研究表明，地中海式饮食减缓认知障碍

研究表明，地中海式饮食减缓认知障碍

Worried about your mental function during stressful times? You can reduce your risk for cognitive impairment by half if you closely follow the Mediterranean diet, known for its emphasis on vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil, according to two new studies.

在压力大的时候担心你的精神功能吗?根据两项新的研究，如果你严格遵循地中海饮食，你的认知障碍风险可以降低一半。地中海饮食以强调蔬菜、全谷物、鱼和橄榄油而闻名。

"People with the higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet had almost a 45% to 50% reduction in the risk of having an impaired cognitive function," said lead author Dr. Emily Chew, who directs the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications (DECA) at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.

马里兰州贝塞斯达国家眼科研究所流行病学和临床应用(DECA)部门的首席作者埃米莉·周博士说:“坚持地中海饮食的人认知功能受损的风险降低了45%到50%。”

"The evidence continues to mount that you are what you eat when it comes to brain health," said Dr. Richard Isaacson, who directs the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at NewYork-Presbyterian's Weill Cornell Medicine Center.

纽约长老会医院威尔·康奈尔医学中心阿尔茨海默病预防诊所主任理查德·艾萨克森博士说:“越来越多的证据表明，在大脑健康方面，饮食决定健康。”

"Anyone can take control of their brain health today and lower their risk of cognitive impairment through simple dietary choices," added Isaacson, who was not involved in the study.

“现在任何人都可以通过简单的饮食选择来控制自己的大脑健康，降低认知障碍的风险，”艾萨克森补充道，他没有参与这项研究。

Closely following the diet was defined as eating fish twice a week, as well as regularly consumingfruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and olive oil while reducing consumption of red meat and alcohol.

紧随其后的饮食被确定为每周吃两次鱼，以及定期食用水果、蔬菜、全谷物、坚果、豆类和橄榄油，同时减少红肉和酒精的摄入。

The risk for cognitive declineincreased as the levels of adherence dropped, Chew said.

周说，随着坚持(地中海饮食)水平的降低，认知能力下降的风险也会增加。

A long history of diet's effect on eyes

长期的(地中海式)饮食对眼睛的影响

The studies analyzed data from two major eye disease studies, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2. which followed the diets of some 8.000 people with and without macular degeneration over 10 years. Cognition was also tested at various intervals.

这项研究分析了两项主要的眼病研究的数据，即年龄相关性眼病研究(AREDS)和AREDS2.这两项研究对8000名患有和未患有黄斑变性的人的饮食进行了10年的跟踪调查。认知能力也在不同的时间间隔进行测试。

Why would researchers use an eye study to investigate the effect of diet on cognition?

为什么研究人员要用眼部研究来调查饮食对认知的影响?

"The retina is an extension of the brain," Chew said. "A third of your brain functions for vision and the retina lines the eyeball and travels back via an optic nerve all the way to the brain."

“视网膜是大脑的延伸，”周说。“你大脑的三分之一用于视觉，视网膜排列在眼球上，并通过视神经一路返回大脑。”

That's why it made sense that any antioxidants which might improve the retina might also improve the brain, she said.

这就是为什么任何可能改善视网膜的抗氧化剂也可能改善大脑的原因，她说。

"We thought, 'well, you know, we probably should look at oxidative stress and diet for cataracts and macular degeneration.' It turns out that it was an important study," Chew said.

“我们想，‘嗯，你知道，我们可能应该看看氧化应激和饮食对白内障和黄斑变性的影响。事实证明，这是一项重要的研究。

Early results from AREDS, published in 2001. found that people who ate diets high in fish and vegetables had less age-related macular degeneration over time. That's because of two important antioxidants that are not naturally produced in the body: lutein and zeaxanthin.

2001年发表的AREDS的早期结果发现，随着时间的推移，以鱼和蔬菜为主的饮食的人患老年性黄斑变性的几率较低。这是因为两种重要的抗氧化剂不是在人体内自然产生的:叶黄素和玉米黄质。

How to start the Mediterranean diet

如何开始地中海式饮食

Want to jump on the Mediterranean diet bandwagon and protect your brain as well as your eyes?

想要跟随地中海饮食潮流，保护你的大脑和眼睛吗?

Experts say the easiest way to start is to replace one thing at a time. For example, replace refined grains with whole grains by choosing whole wheat bread and pasta and swapping white rice with brown or wild rice.

专家表示，最简单的方法是一次更换一种食物。例如，用全谷物代替精制谷物，选择全麦面包和意大利面，用糙米或野生米代替白米。

Cook one meal each week based on beans, whole grains and vegetables,. No meat allowed.

每周做一顿饭，以豆类、全谷物和蔬菜为主。不要吃肉。

On the Mediterranean diet, cheese and yogurt show up daily to weekly, in moderate portions; chicken and eggs are okay on occasion, but the use of other meats and sweets is very limited.

在地中海饮食中，奶酪和酸奶每天到每周出现，分量适中;鸡肉和鸡蛋有时是可以的，但其他肉类和甜食的使用是非常有限的。

When you eat meat, have small amounts. For a main course, that means no more than 3 ounces of chicken or lean meat. Better yet: Use small pieces of chicken or slices of lean meat to flavor a veggie-based meal, such as a stir fry.

当你吃肉的时候，吃少量。对于主菜，这意味着不超过3盎司的鸡肉或瘦肉。更好的方法是：用小块鸡肉或瘦肉片来为素食餐调味，比如炒菜。

Fish is king in the Mediterranean diet, and is eaten at least twice a week.

鱼是地中海饮食之王，每周至少吃两次。

"Fatty fish like wild salmon, sardines, albacore tuna, lake trout and mackerel are loaded with brain healthy Omega-3 fatty acids which nourish the brain cells," Isaacson said.

他说:“像野生鲑鱼、沙丁鱼、长鳍金枪鱼、湖鳟鱼和鲭鱼等富含脂肪的鱼类富含有益大脑健康的-3脂肪酸，可以滋养脑细胞。”

Focus on fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. Add whole grains and fruit to every meal, but use nuts and seeds as a garnish or small snack due to their high calorie and fat content.

多吃水果、蔬菜、谷物、坚果和种子。每餐加入全谷物和水果，但使用坚果和种子作为装饰或小点心，因为它们的热量和脂肪含量高。

Eat a lot of veggies and use all kinds and colors to get the broadest range of nutrients, phytochemicals and fiber. Cook, roast or garnish them with herbs and a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

多吃蔬菜，用各种各样的颜色来获取最广泛的营养、植物化学物质和纤维。烹调、烘烤或用香草和一点特级初榨橄榄油装饰。

If fish is the king, olive oil is the queen in the Mediterranean diet -- stay away from coconut and palm oil, experts say. Even though they are plant-based, those oils are high in saturated fats that will raise bad cholesterol.

专家说，如果鱼是国王，那么橄榄油就是地中海饮食中的女王，远离椰子油和棕榈油。尽管这些油是植物性的，但它们富含饱和脂肪，会增加有害胆固醇。

Adopting the fare of the sunny region will also help with healthy weight loss, while reducing the risk for diabetes, depression, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

选择阳光充足的地区也有助于健康减肥，同时降低患糖尿病、抑郁症、高胆固醇、心脏病、中风和一些癌症的风险。