Adapted from an article from the American Academy of Neurology, May 6, 2021
Eating a Mediterranean diet that is rich in fish, vegetables, and olive oil may protect your brain from protein buildup and shrinkage that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study. The research is published in the May 5, 2021, online issue of Neurology.
The study looked at abnormal proteins called amyloid and tau. Amyloid is a protein that forms into plaques, while tau is a protein that forms into tangles. Both are found in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease but may also be found in the brains of older people with normal cognition.
The Mediterranean diet includes high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits, cereals, fish, and monounsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil, and low intake of saturated fatty acids, dairy products, and meat.
“Our study suggests that eating a diet that’s high in unsaturated fats, fish, fruits and vegetables, and low in dairy and red meat may actually protect your brain from the protein buildup that can lead to memory loss and dementia,” said study author Tommaso Ballarini, PhD, of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn, Germany. “These results add to the body of evidence that show what you eat may influence your memory skills later on.”
The study involved 512 people. Of those, 169 were cognitively normal, while 343 were identified as being at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers looked at how closely people followed the Mediterranean diet based on their answers to a questionnaire asking how much they ate of 148 items over the previous month. People who often ate healthy foods typical of the Mediterranean diet, like fish, vegetables, and fruit, and only occasionally ate foods not typical of the Mediterranean diet like red meat, received the highest scores, for a maximum score of nine.
Cognitive skills were assessed with an extensive test set for Alzheimer’s disease progression that looked at five different functions, including language, memory, and executive function. All the participants had brain scans to determine their brain volume. In addition, the spinal fluid of 226 study participants was tested for amyloid and tau protein biomarkers.
Researchers then looked at how closely someone followed the Mediterranean diet, and the relationship to their brain volume, tau and amyloid biomarkers, and cognitive skills. After adjusting for factors like age, sex, and education, researchers found that in the area of the brain most closely associated with Alzheimer’s disease, each point lower people scored on the Mediterranean diet scale equated to almost one year of brain aging.
When looking at amyloid and tau in people’s spinal fluid, those who did not follow the diet closely had higher levels of biomarkers of amyloid and tau pathology than those who did. When it came to a test of memory, people who did not follow the diet closely scored worse than those who did.
“More research is needed to show the mechanism by which a Mediterranean diet protects the brain from protein buildup and loss of brain function, but findings suggest that people may reduce their risk for developing Alzheimer’s by incorporating more elements of the Mediterranean diet into their daily diets,” Ballarini said.
Reference: Ballarini T, van Len DM, Brunner J, et al. Mediterranean diet, Alzheimer disease biomarkers and brain atrophy in old age. Neurology. 2021; doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000012067
Maiale con Salsa Verde (Pork with Green Sauce) Recipe, Spotlight on Parsley, Boosting Flavor with Leftovers, and Learn More About Resveratrol
One of the things I love most about traveling the globe is tasting how each cuisine puts its own spin on the universal foods we love—breads, dumplings, sausages…and green sauce! Some cuisines, such as Mexican salsa verde and Argentinian chimichurri, are known the world over, while others are waiting to be discovered. To my delight, on one of my many trips to Italy, I experienced their version, redolent with anchovy and capers—so delizioso that I’m sharing it with you here. It’s so versatile, too, delicious on all types of meat and seafood. Let it inspire you to try your hand at creating your own herb-based sauces—the basic elements are leafy herbs such as parsley or cilantro, onions or garlic, olive oil, and an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar, plus spices that include one form or another of red pepper for a nice kick.
Italian cuisine is synonymous with pasta and pizza, but pork is also a favorite in Italy. Pork tenderloin is the leanest cut of the pig, on a par with skinless chicken breasts. Because tenderloins have little fat and typically weigh only a pound, they cook quickly and can quickly dry out if they cook too long, so set your timer as soon as you pop them into the oven.
Italian cuisine is synonymous with pasta and pizza, but pork is also a favorite in Italy. Pork tenderloin is the leanest cut of the pig, on a par with skinless chicken breasts. Because tenderloins have little fat and typically weigh only a pound, they cook quickly and can quickly dry out if they cook too long, so set your timer as soon as you pop them into the oven.
Ingredients
For the pork:
2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt to taste
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
For the salsa verde:
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
1 anchovy fillet, coarsely chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons drained brined capers
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt to taste
Coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Trim off any fat and silverskin from the pork tenderloins and rub all sides with extra virgin olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large cast iron or other oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the tenderloins until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side, 8 minutes in all. Place the skillet with the meat in the oven. Roast the tenderloins until the internal temperature registers 145°F, about 10 to 12 minutes or as needed. (The meat will still be slightly pink inside. Roast longer if you prefer your pork more done, but don’t overdo.) Let cool slightly before slicing.
Step 2
To make the salsa verde, combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and run the machine until the ingredients are well combined.
Step 3
Carve the pork tenderloin into 1/2-inch slices and arrange them on a platter. Drizzle some of the sauce over the meat and pass the rest.
Yields 6 servings.
Healthy Ingredient Spotlight
Parsley
Parsley is one of the unsung heroes of the herb garden. Of course, I mean flat leaf or Italian parsley, not the curly leaf variety, which has very little flavor. It’s a disservice to parsley to treat it as a garnish to brighten a plate since it can really brighten the food itself. It makes the perfect base for many sauces and dressings and is a great finishing touch to chicken and pasta dishes when it’s incorporated during the last minute of cooking. A key ingredient in the Middle Eastern classic tabbouleh, parsley can be a tasty addition to most salads, not only because of its flavor but also because of its nutrients. Parsley is a rich source of vitamin K and a good source of vitamins A and C. It has fewer than 4 carbs per cupful, and half of them are fiber (that means only 2 net carbs!). When parsley is fresh, you’ll be able to easily inhale its aroma, which is milder than the other great flat-leaf herb, cilantro.
Healthy Kitchen Nugget
Flavor-Boosting with Anchovies
Wondering what to do with leftover anchovies? Think of an anchovy fillet as a flavor booster—it won’t add a fishy taste. Caesar salad dressing isn’t the only dressing that benefits from anchovies—add a fillet to the mix the next time you whip up your favorite recipe. But don’t stop there. Add an anchovy to the pan when you sauté garlic or onions, especially when building flavors for a rich tomato sauce. For ease of use, buy jarred rather than canned anchovies. But if you find that you really only use them occasionally, get a tube of anchovy paste instead. Like tomato paste in a tube, it’s handy when you only need a small amount. A half teaspoon of paste equals one whole anchovy.
For Your Best Health
Resveratrol
A blog post from Joe Schwarcz, PhD, director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, whose mission is “separating sense from nonsense,” may have you reevaluating your wine intake. Dr. Schwarcz puts into perspective all the hoopla surrounding resveratrol, the compound in grapes and red wine that has been looked at for potential anti-cancer and heart-health properties. Cell cultures and research on rodents, worms, and the like has shown benefits, but even if resveratrol had all the same effects on people, we would need to drink “about a hundred bottles of wine to approach the amount of resveratrol fed to the mice,” writes Dr. Schwarcz.
Is the answer then to take the resveratrol supplements that have flooded the market? “More than 20,000 papers later, in spite of the plethora of laboratory and animal studies, human clinical trials, and speculation about theoretical mechanisms of action, it is still not possible to say yay or nay about taking resveratrol supplements. On the positive side, there have been no safety issues with doses as high as 5 grams. That’s comforting because if there is to be any beneficial effect from resveratrol, it will have to come from supplements. At some point, I wish we could end such articles with something other than ‘more research is needed,’ but unfortunately, this is not that time. As far as that glass of wine with supper goes, there is a good reason for drinking it. The taste. And the pleasant after-effects,” Dr. Schwarcz concludes. You can read the entire post here.
Fitness Flash
The Tremendous Benefits of Exercise
Exercise Is Medicine® is an initiative launched back in 2007 by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Medical Association to make physical activity and exercise a standard part of disease prevention and treatment in the US, and to encourage primary care physicians to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. But, all these years later, too many annual doctor visits don’t even touch on the subject.
That’s unfortunate considering the tremendous health benefits seen with even low levels of exercise—as ACSM points out, the amount of exercise needed to benefit health is much lower than the amount needed for fitness (though that should be a goal, too!). Regular exercise at moderate to high intensity reduces the risk of heart disease by 40%, stroke by 27%, and the incidence of diabetes and of high blood pressure by almost 50%. It can lower the risk for certain cancers and of developing Alzheimer’s disease as well as decrease depression as effectively as Prozac or therapy. All this means that you shouldn’t leave your next doctor visit without getting an assessment of your current physical activity level and an appropriate prescription for an exercise program or a referral to a qualified fitness professional who can design one for you.
If you want a preview of how ready you are to exercise on your own, check out the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire, with its general and follow-up health questions. Use your results to initiate a conversation on exercise with your doctor.
Grilled Skirt Steak with Salsa Verde Recipe, Spotlight on Indoor Herb Gardens, the Power of Protein-Rich Foods and Weight Training
Americans have had a love affair with the backyard grill for nearly 100 years, and you have carmaker Henry Ford to thank. Back in the day, wood was used in various components of the Model T, and the milling left quite a lot of scrap. Ford found a way to capitalize on the waste, using a formula developed by a chemist for combining it with tar and cornstarch and turning it into lumps. Ford marketed the new product as briquettes, and they were soon being sold in grilling kits at car dealerships, adding another facet to the adventurous American lifestyle he had pioneered.
As grilling (and smoking) meat has been elevated to a culinary art, many chefs have turned to natural hardwoods, not just as a flavor enhancer but also as a full alternative to Ford’s invention. I prefer hardwood lump charcoal to briquettes because they don’t contain any additives. Above all, you want to stay away from briquettes labeled “fast-starting” because they contain lighter fluid—in fact, lighter fluid shouldn’t have any place in grilling. (The Healthy Kitchen Nugget below has more on how to use hardwood.)
If you love to grill like I do, you probably don’t limit yourself to summer BBQs. Here’s a perfect dish for a crisp fall evening.
Ingredients
For the salsa verde:
1-1/2 cups packed flat-leaf parsley
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup capers, drained
1 to 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the steak:
One 2-pound skirt steak
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Step 1
To make the salsa verde, roughly chop the parsley and place it, along with the olive oil, capers, anchovies (if using), vinegar, garlic and lemon juice and zest, in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse until the parsley is well chopped, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a gravy boat or a small bowl and set aside.
Step 2
Set up your grill or grill pan for indirect grilling, and heat it to medium-high. Generously season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Grill for about 3 minutes per side, or until done to your liking. Let rest for 2 minutes before carving thinly against the grain. Serve with the salsa verde.
Quick kitchen hack: Carving the right way is key with certain cuts of meat, like skirt or flank steak. Whether you see it described as “on the diagonal,” “on a bias” or “against the grain,” it means the same thing—slicing in the direction opposite the meat’s muscle fibers. So, if you’re looking at your steak and the fibers are running vertically from top to bottom, you want to slice horizontally or across from side to side. The reason is simple: This creates a more tender chew.
Healthy Ingredient Spotlight
Indoor Herb Gardens
If your outdoor herb garden is nearing its end or if you don’t have one at all, it’s time to start growing herbs indoors. Parsley for my salsa verde is a great first choice, and then consider basil, cilantro and rosemary for a versatile mix.
All you need are a few steps to replicate the outdoor conditions that herbs like. Because even a sunny windowsill doesn’t get a full 14 or so hours of summer-style daylight once fall arrives, grow lights are a great help. You can get a simple floor or desk model to shine on your plants or go full board with a stacking modular shelf and light system that can support racks of plants (to see one example, check out gardeners.com).
Starting new plants from seeds will give them a healthy advantage if you think you’ll move them outdoors come spring. But it’s easier (and faster) to buy small transplants if you want a head start. According to University of Maryland Extension, a good rule of (green) thumb is to use two parts of soilless potting mixture and one part of perlite. If space allows, grow each herb in its own pot—that way, you can water each one with the right frequency. Make sure your containers have drainage holes and sit in a dish or tray to catch any excess water. Keep your plants away from drafts as well as heat vents. Mist them every day to create some humidity, especially if the air in your home is dry. Be patient before cutting in order to give your herbs time to take hold. And when you do clip some sprigs, resist taking more than a third of the plant at one time. Find out more here.
Healthy Kitchen Nugget
Grilling Tip: Chimney Starter
My friend Steven Raichlen, the ultimate grill master, has an amazing website called barbecuebible.com, where he details the best ways to get your grill fire going. The secret is a chimney starter, a metal cylinder or box with two sections, one for the charcoal and the other for a wad of newspaper. Place the loaded chimney starter on the bottom grate of your grill, light the newspaper and, in 15 to 20 minutes, the charcoal will be ready to go.
For Your Best Health
Protein-Rich Foods
Protein-rich foods don’t just taste great, but they’re also the body’s building blocks, keeping muscles strong and helping us stay vital and independent. But did you know that our protein needs increase as we get older and that eating more of it has many benefits?
One study, published in the journal Nutrients, found that people who eat between 20% and 50% more than the standard suggested daily amount (that’s technically .36 grams for every pound you weigh) have greater lower-body strength and a faster walking speed.
Another study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, compared protein intake among its participants and found that those who ate the most protein had less risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those who ate the least. The researchers pegged an ideal amount at about 120 grams of protein a day.
The top highest protein-rich foods are lean beef, pork, lamb, turkey, chicken, fish and shellfish, with about 7 grams per ounce; eggs, with 6 grams each; edamame, lentils and beans, with 8-9 grams per half cup; milk and yogurt, with about 8 grams per 8 ounces; and nuts, with 4-6 grams per ounce, according to Hopkins Medicine.
Fitness Flash
Weight Training
Diet is only one part of the health equation. Exercise is the other. While cardio workouts are vital, you might not be getting the weight training that you need for optimal strength. If the idea of working out with weights doesn’t appeal to you, research published in Sage Open Medicine points out that resistance bands can be just as effective. And a research review in the journal Sports Medicine found that we can get great gains, particularly in arms and legs, from these stretchy pieces of elastic, even later in life. The bands come in a variety of tensions, so you can easily increase the difficulty as you gain strength to keep those gains coming.
Some olive oils fight heart disease and cognitive decline. But to get the greatest benefit, you need to pick the right stuff
Reprinted from an article in AARP Bulletin by Clint Carter, April 2020
In normal times, Italians outlive Americans by an average of four years. But in the Sicani Mountain region of Sicily, marked by rolling hills covered with olive trees, the locals live past 100 at a rate more than four times greater than Italy as a whole.
Sicani Mountain villagers eat a Mediterranean diet, snacking on olives and using the fruit’s oil to prepare dinner. As a result, their arteries are as supple as those of people 10 years younger, researchers say.
“We’ve known for 50 or 60 years that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for health, but olive oil is emerging as the most important ingredient,” says Domenico Praticò, MD, director of the Alzheimer’s Center at Temple University. Among people in olive-growing regions, the incidences of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and even cognitive decline are very low.
How Olive Oil Offers Hope
Praticò and others have been exploring the effect of extra-virgin olive oil, or EVOO, on the brain. They’ve discovered that compounds in the fat of this high-grade oil can flush out proteins that gum up the communication channels between brain cells. That might delay, and even possibly reverse, Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
One compound that seems to drive this effect is an olive-derived polyphenol called oleocanthal. In animal studies at Auburn University, oleocanthal demonstrated an ability to “rinse out” amyloids, which form the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s. In mice EVOO can “flush out” tau, a protein that hinders language skills and memory in humans.
Buyer, Beware!
But not all the EVOO sold at the supermarket is as potent as the oil that researchers use to “flush out” neurotoxins. In lab tests more than half of imported EVOO purchased at retail failed to meet standards of quality and flavor (a marker of antioxidant content) established by the Madrid-based International Olive Council. In a 2015 analysis from the National Consumers League, 6 in 11 EVOOs obtained from reputable stores such as Safeway and Whole Foods failed the extra virgin test. They were either mislabeled or had degraded during shipping and storage. So what does all this mean? You need to know a few shopping tricks if you want to get all the protection that EVOO offers to the centenarians of the Sicani Mountains.
