Older adults who closely followed the Mediterranean diet—as evidenced by results of blood tests, not participant-completed food diaries or questionnaires—were less likely to experience cognitive decline as they aged, according to recent research out of Spain. Adhering to the Mediterranean diet as one ages appears to reduce the risk of cognitive decline, finds yet another study —one scientists say provides the strongest proof yet of its benefits.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona in Spain followed nearly 850 French citizens over the age of 65 for more than a decade. Participants were split fairly evenly between women and men, and all were dementia-free at the start of the study. They monitored a panel of biomarkers—like healthy omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, found in foods consumed on the diet—every few years and performed five neuropsychological evaluations on each participant during the course of the study.
Those who closely followed the plant-based diet , rich in healthy fats—as evidenced by results of blood tests, not participant-completed food diaries or questionnaires—were less likely to experience cognitive decline as they aged .
Previous studies have examined the relationship between the diet and cognitive decline and produced mixed results, perhaps because participants didn’t accurately recall and/or report what they ate, researchers hypothesized. That’s why they opted to monitor diet adherence with biomarkers—an objective, versus subjective, approach.
The research is “a step forward towards the use of more accurate dietary assessment methodologies,” Mercè Pallàs, professor of pharmacology at the university’s Neurosciences Institute, said in a news release about the findings, published last year in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research .
The study indeed “echoes previous studies that have shown that following a Mediterranean style diet is associated with healthy brain aging,” Caroline Susie , a registered dietitian, tells Fortune. “While there is no proven way to prevent dementia and cognitive decline, following this diet is associated with lower risk of cognitive decline.” What is the Mediterranean diet?
This plant-based way of eating—with roots in ancient Roman and Greek tradition and the cuisine of the Middle Ages—was studied and solidified in the 1950s. It focuses on consuming a variety of […]
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