Red Wine and Cheese May Cut

Alzheimer's Risk
January 30, 2021
8

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Health

Exercise 1
Vocabulary
genetic
Adjective
dʒəˈnɛtɪk
relating to genes that control the physical characteristics of an animal, plant, etc.
Cystic fibrosis is a common genetic disorder.

cognitive
Adjective
ˈkɑːgnɪtɪv
relating to the process of thinking and understanding
Cognitive science is the study of how the brain works.

body mass index

Noun
ˈbɑːdi mæs ɪndeks
a measurement of body fat based on a person's height and weight
A body mass index of over 25 is considered overweight.
associate
Verb
əˈsoʊʃiːˌeɪt
to connect two things in one's mind; to be connected or linked with something
Smoking is closely associated with many serious health problems.
lifestyle
Noun
ˈlaɪfstaɪl
the way in which a person, group, or culture typically lives
Good nutrition is an important part of a healthy  lifestyle.

decline
Noun
dɪˌklaɪn
a continuous decrease in amount, quality, etc.
There was a significant decline in sales during the first half of the year.

Exercise 2
Article
Red Wine and Cheese May Cut Alzheimer's Risk
A study from Iowa State University has found that wine and cheese parties
might actually be good for you. In fact, regularly having red wine and cheese
may reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, looked at almost

1,800 people in the UK aged 46 to 77.

Participants completed a Fluid Intelligence Test (FIT) and answered questions

about their diet at the start of the study and twice more over the next decade.
Fluid intelligence refers to people's ability to solve problems in new
situations. A greater decline in fluid intelligence as people age increases their
risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

After adjusting for lifestyle factors such as education, body mass index and
whether people smoked, the researchers found that consuming certain foods
and drinks was associated with better FIT scores over time.

Eating cheese and drinking alcohol — especially red wine — every day was
associated with better FIT scores. For some people, eating lamb once a week
was also associated with better scores.

Eating too much salt, however, was linked to a higher risk of developing
Alzheimer's disease, but only in those with a family history or a greater genetic
risk of developing the disease.

Principal investigator Auriel Willette said she was "pleasantly surprised" by the
results.

"I believe the right food choices can prevent the disease and cognitive decline
altogether," said another researcher, Brandon Klinedinst.  He said that
changing how we eat could reduce the number of people who develop the
disease.

As well as diet, studies have shown that other lifestyle changes may help to
reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.  These include maintaining
close relationships with others and staying mentally active.  People can stay
mentally active by doing things such as learning a language, playing a musical
instrument or doing puzzles.

Exercise 3
Discussion
1.
What are your thoughts on the findings of this study?
2.
Do you drink wine? If so, do you prefer red or white? If not, why not?
3.
Do you eat a lot of cheese? What are your favorite types?
4.
What type of meat do you eat the most of? Do you ever eat lamb?
5.
What would you serve if you were to host a dinner party?
Exercise 4
Further Discussion
1.
Would you say you eat too much salt? Why? Why not?
2.
In general, do you prefer sweet or salty foods? Why?
3.
Have you ever learned an instrument? If so, what inspired you to?
4.
What hobbies would you take up if you had more free time?
5.
Health is 80% choice and 20% luck. — Unknown. Do you agree?