A Mediterranean diet can dramatically diminish the risk of getting Alzheimer's disease, shows a recent study conducted in New York. This serves as additional evidence that the Mediterranean diet, high in fruits, vegetables, cereals and low in meat and dairy products, is good for the health. 2,258 people over 65 years in one area of Manhattan, who did not suffer from dementia, participated in the study, being advised to maintain the diet for about 4 years. They were tested for dementia every 18 months, 262 individuals developing Alzheimer's disease during the study. The volunteers were also given scores between 0-9 on how close they respected the diet. People with the highest scores ate mainly vegetables, beans, cereals, fruit and nuts, with moderate amounts of fish and only small quantities of meat and dairy products each day. They also consumed a moderate amount of alcohol, about 2 glasses of red whine a day. The risk of dementia for those who strictly followed the diet was 39% to 40% lower, while for those with average scores, a decreased Alzheimer's risk of 15% to 21%. Nikolaos Scarmeas, Columbia University, said the study shows that "an overall dietary pattern is likely to have a greater effect on health than a single nutrient." Previous research on the disease only focused on dietary components or nutrients, such as vitamins C and E, flavonoids, total fats, and fish, often showing conflicting results. The Mediterranean diet was also associated with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, several forms of cancer, and overall mortality.