Was Vergil Wrong?
Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.
(”Whatever this may be, I fear the Greeks even when they’re bringing gifts.”)
-The Aeneid, Book II
Following a diet consisting mainly of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, beans, nuts, pasta and breads (known as the Mediterranean Diet) seems to not only reduce the risk of developing heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and certain types of cancer, but also Alzheimer’s disease.
In a study published in the Annals of Neurology, 2,258 individuals without baseline dementia “were prospectively evaluated every 18 months for an average of four years. The primary outcome was the rate of decline in cognition as assessed at each study visit…During the course of the study 262 individuals were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.”
262 persons out of 2,258 developed dementia? Let’s hope that isn’t the national rate, otherwise we had better start reading the classics now before it’s too late.
“Adherence to the diet remained the main predictor [for avoiding dementia] even after adjustment for cohort, age, sex, ethnicity, education… [etc.].
The hypothesis is that the the monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and the antioxidants contained within fruits and vegetables all contribute to a general cleansing of the blood vessels of cholesterol and fat, thereby reducing atherogenesis and thus the incidence of coronary heart disease. They also provide nutrition without promoting obesity, lower blood pressure and reduce the incidence of breast and colorectal cancer.
What is the take home message of this research? Dr. Nikolaos Scarmeas of Columbia University, one of the authors of the study, said it most clearly: “An overall dietary pattern is likely to have a greater effect on health than a single nutrient.”
Does everyone understand that sentence? It is so essential to promoting good health that I feel compelled to put it into the vernacular:
“STOP EATING JUNK FOOD, YOU FATTIES!”
Ahem…using more scholarly language, the point I’m trying to make is that we cannot ever hope to lose weight and avoid the ravages of heart disease and cancer just by adding a bran muffin or a Diet Pepsi to our cheeseburger-doughnut-frothy-latte-ice-cream diet. In order to truly live with respect for our bodies, in order to truly fulfill the wish within our hearts, our souls and our compos mentis minds for a long and healthy life, we need to change the way we look at food. Whether standing over the steam tables at Sunday brunch, or lovingly fingering a menu at Alain Ducasse, it is our responsibility to think before we choose. Just as a little child is taught to avoid eating certain items, such as bleach, we can train our adult selves to avoid stuffing our adorable little Kewpie doll-like figures with foodstuffs that are certainly as pernicious to our health as a bottle of great-grandma’s homemade cough syrup.
Even the heartiest of trenchermen, with a little counseling and friendly persuasion, can learn to like the Mediterranean Diet. Why not give it a try?
You might even try a glass of red wine with your Tagliatelle al Pomodoro Fresco. Salut!
