March 14, 2023 – Following a strict Mediterranean eating regimen – wealthy in healthy fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and seafood – may help protect the aging brain.
A big study of older adults found that strict adherence to a Mediterranean eating regimen over a median period of nine years resulted in a 23% lower risk of developing dementia.
This was even true for individuals who carried genes that made them more vulnerable to dementia, study researcher Dr. Oliver Shannon of Newcastle University in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, tells WebMD.
The study was published online within the journal on March 14 BMC Medicine.
Diet may be a very important risk factor for dementia. A targeted eating regimen and healthier eating could reduce or at the very least prevent the chance of this memory disorder. However, previous studies on the consequences of the Mediterranean eating regimen have mostly been limited and only just a few have examined the influence of genetic predisposition.
In the brand new study, researchers examined genetic and dietary data from greater than 60,000 adults within the United Kingdom who were 60 years or older. Over the course of about 9 years, 882 of them developed dementia.
People who ate a predominantly Mediterranean eating regimen had a 23% lower risk of dementia than those that adhered least closely to the eating regimen plan. Those who strictly followed the predominantly plant-based eating regimen reduced their risk of dementia by 0.55%.
This applied no matter an individual’s individual genetic risk profile.
“This is one of the largest studies to date in this area and, importantly, we found that even in people with a higher genetic risk, a more Mediterranean-like diet reduces the risk of developing dementia,” says Shannon.
Susan Mitchell, PhD of Alzheimer's Research UK, who was not involved within the study, said in a press release that there may be “a wealth of evidence that a healthy, balanced diet can reduce the risk of cognitive decline. But the evidence for specific diets is much less clear.”
“This new, large-scale study adds to that overall picture, but relied only on data from people of white, British or Irish descent,” she said.
“More research is needed to build on the fascinating findings and determine whether the reported benefits translate to minority communities where dementia has historically been misunderstood and highly stigmatized, and where awareness of how people can reduce their risk is low,” Mitchell said.
The latest study complements research published earlier this monthwhich found that individuals who most closely followed the Mediterranean eating regimen or the brain-focused MIND eating regimen had fewer signs of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease of their brains after they died.