- 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
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.