Seafarers’ Society salutes healthy diet

This follows new research which has found having a healthy heart can help prevent dementia in later life.

The Royal Alfred Seafarers Society, which provides dedicated accommodation to retired seafarers and non-seafarers, is urging people to take care of their hearts after a recent study found those who are obese in middle age are four times more likely to develop dementia in their later years.

Around 750,000 people are living with dementia in the UK, a figure which research has shown could be reduced if people took better care of their hearts early in life. A study, published in the journal Neurology, has examined the height and weight records of more than 8,500 people over the age of 65 and found that those who had been overweight in middle age were 80% more likely to be diagnosed with dementia in later life. Those classed as clinically obese were 300% more at risk of developing the disease.

To promote the importance of maintaining a healthy heart, chefs from The Royal Alfred Seafarers Society kitchen have produced a free collection of recipes in the spirit of ‘Healthy Hearts, Healthy Minds’, available free to download from www.royalalfredseafarers.com and packed full of heart and mind boosting ingredients from sea bass to spinach.