TDNet Discover

Background: Alzheimer’s disease is a debilitating and incurable disease that is rising in prevalence, effecting millions of people around the world. With medical treatments advancing, the role of diet and exercise are still unclear in the management of Alzheimer’s disease. Neither have specific recommendations for medical providers to give patients or families and it is pertinent to give an encompassing treatment plan when managing this complex disease. Objective: To determine if a change of diet or exercise is more efficacious in the prevention or management of older adults at risk or with Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: The evidence-based medicine literature review utilized the database EBSCOhost to search for studies relating to the clinical research question on March 9, 2019. Search phrases included: “Alzheimer’s AND diet NOT treatment," "Alzheimer’s AND physical activity” and “Diet and physical activity AND prevention of Alzheimer's." The search was limited to the last 10 years, human and peerreviewed sources in academic journals with full text availability. The initial search resulted in 41 articles. Titles and abstracts were independently reviewed by three researchers against the inclusion/exclusion criteria and the highest levels of evidence were selected. Results: After review of the article titles and abstracts, four articles, three systematic reviews and one metaanalysis, were selected for quantitative analysis. One systematic review found a statistically significant relationship between Alzheimer’s and diet. The meta-analysis found a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment with adherence to a Mediterranean diet. The second systematic review found an inconclusive relationship between physical activity and Alzheimer’s, but recommended diet inclusion in further research. The final systematic review found a decrease in Alzheimer’s risk with increased physical activity. Conclusions: An increase in both diet and exercise, concurrently and independently, have shown statistically significant ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE RISK REDUCTION 1 results for lowering the risk and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. It is strongly suggested that more research be completed in this area before specific diets or exercise routines can be recommended to patients.