ISLAMABAD: Dementia is a disease that describes as a set of symptoms that may include memory loss and difficulties with thinking, problem-solving or language. These changes are often small to start with, but for someone with dementia they have become severe enough to affect daily life. A person with dementia may also experience changes in their mood or behaviour. According to new research, there is one simple thing older adults can do to help reduce their risk of dementia: eat their “five-a-day.” This disease is estimated to affect around 47.5 million people worldwide, and this number is expected to more than triple by 2050. In a study published in the journal Age and Ageing, researchers found that eating at least three portions of vegetables and two servings of fruits daily was associated with lower risk of dementia in older adults For this latest study, co-author Linda Lam – of the Department of Psychiatry at the Chinese University of Hong Kong – and colleagues set out to investigate whether adhering to the five-a-day recommendation is associated with reduced dementia risk. Compared with adults who did not adhere to WHO recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake, adults who consumed three servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits daily were found to be at lower risk of dementia development over 6 years. The results remained after accounting for a number of confounding factors, including age, smoking status, and the presence of other chronic diseases. The study was not designed to pinpoint the reasons why fruits and vegetables might lower dementia risk, but the researchers speak of one hypothesis. They explain that oxidative stress – an imbalance between free radical production and the body’s ability to counteract the toxic effects – and inflammation is believed to play a role in dementia. Fruits and vegetables contain vitamin B, vitamin E, and other nutrients with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that could help prevent such processes. Further research is needed to explore precisely how fruits and vegetables might lower dementia risk, but this current study sheds light on how much we need to consume to reap the rewards. Linda Lam said that “The findings of our study not only highlight the importance of consuming both fruits and vegetables in dementia prevention among older people, but also provide some insight into the daily amount of fruits and vegetables required for cognitive maintenance. As a public health promotion strategy, the need for a balanced diet on cognitive health should be duly emphasized in the older population.”