Mediterranean diet, exercise can cut risk of Alzheimer’s

MEDITERRANEAN diet, regular physical activity and a normal body mass index can reduce the incidence of protein build-ups that are associated with the onset of Alzheimer's disease, says a study.

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The findings showed that each one of several lifestyle factors - a healthy body mass index, physical activity and a Mediterranean diet - were linked to lower levels of plaques and tangles on the brain scans.

Plaque, deposits of a toxic protein called beta-amyloid in the spaces between nerve cells in the brain; and tangles, knotted threads of the tau protein found within brain cells, are considered the key indicators of Alzheimer's.