Mediterranean Diet Associated With Decreased Risk of Dementia

Mediterranean Diet Associated With Decreased Risk of Dementia.Eating a Mediterranean diet full of whole foods like fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts and healthy fats can protect your aging brain. That’s according to a large study published in the journal BMC Medicine.

Researchers studied 60,298 people from the UK Biobank who were followed for almost a decade. They scored individuals based on how closely their diet matched key features of a Mediterranean one.
Dietary Patterns

In a prospective cohort of elderly, dietary patterns were associated with a decreased risk of dementia. These results suggest that a healthy lifestyle is an important factor for cognitive health and could play an important role in dementia prevention.

Moreover, the associations between diet quality and cognition in our sample were most pronounced in memory, language and executive functions. However, some of these effects attenuated when individuals with cognitive impairment were excluded.

In model 1, higher adherence to the ‘Vegetables’ dietary pattern was associated with better memory (p = 0.039), which lost significance in models 2 and 3. In the subgroup of participants with MCI, the association between a higher adherence to the ‘Alcoholic beverages’ dietary pattern and better memory attenuated significantly.
Risk Factors

The Mediterranean diet is a heart-healthy eating plan that is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fish and olive oil. It is lower in saturated fat and high in fiber.

Several studies have found that the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of dementia, particularly in those with a genetic risk for the disease. However, there is not enough evidence to determine whether it is effective in preventing dementia.

Researchers from the University of Newcastle examined data from 60,298 participants in the UK Biobank and found that those with higher levels of adherence to the Mediterranean diet had a 23% lower risk of dementia, independent of their genetic risk.

While this study is a step in the right direction, more research is needed to understand the interaction between diet and genetics on dementia risk. It also needs to be done in more diverse populations. The researchers warn that people should avoid processed foods, which are high in sugar, sodium, and fats.
Adherence

Eating a Mediterranean Diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, fish and olive oil, can reduce your risk of dementia. It can also help you maintain a healthy weight and blood pressure, which are important for good health.

The diet can also reduce your risk of getting heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A study of 60,298 UK Biobank participants found that higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower rates of cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers also found that adherence to the diet was associated with a lower risk of dementia even among people who have a high APOE4 gene, which is considered the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. The findings suggest that a healthy diet may be able to mitigate the effects of individual genetic risk factors for dementia, which could help reduce the burden on healthcare systems.
Conclusions

The Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil and nuts, fish, and vegetables, has been shown to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and reduce inflammation. It’s also high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, all of which work together to improve heart health.

In a study of 60,298 people aged 50 and over from the UK Biobank, researchers found that participants who ate the most Mediterranean foods were 25% less likely to develop dementia than those who ate less. However, it’s important to note that this link isn’t consistent across sensitivity analyses and additional studies are needed.

The results suggest that eating a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of dementia, even for those who have a genetic predisposition to the condition. This is good news because it could pave the way for new preventive treatments.