I regularly refer to and recommend a healthy lifestyle. Soon I will have my own book available that makes just what that means very clear and lays out a plan for achieving it. For now though, I was interested to see a study that supports a link between following a healthy lifestyle and prevention of Alzheimer's Disease.

The study, published in the Annals of Neurology (April 18, 2006), found a strong link between consuming what is widely referred to as a Mediterranean diet and reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's. Indeed, lead author Nikolaos Scarmeas of Columbia University Medical Center claimed that: "Higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease."

The Mediterranean diet is rich in cereals, fruits, legumes and whole grains, fish and olive oil. It has previously been linked to less heart disease, protection against some cancers and longer life. The diet’s main nutritional components include beta-carotene, vitamin C, tocopherols, polyphenols, and essential minerals. This is a great start in my opinion.

Interestingly, a close approximation to the Mediterranean diet provided a 40 per cent lower risk of Alzheimer’s compared with a poor approximation or not really following the diet. The association was still significant if the researchers adjusted the results to account for factors like age, gender, ethnicity, BMI and smoking.

The study design is not without some weaknesses but I would rate them as unimportant. It should be noted that the research involved already elderly subjects and followed them for only about four years. It would be interesting to study younger people over a much longer period but it makes much more sense, for lots of reasons, to simply have everyone switch from the typical American diet, which is lethal, to the Mediterranean diet, and then to refine it in ways I'll make clear in my book.

Alzheimer's is not the only disease we all would do well to avoid. However, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and currently affects over 13 million people worldwide. The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimer care is over $100 billion in the US alone. The direct cost of Alzheimer care in the UK is estimated at £15 billion (€ 22 billion). So whether motivated by health or monetary reasons, taking preventative action makes a lot of sense.