BEIJING, April 13 — A certain diet rich in fish, fruit and nuts may sharply reduce the chance of developing Alzheimer’s, a new study suggested on Tuesday.

The study, published in the online edition of the journal Archives of Neurology, found that people who ate nutrients specifically selected for brain health had a 40 percent lower risk of developing the Alzheimer’s disease compared with others.

In the study, researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York observed 2,148 adults aged over 65 who did not have Alzheimer’s. Participants provided information about their diets and were assessed for the development of dementia for an average of four years.

During the study, 253 of these test subjects developed the disease.

The study found the foods associated with reduced Alzheimer’s risk consist of more olive oil-based salad dressing, nuts, fish, tomatoes, poultry, fruits, and dark, leafy green vegetables, and less red meat, organ meat or high-fat dairy products.

Alzheimer’s is a mind-robbing form of dementia. More than 26 million people in the world are now suffering from this disease.

Current treatments can only help relieve some symptoms of Alzheimer’s, but cannot reverse its course.

Because there are no cures, prevention is key, especially as the population ages, said Yian Gu, an Alzheimer’s disease researcher behind the study.

“Diet is probably the easiest way to modify disease risk,” she added. 

On Xinhua Web site: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-04/13/c_13249168.htm