Abstract. Sofi F, Valecchi D, Bacci D, Abbate R, Gensini GF, Casini A, Macchi C (Centro S. Maria agli Ulivi, Onlus IRCCS; Thrombosis Centre, University of Florence; Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy). Physical activity and risk of cognitive decline: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. J Intern Med 2011; 269: 107-117.Objective. The relationship between physical activity and cognitive function is intriguing but controversial. We performed a systematic meta-analysis of all the available prospective studies that investigated the association between physical activity and risk of cognitive decline in nondemented subjects.Methods. We conducted an electronic literature search through MedLine, Embase, Google Scholar, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library and bibliographies of retrieved articles up to January 2010. Studies were included if they analysed prospectively the association between physical activity and cognitive decline in nondemented subjects.Results. After the review process, 15 prospective studies (12 cohorts) were included in the final analysis.These studies included 33 816 nondemented subjects followed for 1-12 years. A total of 3210 patients showed cognitive decline during the follow-up. The cumulative analysis for all the studies under a random-effects model showed that subjects who performed a high level of physical activity were significantly protected ()38%) against cognitive decline during the follow-up (hazard ratio (HR) 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.54-0.70; P < 0.00001). Furthermore, even analysis of low-to-moderate level exercise also showed a significant protection ()35%) against cognitive impairment (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.57-0.75; P < 0.00001).Conclusion. This is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the role of physical activity on cognitive decline amongst nondemented subjects. The present results suggest a significant and consistent protection for all levels of physical activity against the occurrence of cognitive decline.

Objective: To update previous meta-analyses of cohort studies that investigated the association between the Mediterranean diet and health status and to utilize data coming from all of the cohort studies for proposing a literature-based adherence score to the Mediterranean diet. Design: We conducted a comprehensive literature search through all electronic databases up to June 2013. Setting: Cohort prospective studies investigating adherence to the Mediterranean diet and health outcomes. Cut-off values of food groups used to compute the adherence score were obtained. Subjects: The updated search was performed in an overall population of 4 172 412 subjects, with eighteen recent studies that were not present in the previous meta-analyses. Results: A 2-point increase in adherence score to the Mediterranean diet was reported to determine an 8 % reduction of overall mortality (relative risk 5 0?92; 95 % CI 0?91, 0?93), a 10 % reduced risk of CVD (relative risk 5 0?90; 95 % CI 0?87, 0?92) and a 4 % reduction of neoplastic disease (relative risk 5 0?96; 95 % CI 0?95, 0?97). We utilized data coming from all cohort studies available in the literature for proposing a literature-based adherence score. Such a score ranges from 0 (minimal adherence) to 18 (maximal adherence) points and includes three different categories of consumption for each food group composing the Mediterranean diet. Conclusions: The Mediterranean diet was found to be a healthy dietary pattern in terms of morbidity and mortality. By using data from the cohort studies we proposed a literature-based adherence score that can represent an easy tool for the estimation of adherence to the Mediterranean diet also at the individual level.

Data collected in InCHIANTI will be used to identify the main risk factors that influence loss of the ability to walk in older persons, to define physiologic subsystems that are critical for walking, to select the best measures of their integrity, and to establish critical ranges in these measures that are compatible with "normal" walking ability. The final goal is to translate epidemiological research into a geriatric clinical tool that makes possible more precise diagnosis and more effective treatment in patients with walking dysfunction.

Insomnia is associated with an increased risk of developing and/or dying from cardiovascular disease.

Over the last decades, a considerable body of evidence supported the hypothesis that diet and dietary factors play a relevant role in the occurrence of diseases. To date, all the major scientific associations as well as the World Health Organization and the nonscientific organizations place an ever-increasing emphasis on the role of diet in preventing noncommunicable diseases. Many studies have evaluated the associations between food groups, foods, or nutrients and chronic diseases, and a consensus about the role of nutritional factors in the etiology of common diseases, such as cardiovascular and neoplastic diseases, has gradually emerged. Indeed, data from analytical and experimental studies indicated a relation between increased consumption of some food categories such as fruits and vegetables, fiber and whole grains, fish, and moderate consumption of alcohol and reduced risk of major chronic degenerative diseases, whereas increased total caloric intake, body weight, meat, and fats are associated with greater risk. However, the appropriate dietary strategy to prevent chronic degenerative diseases remains a challenging and a highly relevant issue. Recently, Mediterranean diet has been extensively reported to be associated with a favorable health outcome and a better quality of life. In the present review, we encompass the updated evidence of the beneficial effects of Mediterranean diet in the occurrence of major chronic degenerative diseases.