scientists at Loma Linda University Health in California have found that predominantly vegetarian diets are associated with a lower risk of disease in middle-aged people.
For those over 65, however, the opposite is true. according to the Daily Mail.
Researchers observed slightly higher risks among very elderly vegetarians for conditions such as stroke, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
However, when fish was added to the diet, this risk decreased significantly and was associated with a lower risk of death.
The study, published in August in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, used dietary data from 88,000 people aged 30 to 85 from Canada and the United States, including 12,500 deaths. Participants were recruited between 2002 and 2007 and followed up in 2015.
Participants were divided into five categories based on their diet: non-vegetarians, semi-vegetarians, pesco-vegetarians (those who ate fish), lacto-ovo-vegetarians (those who ate dairy products and eggs) and vegetarians.
What the study showed
Overall, those who followed a vegetarian diet had about a 12 percent lower dietary risk than meat eaters.
But people who followed a vegetarian diet but also ate fish (pesco-vegetarians) had an 18% lower risk of death.
The researchers also looked at the benefits of adding dairy and eggs to a vegetarian diet and found that this diet reduced the risk of death by an additional 15%. Vegetarians, who don’t eat any animal products, had only a 3 percent reduced risk of death.
However, the study found that although a vegetarian diet offered protection against the risk of death for middle-aged people, octogenarians did not see much benefit.
The study’s lead researcher, Professor Gary Fraser, explained that there is an increased risk of neurological disease among vegetarians aged over 80.
This may be because a vegetarian diet that doesn’t include fish may lack vital nutrients, such as fatty acids, which can help the brain.
Important omega-3s
The Mediterranean diet, which also includes the consumption of a variety of fruits and vegetables and fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel, is believed to be beneficial because it is rich in antioxidants.
The Alzheimer’s Company says this may help protect against some brain cell damage associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Adding fatty fish, rich in omega-3s, could also help brain health.
That’s because omega-3s, which are also a type of fat found in cell membranes, are important for the brain from development in the womb through adulthood.
It is believed that omega-3s may help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, which contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
According to the British Dietetic Association, Omega-3s are also found in eggs, nuts, seeds and nuts, but at much lower levels than in oily fish.