Mediterranean diet can keep your mind sharp in old age – even if your brain shows signs of dementia, research shows

Health
By Liam
  • The Med diet includes plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and olive oil
  • Participants who followed it scored higher on tests of cognitive function
  • READ MORE: ‘Skinny Fat’ Raises Alzheimer’s Risk Even MORE Than Obesity

By Caitlin Tilley, health reporter for Dailymail.Com

Published: | Updated:

A study shows that the Mediterranean diet can keep your brain sharp in old age, even if you show signs of dementia.

Researchers at Rush University in Chicago found that people who followed the Mediterranean diet scored higher on tests of cognitive function, even if they showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease in their brains after death.

Other important factors included not smoking, drinking minimal alcohol and exercising regularly.

One of the reasons the diet is believed to combat cognitive decline is because it is balanced and keeps you feeling full for longer, making you less likely to snack on high-calorie junk food.

This keeps weight stable and healthy, reducing the risk of obesity-related blood vessel problems that can affect brain function.

Some research suggests that the abundance of fruits and vegetables in the diet also plays a role, as they are rich in brain-protecting antioxidants.

A vast amount of research has identified the Mediterranean diet as the gold standard eating regimen

The researchers used data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a study that included autopsy data from 1997 to 2022 and up to 24 years of follow-up.

They looked at 586 participants who had died at an average age of 91 years.

A healthy lifestyle score was developed for each participant based on self-reported factors including smoking, if participants exercised at least two and a half hours per week, alcohol consumption, a Mediterranean diet, and cognitive activity score.

The overall healthy lifestyle score ranged from one to five, with higher scores reflecting a healthier lifestyle.

Researchers compared this to a cognitive score from tests taken less than a year before the participants’ deaths.

In the Rush Memory and Aging Project, participants’ cognitive function was evaluated with 19 tests every year.

A higher lifestyle score was associated with better cognitive functioning near death.

After they died, the participants’ brains were removed and examined for signs of Alzheimer’s disease, such as amyloid beta and tau tangles.

Even if the participants’ brains showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease, their healthy lifestyle still seemed to protect them somewhat against cognitive decline, the study found.

The research was published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

The Mediterranean diet consists of plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and olive oil.

A vast amount of research has identified the Mediterranean diet as the gold standard of eating.

A study published last year found that switching to a Mediterranean diet from the normal Western diet can help you live longer, and the earlier you start in life, the better.

But even if you don’t start the Mediterranean diet until age 60, you can expect to live another eight years, the study found.

And if you adopt the diet at age 80, life expectancy still increases by about three years.

Dementia is the general term for a group of conditions associated with loss of memory, language and judgment.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of the disease, affecting more than six million Americans, while Lewy body dementia is the second most common form, with approximately one million people living with the condition.

What is Alzheimer’s disease and how is it treated?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain in which the buildup of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die.

This disrupts the transmitters that transmit messages and causes the brain to shrink.

More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the sixth leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have the disease.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost.

That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason.

The progression of the disease is slow and gradual.

On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some can live another ten to fifteen years.

EARLY SYMPTOMS:

  • Loss of short-term memory
  • Disorientation
  • Behavioral changes
  • Mood swings
  • Problems handling money or making a phone call

LATER SYMPTOMS:

  • Severe memory loss, forgetting close relatives, familiar objects or places
  • Becoming anxious and frustrated about the inability to understand the world, leading to aggressive behavior
  • Eventually you lose the ability to walk
  • May have problems eating
  • The majority will ultimately require 24-hour care

HOW IT IS TREATED?

There is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

However, there are some treatments available that help relieve some of the symptoms.

One of these is acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, which help brain cells communicate with each other.

Another example is menantine, which works by blocking a chemical called glutamate, which can build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease and inhibit mental function.

As the disease progresses, Alzheimer’s patients may exhibit aggressive behavior and/or suffer from depression. Medications may be provided to help relieve these symptoms.

Other non-pharmaceutical treatments, such as mental training to improve memory and combat one aspect of Alzheimer’s disease, are also recommended.

Source: Alzheimer’s Association and the NHS

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