BEIJING, Aug. 13 — Long-term lifestyle habits as eating healthy diet and increasing physical activity levels can reduce the risk of mental decline in old age, according to reports Thursday quoting two new studies published this week.

The first study, conducted by Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University Medical Center, monitored 1,880 elderly people in New York City in a long term.

The study found that a Mediterranean-type diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, legumes and healthy fats, and physical activity was linked to less risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

The second study, a shorter-term observation of 1,410 patients in France, found some correlation between a Mediterranean diet and slower cognitive damage.

“There was an association between both a healthy diet and physical activity and reducing risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Nikolaos Scarmeas, the lead author of the first study.

From 1992 through 2006, researchers at Columbia University monitored 1,880 men and women without dementia every 18 months for diet, exercise and mental health. Those who ate well and exercised had a 60 percent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared with those who didn’t, according to the study.

Scarmeas suggested more people take up the traditional Mediterranean diet marked by high consumption of foods such as vegetables, legumes and cereals, served with olive oil, in addition to moderate fish, and participate in various physical activities every week. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/13/content_11875420.htm